Joao Pedro broke his 10-game goal drought to give Chelsea a well-deserved victory, while Tottenham were booed off after another poor home display.
The 24-year-old Brazilian had been suffering with fitness and form, but he easily chipped in the winner after Moises Caicedo’s continuous pressing forced defender Micky van de Ven to make a mistake inside his own box.
Pedro could have had three by halftime if Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario hadn’t made two excellent saves, first low to his right and then quickly tipping away a volley.
But, in the end, that solitary goal was enough to defeat a Spurs team that lacked creativity and had just three shots on target.
Spurs’ offense was ineffective, with only Mohamed Kudus making any attempt, firing over from long range in the 33rd minute before finally challenging goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in the fifth minute of first-half extra time.
Chelsea should have won by more, however. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez squandered golden chances, while Vicario stopped Pedro again, and replacement Jamie Gittens fired a close-range shot over the crossbar.
However, the Blues have risen to fourth place, tied with Tottenham on 17 points but trailing their London rivals on goal difference.
Spurs, on the other hand, are suffering from poor home form. They have only won three of their last 19 games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, under both former manager Ange Postecoglou and current boss Thomas Frank.
