Back then, Spurs were pushing for the title and 2-0 up at half-time before a mid-table Chelsea fought back to draw and kill off Tottenham's title pretensions.

There was less at stake this time, but Tottenham's third successive defeat pretty much ends their Champions League hopes, while keeping alive Chelsea's chances of qualifying for Europe.

It was Mauricio Pochettino's 400th game in English football, the majority of them as Tottenham's manager, and he says he has learned a lot since that game eight years ago, when he was in the away dugout.

The current incumbent, Ange Postecoglou, insisted after Sunday's defeat to Arsenal that Spurs do not need a set-piece coach, but he may be having second thoughts after his side again conceded twice from free-kicks.

Trevoh Chalobah headed home Connor Gallagher's free-kick in the first half, and Nicolas Jackson nodded into an empty net after Cole Palmer's free-kick hit the bar in the 72nd minute, and that was enough to beat a toothless Tottenham who are in desperate need of a goalscorer.

Postecoglou had a superb start at Spurs, unbeaten in his first ten games until Chelsea went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and won a chaotic game 4-1 last October.

This was a more low key and low quality affair, but two moments of clinical finishing made the difference.

Chelsea took the lead from a free-kick on the right, which Gallagher curled beyond the far post. Chalobah met it with a thumping header that looped over Guglielmo Vicario into goal from ten yards.

The Blues went in search of a second. Mykhailo Mudryk curled one shot just wide of the far post and then hit another wildly over the bar, and even youngster Alfie Gilchrist tried his luck, blasting over from long range.

Spurs, meanwhile, were struggling to create anything. Richarlison, restored to the forward line, barely had a sniff before being subbed, and Heung Min Son was anonymous througout.

Brennan Johnson was their main attacking threat from the right, almost forcing an own goal from Marc Cucurella, and then from his free-kick, Cristian Romero headed wide from close range.

Tottenham were missing the creativity of James Maddison, relegated to the substitutes bench for an hour.

They improved after the break and were the better side for most of the half without threatening to score. Djordje Petrovic had to tip away crosses from Pape Matar Sarr, and Pedro Porro, while Benoit Badiashile's brilliant block prevented Richarlison from scoring.

At the opposite end, Palmer uncharacteristically shot high over the bar when in a good position, having missed a sitter in the opening minutes after a Nicolas Jackson shot was cleared off the line by Micky Van de Ven.

But Jackson, who had also struggled to get into the game, finally found the net in the 72nd minute against the run of play. Cucurella was fouled 25 yards from goal, Palmer curled his free-kick against the underside of the bar, and Jackson was quickest to react by heading the ball back into the net.

Chelsea's supporters, who had been quietly dreading an equaliser, suddenly burst into life, and roared again moments after the restart when Johnson, Tottenham's best performer, dragged a simple chance wide at the far post.

Spurs huffed and puffed, but never looked like scoring, and while Chelsea fans celebrated, Tottenham's supporters cannot wait for the season to end. Postecoglou will already be thinking about strengthening his squad, especially up front. And perhaps a set-piece specialist would not go amiss.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Petrovic 6; Gilchrist 6 (Acheampong 90+2), Chalobah 7, Badiashile 7, Cucurella 6; Caicedo 7, Gallagher 8; Madueke 7, Palmer 7, Mudryk 5; Jackson 7 (Casadei 74) 

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro 7 (Lo Celso 89), Romero 6, Van de Ven 6, Emerson Royal 5; Sarr 6 (Bentancur 63), Bissouma 6 (Hojbjerg 63); Johnson 7 (Gil 75) , Kulusevski, Son 4; Richarlison 4 (Maddison 63) 

Referee: Robert Jones 8/10