Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were forced to share the spoils in a 2-2 draw between two top-four hopefuls at Stamford Bridge this evening.
Oscar gave the hosts the lead after just 10 minutes when he nodded Gary Cahill's original header over the line from close range.
Spurs were soon level, however, as Emmanuel Adebayor carried the ball from his own half before curling a sublime shot past a helpless Petr Cech from the edge of the box.
Ramires restored his side's lead before the break with a clever toe-poked finish, but Gylfi Sigurdsson wrapped up a point for the visitors 10 minutes from time as he latched on to Adebayor's pass to curl a shot into the bottom corner.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at what was an enthralling 90 minutes of Premier League football.
Match statistics:
Chelsea:
Shots 15
On target 8
Possession 48%
Corners 6
Fouls 6
Tottenham:
Shots 13
On target 6
Possession 52%
Corners 5
Fouls 16
Was the result fair?
Just about. Over the whole 90 minutes, Chelsea were the better team and spent more time in control, but such was the nature of the match that it always felt as if Tottenham would get an equaliser. The hosts deserved their lead at the break having dominated the first half, but Spurs improved towards the end of the second half and their pressure eventually paid off. If either side deserved to win this one it was Chelsea, but Spurs showed good fighting spirit by holding on and then grabbing a goal when it really mattered.
Chelsea's performance
Good. The Blues were very strong in the first half and limited Tottenham to few, if any, chances. Adebayor's goal came against the run of play and, other than picking the ball out of the back of his net after that one, Cech barely had anything to do in the opening 45 minutes. They also started the second half brighter than their opponents and could have had the game wrapped up on a number of occasions. During this time they also nullified the significant threat of Tottenham's attackers, but the one time they did get through proved vital as Sigurdsson netted the equaliser. Benitez will be content overall, though, as his side performed well and are still in the driving seat for a Champions League spot.
Tottenham's performance
Spurs were below-par for large periods of the match as their most important players struggled to get a grip of the match. The likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon were subdued as Chelsea kept them under wraps, and as such they weren't much of an attacking force throughout. In truth, they had two or three chances in the entire match, but that was all they needed to get the point. The defending varied from shambolic to brilliant, and the attack was toothless for the vast majority of the game. However, while it won't go down as one of their best performances of the season, it will go down as an important point, and that is the most important thing.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Ramires: It was tough to choose a man of the match this evening, but Ramires did as well as anyone on the park. His dynamism in midfield contributed significantly to Tottenham's failure to build much of an attacking threat throughout, while his powerful runs into the opposition half caused them plenty of problems. He also got his name on the scoresheet, which didn't harm his cause. It was a very smart finish as well, as he took his shot early, toe-poking it past an unsuspecting Hugo Lloris.
Biggest gaffe
He may have got man of the match, but Ramires also gets the gaffe of the game. Chelsea could have been out of sight just after the hour mark as they broke from a Spurs corner with Juan Mata. The Spaniard's pass was slightly behind Ramires, who had made a lung-bursting run through the middle of the park only to lose his footing at the vital moment as the danger passed. To make things even worse, he smacked his head on the ground on the way down as his injured face compounded his dented pride. Perhaps the pitch was partly to blame, as was the pass from Mata, but it was Ramires left with egg - and grass - on his face.
Referee performance
The best sign of a referee is to not notice him much, and Mike Dean passed under the radar for most of this match. He made a couple of questionable decisions - most notably penalising Jan Vertonghen for what looked like a brilliant tackle on Fernando Torres - but overall he went about his business quietly and efficiently.
What next?
Chelsea: Chelsea could all but secure a Champions League spot next season when they face Aston Villa on Saturday before facing Benfica in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
Tottenham: Spurs, meanwhile, will be hoping for Arsenal to slip up at the same time as they travel to the Britannia to take on Stoke.
Barney Corkhill
