Tottenham Hotspur denied Chelsea a record 14th consecutive Premier League win and loosened their grip on the title race as two Dele Alli headers secured a 2-0 victory at a rocking White Hart Lane on Wednesday.
After Tottenham's own title dream last season ended in a tumultuous 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in May, there was a particular satisfaction that they stopped the Chelsea bandwagon.
Arsenal still hold the record for consecutive Premier League wins although their streak included 13 at the end of 2001-02 and one more at the beginning of the following campaign.
"We knew that defeat could happen before the game but I think today I saw a game with a good balance and they scored a goal at the end of the first-half and the second goal in our best moment," Chelsea boss Antonio Conte said.
Conte's side were not at their best although there was little between the sides in a high-tempo derby that thankfully never descended into the kind of indiscipline that resulted in 12 bookings in the Bridge battle of last season.
The tie was decided by two carbon-copy goals either side of halftime -- both created by the precision of Tottenham's Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen. Eriksen was a whisker away from giving his side the lead midway through the first half with shot that flew just wide.
Yet it was one of his trademark deliveries that led to Tottenham's opener in first-half stoppage time. Given too much time to pick his spot, he whipped in a right-footed cross that Alli headed past Thibaut Courtois.
Eriksen then sent in a lethal cross and Alli found too much space to head past Courtois.
Tottenham's fifth consecutive victory lifted them from fifth to third with 42 points from 20 games, ahead of Man City on goal difference and one point above Arsenal.Chelsea still lead second-placed Liverpool by five points after 20 games with Tottenham seven adrift.
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