Maligned England attacker Dele Alli scored twice in the second half as Tottenham roared back from behind to win at Chelsea for the first time since 1990 and inflict serious damage to the hosts’ hopes of finishing in the Champions League places.
Spain striker Alvaro Morata beat France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to a cross to head the hosts deservedly ahead on 30 minutes. But Spurs’ comeback began in first-half injury time through Christian Eriksen’s superb 25-yard shot.
The stage was then set for Alli. In four second-half minutes just past the hour mark, he first converted calmly off the post from Eric Dier’s divine long ball and then slotted in after a goalmouth scramble.
This encouraging 3-1 win left Mauricio Pochettino’s visitors – who also reintroduced striker Harry Kane as a substitute after injury – eight points and one spot ahead of fifth placed Chelsea in the race to make Europe’s premier club competition.
Here are our player ratings:
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1)
Hugo Lloris – 6: Was badly beaten in the air for Morata’s goal. Made up for this with succession of saves.
Kieran Trippier – 6: A non-descript outing for England’s current starting right wing-back. Made just two crosses, one tackle and one interception.
Davinson Sanchez – 7: Partnership with Vertonghen at the back continues to develop. Only man to make it into double digits (10) for clearances.
Jan Vertonghen – 7: A true leader of men. Shared five interceptions each with Sanchez. Only bad mark was late tackle on countryman Hazard.
Ben Davies – 7: That’s now six assists in the Premier League this term, thanks to his pass to Eriksen. That doubles 2016/17’s previous best.
Eric Dier – 8: This could be a breakthrough match in defensive midfield for the England man. Vision and execution for Alli’s first was exemplary.
Mousa Dembele – 7: Such a busy presence at Stamford Bridge. Made four interceptions and his pass accuracy was a respectable 86.2 per cent.
Erik Lamela – 7: Floated around the front line and found pockets of space. But another run-in with Fabregas left a bad taste in his mouth.
Dele Alli – 8: First top-flight brace since January 2017 saw him take his first superbly and show great feet for second.
Christian Eriksen – 7: A sensational player. Swerve on his leveler was unstoppable. Slid in Son in build-up to Spurs’ third.
Son Heung-min – 5: The electric South Korea forward suffered a rare short-circuit. Made greedy decisions that nearly ended killer third goal.
SUBS
Harry Kane – 6: Got minutes in the legs after his sidelining by injury. Not a bad player to have back in the ranks.
Victor Wanyama – N/A: Completed 100 per cent of his passes and made one clearance in 10 minutes on pitch.
Moussa Sissoko – N/A: Barely had any time to make an impression, good or bad.
