Heat on Ange grows as wasteful Spurs flounder against irresistible Chelsea

Tottenham (2) 3 Solanke 5, Kulusevski 11, Son 90+6

Chelsea (1) 4 Sancho 18, Palmer pen 61, pen 84, Fernandez 73

We may not know which Spurs will turn up these days, but we are increasingly knowing what Chelsea to expect.

Spurs went 2-0 up inside a dozen minutes but still contrived to lose and the spotlight on an increasingly beleaguered Ange Postecoglou intensifies.

For Chelsea, now on their own in second place - only Liverpool above them, and on an irresistible run of form - the future for their young team looks increasingly bright.

Spurs fans - some of whom chanted for Daniel Levy's head before kick-off - have grown wearily accustomed to this kind of thing. It's now just one win in 16 against their bete noire from west London.

The calamity that was about to unfold for Spurs looked a million miles away in a start that ratcheted up the already-febrile atmosphere still further in a derby that is never short of fire.

Marc Cucurella's loss of footing was all the invitation Brennan Johnson needed to scamper off down the right and his ball to the near post was met beautifully by Dominic Solanke - his shot rising past Robert Sanchez into the far corner.

Chelsea looked uncharacteristically flustered and it soon got worse. Another slip by Cucurella saw Johnson and Pedro Porro recycle the ball to Dejan Kulusevski and the Swede cut in from the flank before dispatching a low shot past Sanchez.

A fever-pitch start.

Cucurella changed his boots, throwing off the culpable old ones in disgust.

It was a perfect start for Spurs but the picture changed quickly. The first blow for the hosts was the failed gamble to bring Cristian Romero back from injury to sit alongside another returning favourite in Micky van de Ven.

The Argentinian was seen by an under-pressure Postecoglou as vital for team morale but the defender limped off after just 15 minutes - the foot injury that has sidelined him of late again flaring up.

Chelsea then got a toe-hold in the game when Jadon Sancho was given time and space to cut in from the left and find the net with a low shot across Fraser Forster that went in off the keeper's left-hand post.

The action kept coming. Son - released by Solanke - fired just over. Forster made a brilliant double save to deny Cole Palmer (strong left hand) then Neto in the follow up (outstretched left boot). Pape Sarr headed a Son corner against the crossbar. Romero's replacement Radu Dragusin made a great challenge to stop Nicolas Jackson.

Would the helter-skelter nature of the contest continue after the break? There was no sign of any let-up.

Enzo Fernandez bent a shot just off target as the Blues poured forward in search of an equaliser. They had Caicedo in midfield now, with Malo Gusto having come on for Romeo Lavia.

They looked the stronger side and when Caicedo charged into the box, Yves Bissouma inadvisably slid in to take him out and Palmer put away the clear and obvious penalty.

That made it 11 from 11 for Palmer from the spot - equal with the Premier League's best 100 per center - Yaya Toure of Man City. He would go one better before his day was done.

Heung-Min Son came close to putting Spurs back in front after being allowed a free dash in from the right as Chelsea stopped in anticipation of an offside. The final shot arrowed across Sanchez but wide.

It seemed to emphasise the feeling that the game was getting away from Spurs and when Palmer twisted and turned inside the area, his deflected cross sat up perfectly for Fernandez to crash home his third goal in four matches.

An impetuous foul by Sarr on Palmer gifted Chelsea a fourth and the murmurs of discontent became full blown boos. Palmer Panenka'd his second penalty to make it 12 out of 12. He has ice in his veins.

Son did pull one back deep into injury time, but it came too late to change the bigger picture.

"Tottenham Hotspur, it's happened again," crowed the visiting fans. Three-point Lane it continues to be for Chelsea. Even if the stadium does have a different name these days. The song remains the same.

Spurs: (4-3-3) Forster - Porro, Romero (Dragusin 15), van de Ven (Gray 79), Udogie - Bissouma (Bergvall 79), Sarr, Kulusevski (Maddison 79) - Johnson (Werner 53), Solanke, Son

Blues: (4-2-3-1) Sanchez - Caicedo, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella (Veiga 90) - Lavia (Gusto h/t), Fernandez - Neto (Madueke 86), Palmer (Felix 90), Sancho - Jackson (Nkunku 76)

Attendance: 61,184