The record books will show that Chelsea won it when Nicolas Jackson, who had spent much of the night finding new and mysterious ways to miss easy chances, slid a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario in the 75th minute.
Really, though, it was necessary to go back to the start to understand how Tottenham lost their unbeaten record, failed to return to the top of the league and allowed Mauricio Pochettino to find the first signs of weakness in Angeball, punishing that daring high line via the simple tactic of repeatedly kicking the ball into space for Raheem Sterling to attack.
At times it was like watching an overexcited toddler experience a sensory overload. For 15 minutes Tottenham played with giddy abandon, their football wild and free, Chelsea pushed to the limit by Ange Postecoglou’s side.
An early goal for Dejan Kulusevski, who scored when Chelsea’s midfield evaporated into thin air, had hinted at a glorious win. It could have been 2-0 when Brennan Johnson beat Reece James and teed up Son Heung-min, only for the tightest of offside calls to give Pochettino a chance to readjust and look for a way to fix the shambles threatening to ruin his big night.
If anything, though, Spurs were guilty of having too much fun. The alarm bells rang before Son’s disallowed goal, Pedro Porro almost gifting Chelsea an equaliser when he butchered an ambitious crossfield pass. Lads, is that Spurs? Are they actually going to mess this one up?
They were. To recap, by half-time Spurs had contrived to lose the lead, their best player and both of their centre-backs, and could have been down to nine men. Postecoglou, whose high-wire act was playing into Chelsea’s hands, had been booked. Gary Mabbutt and Ledley King were coming on to play in central defence. Pochettino had thought about offering to fill in at the back, before remembering he manages Chelsea now. It probably would have sent the wrong message.
Rarely has there been a sillier half of football. Spurs, whose pre-match refusal to acknowledge Pochettino had suggested they might try to play it cool, had lost their heads. They had enjoyed near misses, Destiny Udogie somehow avoiding a red when he launched two-footed into Sterling, but the implosion was coming. Spurs, who have been so thrilling to watch under Postecoglou, could not keep their emotions in check.
They were not mature enough. Spurs needed someone to read the game, someone to calm them down. Instead they had Cristian Romero, their world champion centre-back, kicking out at Levi Colwill on the right touchline. It was too wild, too frantic, and it was easy to see Chelsea taking control, the midfield of Enzo Fernández, Conor Gallagher and Moisés Caicedo recovering from a torrid start and gradually controlling matters.
The equaliser was coming, even though it needed a lengthy VAR check to establish that Romero’s challenge on Fernández was a red card and a penalty. Spurs had lost their shape and discipline. Caicedo’s shot had been ruled offside and Micky van de Ven almost felled Sterling with a clumsy swipe. Chelsea’s collection of kids, level through Cole Palmer’s spot kick, were in the unusual position of being the more measured team.
FIRST HALF
6 mins: Tottenham 1-0 Chelsea Spurs start at a blistering pace and Dejan Kulusevski's shot is deflected in off Levi Colwill to put them in front.
13 mins: No goal Son Heung-min slots home from Brennan Johnson's pass, but is correctly ruled offside after a lengthy VAR check.
18 mins: Yellow card Destiny Udogie makes a two-footed challenge on Raheem Sterling and is fortunate to escape a red card.
22 mins: No goal Sterling's equaliser is disallowed for a handball, while Cristian Romero avoids any further action for an off-the-ball kick at Colwill.
30 mins: No goal Moisés Caicedo's long-range strike is ruled out by VAR because Nicolás Jackson was in an offside position ...
32 mins: Penalty and red card But Chelsea get a spot-kick, and Romero does see red this time for a reckless lunge on Enzo Fernández in the buildup after Michael Oliver [pictured] checks the VAR monitor.
35 mins: Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea Cole Palmer steps up and sends the penalty in off the post to level for Chelsea, who now have a man advantage.
37 mins: No goal Sterling gets in behind the Spurs defence and squares for Jackson to score, but the England forward is flagged offside.
44 mins: Spurs injuries Micky van de Ven pulls up with a hamstring injury shortly after James Maddison goes down off the ball. Both are substituted as we head into 12 minutes of stoppage time.
45+9 mins: Three yellows Jackson is booked for bringing down Pape Matar Sarr, who then clashes with Colwill. The centre-back reacts angrily before Oliver adds both names to the book.
45+12 mins: No red card Reece James' raised arm on Udogie prompts a review for violent conduct, but no further action is taken as a 59-minute first half ends.
SECOND HALF
54 mins: Spurs down to nine men Udogie doesn't escape this time, earning a second yellow card for a lunge on Sterling.
67 mins: Chelsea miss chances Jackson passes up two opportunities, before Gugliemo Vicario denies Marc Cucurella, who replaced Colwill at half-time. Two more Spurs changes mean that only three outfield players who started the game are still on the pitch.
75 mins: Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea Sterling times his run and crosses for Jackson, who finally finds the target to put Mauricio Pochettino's side in front
78 mins: No goal Incredibly, Eric Dier volleys home from a flick-on to level for nine-man Tottenham, but the flag goes up – a decision eventually confirmed by VAR.
89 mins: Yellow card Moments after Rodrigo Bentancur sends a close-range effort wide, Mykhailo Mudryk is booked for a heavy challenge on Vicario.
93 mins: Tottenham 1-3 Chelsea Seconds after Robert Sánchez denies Son a dramatic equaliser, Jackson converts from Gallagher's cross to seal victory.
97 mins: Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea In the last of the game's 109 minutes, Jackson breaks clear again to complete his hat-trick and close out an extraordinary game. Guardian sport
Everything proceeded to go wrong for Spurs before the break. Johnson, who was dangerous on the left, was sacrificed for Eric Dier. James Maddison pulled up with an ankle injury. Van de Ven raced with Jackson and pulled a hamstring. Emerson Royal came on to play at centre-back.
This is why Spurs are unlikely to mount a concerted title challenge. They were naive, going down to nine men when Udogie picked up a second yellow for fouling Sterling early in the second half. At that stage, though, it was Chelsea’s turn to infuriate their manager. Their finishing was farcical and, at one point, Pochettino was standing in his technical area with his arms outstretched, asking Marc Cucurella why he had just blasted a free kick straight out of play.
Give Chelsea their due: they were as funny as Spurs. Robert Sánchez and Axel Disasi misplaced simple passes. Colwill tried to get himself sent off. Cucurella whacked a free kick out of play just for the hell of it. Jackson missed so many chances that Postecoglou reckoned a back four of Porro, Dier, Royal and Højbjerg would be capable of playing a high line.
The ploy was brave, bold and doomed. Chelsea would break the trap when James played Sterling through to tee up Jackson. Spurs, who almost conjured equalisers through Dier and Son, had done it to themselves.
They play without fear and were applauded off but this was a reminder they are a work in progress. Jackson grabbing a hat-trick in added time felt incidental. Postecoglou has to assess what went wrong when Spurs were winning.
