Chelsea have returned to form in style with a deserved 2-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur, who ended Sunday's Premier League fixture in North London with 10 men after the dismissal of Son Heung-min.
Willian put the Blues into the lead during the early stages, before a wild challenge from Paulo Gazzaniga on Marcos Alonso gave the Brazilian the chance to double his side's lead before the break.
Spurs' misery was compounded during the second half as Son was dismissed for kicking out at Antonio Rudiger, leaving Chelsea to see out the rest of the game with relative ease.
Chelsea have now opened up a four-point gap over fifth-placed Sheffield United, while Spurs remain in seventh position after a poor performance in front of their own supporters.
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Having worked together during their time at the Blues, Jose Mourinho and Frank Lampard were squaring off for the first time in opposite dugouts, creating a sense of theatre even before the match began in North London.
However, despite Mourinho possessing considerably more experience, it was Lampard who would have been delighted with his side's start to the contest, with a number of half-openings being created before Tammy Abraham directed a header wide of the far post.
Moments later, Chelsea went ahead through Willian, who was given the time and space to cut in from the left-hand side of the penalty area before curling a delightful shot into the far bottom corner.
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Aware that Spurs were struggling to put anything together in the middle or final third, Chelsea remained on the offensive without really creating anything to test Gazzaniga.
The home side improved as the first half progressed, with Harry Kane sending a first-time effort from 12 yards over the crossbar and Son Heung-min failing to convert at the back post.
Chelsea remained undeterred, however, and shortly after two minutes of added-on time were signalled by the fourth official, VAR got involved to rightly award the West Londoners a penalty.
Initially, the referee ruled that Marcos Alonso had fouled Gazzaniga in the area, rather than seeing that the goalkeeper had committed a wild and equally unnecessary challenge on the left wing-back.
Once the decision was overturned, Willian was able to step up and slot the ball into the bottom corner, sending Gazzaniga the wrong way and Lampard into wild celebration on the touchline.
Mourinho opted to make an alteration at the break, introducing Christian Eriksen for Eric Dier, but the switch only gave Chelsea more space to work with in the middle of the pitch.
Chelsea thought that they had extended their advantage in the 55th minute, although Abraham was clearly a yard offside when tapping home from close range after Alonso's long-range strike had been fumbled by Gazzaniga.
On the hour mark, Spurs saw their hopes of a comeback made even tougher courtesy of the dismissal of Son, with VAR again getting involved to make an important call.
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While there was minimal contact, the technology showed that Son had aimed a kick at Rudiger after a coming together, which resulted in the winger being handed a red card for the second time this season.
In the moments after the incident, Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta informed the referee of racial abuse from the stands, while the atmosphere deteriorated further as a drink was thrown at Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Despite the perceived feeling of injustice, Spurs continued to be outplayed by the visitors, who were finding an effective balance between being satisfied with their lead and pushing for a third goal.
The final stages were relatively uneventful, although Michy Batshuayi went close to a late goal when a left-footed effort from the edge of the area went flashing wide of the far post.
Nevertheless, this feels like an important win for Chelsea and Lampard, who witnessed his developing side keep just their fifth clean sheet in all competitions since his arrival in the summer.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Aurier, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Vertonghen (Rose 74'); Sissoko, Dier (Eriksen 46'); Moura (Ndombele 74'), Alli, Son; Kane
CHELSEA (3-4-2-1): Arrizabalaga; Rudiger, Zouma, Tomori; Azpilicueta (James 80'), Kante, Kovacic (Jorginho 68'), Alonso; Mount, Willian; Abraham (Batshuayi 80')
Darren Plant
