Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea: Blues fight back from two goals down to win and move four points off leaders Liverpool

Chelsea fought back from two goals down to win 4-3 at London rivals Tottenham to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points.

Spurs, who have blown a two-goal lead for the second time this season after losing 3-2 at Brighton in October, were 2-0 up after just 11 minutes through Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski as Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella was forced into a change of boots after slipping for both goals.

Jadon Sancho then got the visitors back into the game in the 17th minute producing a wonderful curling low finish off the post from outside the box.

• Analysis: Chelsea couldn't win title... could they?
• Carra: If Ange doesn't change he won't remain Spurs boss
• As it happened | Teams | Match stats
• Live Premier League table | Watch free PL highlights

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo escaped a first-half red card for an over-the-ball tackle on Pape Matar Sarr despite a VAR review - a decision which Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher described as "unbelievable".

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Caicedo then won a second-half penalty as he drew a rash challenge from Yves Bissouma that allowed Palmer to equalise from the spot in the 61st minute.

Chelsea always looked likeliest to win the game and Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in the 73rd minute with a powerful near-post volley.

Spurs' defensive frailties were on display again as Sarr gave away another poor penalty as he fouled Palmer, who then stepped up to produce a cool Panenka in the 84th minute to extend Chelsea's lead.

Heung-Min Son pulled a stoppage-time goal back but it was too little too late as Enzo Maresca's side held on for a fourth straight league win to move second behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand after the Reds' match against Everton was postponed on Saturday.

Spurs, meanwhile, are heading in the opposite direction with back-to-back league defeats leaving them 11th, seven points off the top four and boss Ange Postecoglou under even more pressure.

Merse and Carra say Chelsea in title race - what does Maresca think?

Sky Sports' Paul Merson:

"It's a massive result. This is Chelsea's biggest game of the season - go to Tottenham and win, four points behind Liverpool.

"They're in the title race and are Liverpool's biggest threat. They haven't got European football - they've got another team for that."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:

"This Chelsea team is no underdog story. This is a team that has spent £1.2bn but what they're doing this season is something totally unexpected.

"This club are right in the mix for a title challenge."

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca speaking at his post-match press conference:

"After the game, my message to the players was to be focused; to be focused in the day-by-day, in our session, in the next game on Thursday then Sunday, because if you start to think in two games, three games or in four games where we are? It's completely wrong.

"We are happy that our fans are happy. They can dream, they can think everything because on the outside it is quite clear.

"The reality is that I said many times for me we are not ready to be there, but the important thing is we improve day by day."

Ange: A painful defeat but we played well

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou speaking to Sky Sports:

"It's a sore one. Painful. We started really well and then we lose Cristian Romero - nothing has run smoothly for us and we have to reshuffle before they get a goal.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

"I thought we had big moments to get a third. Second-half was a ding-dong and we had a big chance with Son to swing the game our way. Then the two penalties weren't great on our behalf - we need more discipline in the box.

"We didn't play well against Bournemouth [1-0 defeat on Thursday] but we played well today. They're a good side. A top team. We got disrupted in key moments and the key moments decided the game.

"When we are playing our football we are tough to stop and we need to maintain our discipline. There was no need for them as the game was in the balance. When you play these top teams these momentum shifts can happen quickly."

Postecoglou's Spurs flatter to deceive again

Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

Postecoglou pointed to fine margins as his Tottenham team came out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller against Chelsea and a generous interpretation of events might conclude that he had a point. The same could be said of Spurs' season.

Six more points and they would be handily placed in fifth, one point behind Manchester City. A couple of wins from games against Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Bournemouth would have been enough. Or how about holding on to that two-goal lead at Brighton?

But the reality is that Postecoglou's Tottenham keep leaking those two-goal leads and they keep leaking points. It is not bad luck. It is beginning to feel like a consequence of the coach's mantra, one that prioritises style of play over navigating the game's nuances.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

There was no hint of control even when gifted two goals by Cucurella's early slips. The result is that as fine as those margins may be, Spurs now sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table after 15 games. They have lost more than they have won.

In fact, of the 17 teams that have been in the Premier League both this season and last, only two have lost more games in the competition than Tottenham since Christmas. Dominic Solanke arrived in the summer but the other additions were young prospects.

As a result, are the signs of progress imminent? For all the talk of trophies in the second season, maybe this is his Spurs. "Tottenham are so close to being a good side," said Carragher on co-commentary for Sky Sports. "But they always let you down."

Maresca calls it right as Chelsea send title warning

Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

At the start of the season, the chatter around the Premier League title race focused on whether Arsenal could finally topple Manchester City. Liverpool's strong start put them in the conversation. It is now impossible to ignore their nearest challengers Chelsea.

They had to come from two goals down to win 4-3 away at Tottenham on Sunday but the performance was a little more emphatic than that score suggests. Sky Sports' Paul Merson even called the victory at the interval when Spurs were still leading.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Maresca's changes at half-time helped Chelsea win the game. One was subtle, switching his centre-backs because Benoit Badiashile was struggling to deal with Dominic Solanke and Heung-Min Son on his weaker right side. It was the right move.

The decision to withdraw Romeo Lavia was intriguing because he was perhaps Chelsea's best player in the first half. Maresca recognised that he needed a specialist right-back in Malo Gusto but opted to move Moises Caicedo into midfield rather than remove him.

The first penalty was won as a result of that man Caicedo running into the box and drawing the rash foul by Yves Bissouma. A good afternoon's work for Maresca then, and a fifth win in a row in all competitions to lift them above Arsenal into second spot.

How much further can they go? Some supporters themselves will be quick to say that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez remains a concern, while there are still issues to address at the back. Liverpool and Arsenal both have better defensive records than Chelsea.

But no team can come close to matching their 35 goals so far and that firepower could yet be the difference in a tight title race. Chelsea will win a lot of games and do not have the distractions of their rivals. An opportunity is emerging for Maresca's fledgling side.

Story of the match in stats

What's coming up in the Premier League?

• Tottenham fixtures
• Chelsea fixtures
• Premier League fixtures

A £1,000,000 SUPER 6 WINNER!

Tom from Southampton became a millionaire for free with Super 6! Could you be the next jackpot winner? Play for free!