Perhaps they are not 'Spursy' any more, perhaps this Tottenham team has now got the fire from Antonio Conte’s belly.
As their manager looked ready to put the nut on Thomas Tuchel, the players celebrated as though they had just pulled off some sort of landmark result rather than scrape a fortunate draw. And maybe they had, maybe this was a match that - under previous regimes - would have been lost long before Harry Kane’s late, late, deflected equaliser.
Second best for huge swathes of this hilariously bad-tempered match (in the technical areas, that is), Spurs at least showed some spirit, some backbone, some serious fight - literally, in Conte’s case.
While the spats between Conte and Tuchel were amusing, the Football Association will, rightly, have to take a more serious view of it. Joking apart, the example set by this pair was embarrassing and the sanctions should be tough. Don’t forget, we are asking grassroots coaches and parents to behave themselves on the touchline on a Sunday morning and then they watch THIS on a Sunday afternoon. They are both facing automatic touchline bans after their red cards and the FA should go further.
Yet when they have stopped feeling just a little bit ashamed of their antics and accepted their punishments, both Conte and Tuchel should take some positives out of this. Conte should be pleased with how his side battled for a point when they were not at the races and Tuchel should be pleased with a performance that made a mockery of some pre-season caution. Ahead of this campaign, Tuchel was not exactly downbeat but he was hardly full of optimistic beans. Don’t expect too much - that was the gist.
A couple of games into the campaign and the German is fighting with Conte and running half the length of the pitch to celebrate a Reece James goal. After this dramatic day, you can safely say that Tuchel has not lost his mojo, his spark, his enthusiasm, or anything else. He will be gutted that Chelsea’s excellence was not rewarded with a win, although one of the main reasons for that was some wasteful finishing, particularly from Kai Havertz.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Spurs finish above Chelsea? Let us know in the comments section
After the frolics that accompanied a first-day thumping of hapless Southampton, this was always going to be a more meaningful stress test of Tottenham’s new credentials. And, for long periods, this was as good a Chelsea display as they have posted for some considerable time. That they went into the half-time break with only a one-goal advantage was a poor reflection of their dominance. But - with the caveat of wondering how a six foot-plus centre-half can go unmarked from a set-piece - what a goal it was.
Up until the 19th minute, Marc Cucurella’s delivery had been mixed but his corner dropped on to the boot of Kalidou Koulibaly who executed the finish with a volley of Paul Scholes crispness. Just two Premier League matches into his Chelsea career and Koulibaly looks like being a cult hero. Koulibaly, though, was one of those who rolled out the red carpet for Harry Kane just after the hour but the England striker shocked everyone by scuffing his right-footed effort.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did no such thing and soon levelled matters but, from a cool Raheem Sterling assist, Reece James restored justice to proceedings. But Kane’s header from an Ivan Perisic corner took a diversion off James’ thigh and ensured we were treated to a Battle of the Bridge sequel after the final whistle. Yet as Tuchel and Conte squared up, Tottenham players headed for a delirious travelling support - perhaps celebrating the idea that they’re not Spursy any more.
