Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane this afternoon.
The home side took the lead during the first half courtesy of Gylfi Sigurdsson, but his effort was cancelled out after the restart by captain John Terry.
Chelsea were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages when Fernando Torres was handed his second caution of the match, but they held out for a share of the spoils.
Below, Sports Mole has looked back on the contest to determine if either side can argue that they were deserving of maximum points.
Match statistics:
Tottenham:
Shots 12
On target 4
Possession 50%
Corners 4
Fouls 14
Chelsea:
Shots 11
On target 5
Possession 50%
Corners 5
Fouls 14
Was the result fair?
A quick glance up at the statistics will tell you that neither side can put up a strong enough argument that they were the better side throughout. Tottenham were much the stronger of the teams in the first half, but the second 45 minutes belonged to Chelsea. It was an entertaining clash that ended fairly.
Tottenham's performance
As mentioned above, Spurs were very good during the first half and could have added to their tally before the break. While they were by no means at their creative best in the second half, they defended well. When the rearguard was breached, Hugo Lloris behind them was also in good form. It was all in all a positive match for manager Andre Villas-Boas to look back on because his team have shown that they compete with the title challengers.
Chelsea's performance
Jose Mourinho probably had a few heated words with his players at half time. Their passing was poor and their movement lacked any real tempo. The introduction of Juan Mata swung the game Chelsea's way, though, and it was he who assisted Terry's equaliser. Looking forward, the Spaniard has done himself plenty of favours when it comes to forcing his way into the starting lineup on a regular basis.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Moussa Dembele: In what was a match that did not have a real standout player, the Belgian was perhaps the best of the bunch. He's an old-fashioned type of midfielder who time and again cut out Chelsea passes. What's more, when the situation presented itself, he got forward well and looked to carve out chances for Tottenham.
Biggest gaffe
Taking nothing away from Terry because it was good movement and a trademark finish form the Chelsea skipper, but Tottenham's defending left a little to be desired. It was the one occasion when they were found wanting as they left the Chelsea captain unmarked and he punished them.
Referee performance
Mike Dean did well to go so long without booking a player, but once he had issued the first yellow card, he seemed to think that every foul warranted the same outcome. The official also got it badly wrong where Torres was concerned. He failed to send the striker off following a clash with Jan Vertonghen, where he appeared to scratch the Tottenham defender, before then handing him his marching orders when he hadn't even committed a foul!
What next?
Tottenham: On Thursday night Spurs travel to Russia for a Europa League clash against Anzhi Makhachkala.
Chelsea: Meanwhile, the Blues turn their attention to Champions League matters on Tuesday night with a trip to Romanian side Steaua Bucharest.
Liam Apicella
