Chelsea - 2 Tottenham - 1: Tottenham looked shocked and devastated after a late shot fizzed past Paul Robinson but they ought to be used to the feeling by now. Their season could end up being defined by such moments.

If matches lasted 88 minutes Spurs would be six points better off and might have had decent cup runs. As it is, they fell at the first hurdle in the League and FA Cups and are caught in a fraught battle for fourth place.

The spectacular William Gallas effort that decided this contest was the sixth goal Tottenham have conceded in or after the 89th minute, and all have been costly.

Fulham and now Chelsea have beaten them that way over the past six weeks, and Sunderland last month and West Ham rescued draws.

No prizes for guessing how Grimsby and Leicester eliminated them from the cups.

Much as Tottenham played down that record, it appears to have become a growing problem. It would matter less if Spurs also had a habit of snatching late points but they do nothing of the sort.

Their two 90th-minute goals have come when they were ahead.

An 85th-minute penalty against Portsmouth, the breakthrough for a 3-1 win, is as dramatic as things have got in their favour.

As this match slipped into its final stages a Tottenham team who had started to look secure offered renewed hope to Chelsea.

The home side had not made a chance of note between the 58th and 85th minutes but two then came before Gallas exploited poor defending by Paul Stalteri to score from outside the box.

Chelsea had raised their game and made changes to challenge their opponents but Spurs also became jittery.

Ledley King and Michael Dawson, having been sound, got away with mistakes but there was no reprieve for the unimpressive Stalteri.

Jose Mourinho and his backroom team ran on to celebrate with Gallas in an outpouring of emotion sparked by the unlikely identity of the goalscorer, the knowledge the title has moved closer and the positive response to disappointment in Barcelona.

A Chelsea win was deserved on the balance of chances, though Spurs held their own for the vast majority of the second half.

Their midfield had been inferior and sloppy with passes in the first half but became far more combative and crisp.

Edgar Davids was more dynamic, Michael Carrick's distribution improved and the team negated the previously dangerous Michael Essien and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Jermaine Jenas, who undeservedly equalised just before half-time, wasted a terrific opportunity to put his team ahead but that was Spurs' solitary clear chance from open play and came from King's long pass.

Though they had spells of possession there was little penetration, with genuine wing-play lacking, Robbie Keane's best touches not in dangerous areas and Mido off the pace.

Tottenham remain in a strong position but nine points from 24 point to a loss of momentum and defeat here extended a miserable record against leading clubs.

Spurs have won once in nine tries against rivals in the current top seven. Arsenal, Manchester United and Bolton are still to come.

"It is tight," Jenas said, "but I think if we can keep performing somewhere around this level we will be fine."

The next two games, against Birmingham and West Bromwich, surely need to be won.

Chelsea were delighted to return to winning ways after the Champions League exit.

"I spoke to quite a few people and they were saying 'How are you going to bounce back from that?'" John Terry said.

"I think we did that perfectly. The (goal) celebration said it all."

The champions had dominated the first half, with Wright-Phillips a live wire.

The winger seized on a Carrick error to set up the opener for Essien, whose power and runs from deep troubled Spurs.

That was Essien's first Chelsea goal but Gallas' third of the season, after his rare slip gave an opportunity to Jenas, still came as more of a surprise.

The defender could not promise he will be at Chelsea next season but the club will do everything to keep him.

"The manager has taken a lot of stick," Terry said, "but we got things right and thankfully we can dedicate that to Peter Osgood and the manager."

Guardian Service