Chelsea continue to look more and more like the title favourites. Facing a spirited Tottenham side, desperate to bounce back from an early exit in the Champions League and gain some revenge for that May outing, when the Blues ended their Premier League title hopes, Antonio Conte's side showed character and quality again to keep their brilliant winning run intact.
The Blues went down to an early goal from Christian Eriksen – a sumptuous strike that hit the back of the net before Thibaut Courtois could even really react – but after Pedro drew the home side level just before halftime, Victor Moses found the winner early in the second 45 to push Chelsea back to the top of the table.
All the pressure was on Chelsea, after Manchester City and Liverpool had picked up wins to push them off the summit, but Conte's side, the same XI for the sixth straight game, showed they are made of stern stuff, ending Spurs' unbeaten run in the Premier League.
The Pedro equaliser was a fantastic one, with the Spain international, after being allowed time to turn by Eric Dier, firing in a wonderful strike from 22 yards which Hugo Lloris could not quite get to.
Moses then scored the winner in the 51st minute, ghosting in at the far post to turn in a Diego Costa cross.
"This was a big test because Tottenham are a really good team with great organisation," Conte, whose side lead the Premier League table by one point from Manchester City and Liverpool, said. "They started better than us, with great intensity and a lot of pressure when we had the ball.
"They scored a fantastic goal. Then I liked our reaction a lot. It wasn't easy to react in that way, with Pedro's fantastic finish. The goal gave us the right confidence. After the first half we spoke and together we found the right solution to try to win the game.
"In the second half we exploited situations which we didn't in the first half. When you win this type of game, a special derby, you must be pleased, but from tomorrow it's important to think about the next game against Man City, another strong team."
Watch the highlights of the game HERE
