Chelsea moved up to fourth place in the Premier League after a 1-0 victory over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
A powerful header from Enzo Fernandez in the second half was enough to secure all three points for the Blues.
Chelsea had dropped to sixth place after wins by Manchester City and Newcastle, but this victory pushed them back into the top four, one point ahead of City and two ahead of Newcastle.
After a 1-0 loss to Arsenal before the international break, Chelsea’s coach, Enzo Maresca, had demanded a better response from his players.
The team started well, with Nicolas Jackson almost scoring in the first minute, but his shot hit the post after a deflection.
Malo Gusto also came close, while Fernandez nearly scored before halftime from a Cole Palmer cross.
The only goal came in the 50th minute when Palmer delivered a perfect cross, and Fernandez headed the ball past Tottenham’s goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Tottenham thought they had equalized in the 69th minute when Pape Sarr scored from long range, but VAR ruled it out for a foul on Moises Caicedo.
In the 89th minute, Son Heung-min nearly rescued a point for Spurs, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made a brilliant save.
Tottenham have now failed to win in their last four league games, and they sit in 14th place with 16 losses from 30 matches.
Frustrated Spurs fans turned on coach Ange Postecoglou, chanting “You don’t know what you’re doing” as the team struggled.
Their only hope for a trophy this season is the Europa League, where they will face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals.
