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Trailing Tottenham Hotspur by 5 points in the race for a top-4 finish, Chelsea hosted the Lilywhites for their Matchday 31 tie in the Premier League, in what promised to be a mouth-watering fixture, largely due to the sheer significance the result would go on to have.
While Chelsea were under pressure to win and reduce the deficit between themselves and their guests, Tottenham, on the other hand, were not just under similar pressure to win but were also burdened by the historical fact that they had never beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge since 1990 - a time before the Premier League era.
A win for Chelsea would've narrowed the gap to 2, but ultimately, Spurs' victory widened it to a seemingly unattainable 8-point gap.
Juxtaposed to how the game finally ended, it was Chelsea who drew first blood as Alvaro Morata stepped up to find the back of the net in the 30th minute of the game.
Unfortunately for Antonio Conte and his side, they did very little with that lead. Danish sensation Christian Eriksen soon pulled Spurs level on the stroke of half-time with an absolute long-rangblinder, to leave things the way they had started - precariously poised.
After facing an intense onslaught on social media for certain alleged diving incidents in recent times, Dele Alli decided to make the big game his own as he scored a crucial second-half brace to all but end Chelsea's hopes of a top-4 finish.
In all honesty, it was relatively challenging to pick and choose from the many discussion-worthy points, but here is a look at 5 key talking points from the game:
#5 Dele Alli could be peaking at the right time
After excelling last season and steeply boosting his stock, Dele Alli had seemingly vanished for a majority of the ongoing season. As compared to his league tally of 18 goals and 11 assists last season, the Englishman has had a rather modest season this time around, managing just 8 goals and 12 assists, with just 7 games left to be played
Simply put, he has been overshadowed by Son Heung-min on several occasions this season, and hasn't been as menacing as he'd like. However, the last stretch of the season remains to be played and this could, in fact, be the perfect time for Alli to hit his stride.
Last night's brace, coupled with his goal and assist in his last outing with Spurs - against Bournemouth - certainly suggest that the Englishman could well be building momentum towards elevating his game to another level.
Spurs may have been shown the door in the UEFA Champions League, but with a top-4 finish yet to be mathematically secured, and an all-important FA Cup semi-final coming up later this month against Manchester United, Alli's return to form will undoubtedly be a shot in the arm for Mauricio Pochettino's men.
Further, with the FIFA World Cup barely a couple of months away, in all honesty, now wouldn't be the worst time for the 21-year-old to find his groove.
#4 Top-4 finish: a distant dream for Chelsea?
Manchester City may have run away with the Premier League title this season, but the race to finish in the top-4 has ensued. Well, I don't know if it's a race anymore, to be honest.
Going into the game, Chelsea found themselves at the lower end of a 5-point gap between their opponents from North London. Technically, the remainder of their season essentially hinged on this one fixture, as a win would not only have given them 3 points but would have also prevented Spurs from winning any.
Alas for Antonio Conte and his men, Tottenham were just too good on the night and subsequently blew the Blues away. With just 7 league matches left, having to overturn an 8-point gap could prove to be too steep an ask for Chelsea to handle, especially when you spare a moment and think about the form of the other teams in contention for a top-4 finish.
Things certainly don't seem all too good for the men in blue, and barring a miracle, they may well have to sit out of Europe's most elite club competition - the UEFA Champions League - next season.
#3 Tottenham make history in the Premier League era
Travelling to Stamford Bridge to take on a desperate Chelsea was never going to be easy. Doing it in a must-win match, even more intimidating. Add to that the weight of history, and the dynamic changes altogether.
The last time that Spurs beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the year was 1990, the Premier League era hadn't begun, Antonio Conte was as old as Dele Alli currently is, and Dele Alli himself wasn't even born. Yes, it has been a while.
Since 1990, widespread changes have seeped into not just the game, but also into Tottenham Hotspur, leaving just one painful constant - their inability to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Since 1990, in 31 matches across all competitions at The Bridge, the Blues had never tasted defeat at the hands of the Lilywhites, but 90 minutes is all it took for Pochettino's men to emphatically shatter a 28-year old jinx.
While it's undeniably going to boost Spurs' confidence sliding into the final stretch of the season, Chelsea and their fans are bound to be understandably livid with not just the result, but also the end of their bragging rights.
The focus will expectedly be on Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who seems to be losing his grasp on things faster than it usually takes Roman Abramovich to fire managers he is discontent with.
Which brings us to...
#2 Antonio Conte's days at Chelsea certainly look numbered
As Harvey Dent a.k.a Two-Face from the famous Batman movie - The Dark Knight Rises - taught us,
"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Ever wondered of an example to accompany that dialogue in your head? Well, wonder no more, because the powers that rule this world have provided us with the perfect example in the form of Antonio Conte
The man who miraculously turned things around to guide Chelsea to the Premier League title last season, was told in the summer that he wouldn't get the players that he wanted. His well-documented spat with Diego Costa and the Spaniard's subsequent departure didn't make matters any better.
As a result, Conte has worn a bored I-couldn't-care-less look for a majority of the season, and the mood of the manager and the club has ostensibly been reflected in their game.
Despite remaining in contention for the FA Cup, last night's loss to Spurs has certainly put to bed any and all of Chelsea's hopes of finishing in the top 4. Failure to qualify for Europe's most coveted tournament could not just see world-class players turn down opportunities to ply their trade for the Blues, but could also see a number of top players decide to leave the club in favour of better opportunities.
Considering the repercussions that loom, it's only a matter of time before Roman Abramovich inevitably reaches the end of his tether and mercilessly puts an end to Conte's unrelenting misery, as fans continue to beseechingly call for the Italian tactician's head.
The only question that remains to be asked pertaining to the matter is, how long is it going to take before Abramovich snaps and Conte is given the sack?
#1 Guess who's back
Harry Kane's blistering form and chances of winning the European Golden Shoe were tragically curtailed when he suffered an injury against Bournemouth last month, damaging his ankle ligaments.
The talismanic striker was expected to be sidelined at least until mid-April and as a result, he missed both friendlies for England in the recently concluded international break, but Pochettino astonishingly included Kane in the squad that travelled to play Chelsea - to the joy of their faithful supporters.
As it turns out, Kane and his services were far from required on the night, as Spurs made quick work of the defending Premier League champions. Kane, did, however, step onto the pitch in the 74th minute to deafening cheer and applause, much ahead of schedule.
With the scoreline already reading 3-1 to Spurs, there was little pressure on the Englishman to deliver as he came on for a 20-minute long cameo that included 2 tackles, 3 passes and 13 touches on the ball.
In the meantime, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (29 goals) seems to have put some distance between himself and Kane (24 goals) in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot. However, with 7 games remaining, you can't completely rule Kane out of the equation. He does score hat-tricks for fun, remember?
Liverpool and Tottenham are expected to fight to the end for a 3rd-place finish. Naturally, you can expect their spearheads, Salah and Kane, respectively, to do the same for the Premier League Golden Boot.
