Alli Brace Ends Blues' Top 4 Hopes as Spurs Finally Win at Stamford Bridge

Tottenham came from behind to secure a first ever Premier League win at Stamford Bridge and surely end Chelsea's slim Champions League hopes on Sunday

Tottenham came from behind to secure a first ever Premier League win at Stamford Bridge and surely end Chelsea's slim Champions League hopes on Sunday afternoon, winning 3-1.

Christian Eriksen's thunderbolt on the stroke of half-time cancelled out Alvaro Morata's opener, and Dele Alli's quick-fire double midway through the second half took the game away from the hosts.

27 - Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 27 home league matches against Tottenham (W18 D9) since losing 2-1 in February 1990. Hoodoo. pic.twitter.com/2aBLol35IG

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 1, 2018

It was the Blues who had the better of the early play, with the home side having the lion's share of chances in the opening exchanges. Hugo Lloris had to make a smart save from Willian after a quarter of an hour, and Marcos Alonso had a well-taken finish chalked off for offside moments later. 

Down the other end, Christian Eriksen floated a ball into the box only for Dele Alli to glance wide. The Englishman scored twice with his head in Spurs' 2-0 win over their London rivals last season. The pressure paid for Chelsea, with Alvaro Morata scoring his second in two games from a Victor Moses cross to give his team a vital first-half lead.

Image by Jordan Sen

All the pre-match talk had been about Tottenham's talisman, with Harry Kane recovering from his ankle injury against Bournemouth to be named on the bench for the game at Stamford Bridge. However, it was Chelsea's number nine who struck the first blow, with Morata rising highest to head into an empty net after half an hour for his first Premier League goal since Boxing Day.

The west Londoners threatened to add a second, with Alonso and N'Golo Kante having chances before the interval. On the stroke of half-time, it was Eriksen who scored an outstanding equaliser to haul the visitors level against the run of play. 

Image by Jordan Sen

Victor Moses lost the ball on the left wing under pressure from Dele Alli and Ben Davies, with the full-back spreading the ball to the Dane, who struck a speculative effort from 25 yards which dipped at the last second to wrongfoot Willy Caballero and go in off the underside of the bar.

It silenced the Bridge, with Spurs, perhaps undeservedly, going into the break level, setting up a titanic second half for both sides. 

The visitors carried their momentum forward after the interval, with Caballero called into action to make a brilliant stop from Son Heung-min on the hour mark. Moments later, Mauricio Pochettino's side took a stunning lead, with Dele Alli latching onto a 40-yard pass from Eric Dier to brilliantly stroke past the Argentinian keeper. 

Image by Jordan Sen

It completed a brilliant one-two punch for Spurs, with the visitors shaking off their sluggish start to the contest to hit two brilliant goals and turn the game on its head. Things got even worse four minutes later, with Son running clear of the Blues defence to have a shot saved by Caballero, only for Alli to finish into the empty net after a messy scramble in the six-yard box.

After the killer blow, Chelsea heads dropped, with just 20 minutes remaining to rescue the must-win game to save their fading top-four hopes. Antonio Conte's men had plenty of chances, with Marcos Alonso and Cesc Fabregas narrowly firing wide. 

Harry Kane made his return from injury to great cheers, with his renewed fitness a boost both for Tottenham and England's World Cup hopes.

Image by Jordan Sen

The hosts threatened late on, but Tottenham held firm to win the derby for a first win at their London rivals since February 1990, long before the Premier League began. The three points took Spurs just two points behind Liverpool in third with a game in hand to come. 

Meanwhile, a fourth home defeat of the season has all but finished Chelsea's top-four hopes, lying eight points behind the Lilywhites in fifth with just seven games to go. Having started the game on the front foot, a poor second-half performance did for the Blues, with the visitors capitalising on an error-strewn display.

Antonio Conte's attentions must turn to their upcoming FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, as the Italian looks to salvage silverware from what has to be seen as a poor defence of their title, with a managerial change at Stamford Bridge looking inevitable in the summer.