Tottenham were unable to end their Stamford Bridge hoodoo as they fell to a 2-1 defeat away to Chelsea.
Spurs’ relegation fears remain firmly intact after Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos netted to set up a nervy final-day clash at home to Everton for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
It was another game and another missed opportunity for Spurs, who will be taken right to the wire by West Ham in their fight for Premier League survival.
Relegation race goes down to the wire
Tottenham’s relegation fears will be stretched to the limit as their dreadful record against Chelsea continued with their eighth successive defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs missed their opportunity to pull away from West Ham when they drew at home to Leeds last week, and they failed once again to make the most of the Irons slipping up.
De Zerbi’s side remain favourites to stay up, with West Ham having lost their last three games, but the final day can always conjure up a surprise.
Spurs must be wary not to lose their grasp on 17th place at the last moment. West Ham have looked like a beaten team in recent weeks, but they are still in the hunt and will know that pressure can do funny things to a team.
Spurs extend dismal Stamford Bridge record
It is now 41 visits to Stamford Bridge without a victory for Tottenham.
Spurs have not won at Stamford Bridge since 2018, when Dele Alli scored a sumptuous brace to cap a come-from-behind victory.
This current veneration of Spurs are far from emulating that team, which enjoyed plenty of derby days to remember under Mauricio Pochettino.
They are fighting for their lives and have given West Ham yet more cause for optimism as Chelsea held on to complete the league double over their London rivals.
Despite coming into tonight’s game as the form team, it always felt like Spurs would have to battle against the weight of history to put the relegation race well and truly to bed.
A confident Spurs start was punctured by a stunning Fernandez strike, and while they rallied late on, Chelsea had given themselves something to hold onto and showed a lesser-seen resilience to secure their first three points since March.
Spurs’ wait for a win at Stamford Bridge continues, and the Chelsea faithful did not hold back in letting the travelling fans know.
Kinsky decision vindicated
Despite De Zerbi reaffirming in his pre-match comments that Guglielmo Vicario remained Spurs’ first-choice goalkeeper, it always felt like the sensible decision to stick with Antonin Kinsky against Chelsea.
Vicario has returned to fitness, having missed the first five games of De Zerbi’s tenure following hernia surgery and was a vocal presence on the Spurs bench at Stamford Bridge.
Kinsky, though, has impressed in Vicario’s absence and pulled off what could yet prove a vital save to deny Sean Longstaff last week.
Starting for the sixth successive game against Chelsea, he was similarly alert to stop Cole Palmer early on and commanded his area well on a night of high tension.
There is a decision to be made about who will be Spurs’ No1 next season, but Kinsky has done all he can to stake a claim for regular minutes.
On what is expected to be a tense affair at the weekend against Everton, De Zerbi will need the Czech goalie to keep his cool as Spurs attempt to stagger over the line.
