Billed as the clash between master and apprentice, this game transcended the hype.  In place of Mourinho’s knockabout pantomime villain schtick, we saw raw, compelling drama, a riveting spectacle in technicolour, 3D and surroundsound.  

This is what top class football looks like and Spurs were worthy contenders with every right to be there. There wasn’t a moment’s respite to be had as fortunes ebbed and flowed. It was tight and tense with a series of confrontations in every area of the field, the outcome of any one of which could decide the final result. At the finish, the relief that infused the pleasure indicated what more has to be accomplished to keep us up there as the season unfolds.   

Over the course of 90 minutes, we ran through the entire gamut of emotions. At kick-off it was hope and expectation. The media framed this as a battle between the managers but that fades to grey compared with the genuine edge surrounding this fixture. While early afternoon start-times never feel right, come the whistle the aggravation, the desperation to win against a side where we have a poor record, generated a powerful roar that drove on the early frantic exchanges. Make no mistake – the significance of this match went way beyond league position or London bragging rights. This was the real test of our credentials as a rising force and of the new Tottenham team. 

At Spurs, we know what follows expectation – disappointment. But these days there’s something different in the air. We had the better of a cagey first half hour. For much of the time the two formations matched up precisely, basically a 4-2-3-1, with Spurs making more of our possession. Dembele was busy, Eriksen the focal point and Townsend confident enough to take the attack to Chelsea down their left.  

Then the goal, a carbon-copy of the move that created the opener against Norwich. The same players, Soldado a touch to Eriksen who then slid the ball through to the onrushing Sigurdsson coming into the box on the diagonal, covering the same blades of grass. Instead of the far corner, Siggy drove on after a half-tackle to stroke it home at the near post. Part improvisation, part training ground and in the stands, pure joy. 

This was our best spell. Townsend became more prominent, his runs troubling Chelsea’s left hand side. His time at QPR has given him a confidence and determination to take the opportunity of first team football presented to him this season. He’s stronger and while Cole was unimpressed by his exaggerated stepovers, he’s overcome his main problem, a lack of awareness of what’s around him and is now a better judge of when to hold it and when to pass. He helped set up the move that enabled Paulinho to shoot inches wide at the near post. 

In these narrow margins games are won and lost. Our justified optimism was tempered by niggling doubts. As that ball slipped by the post, we knew chances would be few and far between. Whatever the pressure, they needed to go in. 

Sure enough, Chelsea came back into it towards the end of the half. They did not take the couple of chances that came their way and on one occasion Vertonghen tackled heroically to thwart another good opportunity.   

At Loftus Road, Redknapp may have taught Townsend how to become a Premier League winger but he also left him with some bad habits. Wide men have to get back to cover but too often he was drifting in no man’s land. Mourinho targeted our wings as the weakness from the beginning. In the first half, it was long balls from defence. During one injury break, Luiz and Ramirez were animatedly discussing how to float curling passes into the gap down our left. Naughton and the diligent, hard-working Siggy put paid to that apart from one move.  

Not so on the other side. A change in tactics with Ramirez moving to the middle and Mata coming on decisively shifted the balance of power. They pressed hard and were first to every loose ball. We began to be caught in possession. We looked up and no one was available as Chelsea flooded the midfield. Repeatedly exposed down the right and unable to get hold of the ball, Townsend came off to be replaced by Chadli as Villas-Boas desperately tried to catch up before the Blues ran away with the game. 

Pleasure turned to pain as our opponents took over. There is nothing more anxiety-provoking than the fine margins of an offside trap. With Torres running the channels and a midfield apparently perfectly adapted to defeat the trap, this was a stomach-churning time. Demeble worked tirelessly but Eriksen disappeared, Soldado could not hold the ball and contributed little and Chadli despite his imposing build melted away shortly after he appeared.  

Lloris was outstanding, several sprawling saves with body and feet at the onrushing forwards and fearlessly coming far from the comfort of his line to punch away the growing number of free-kicks curling into our box. Last week I noted that one of the factors behind our defensive security this season was that we were giving away fewer unnecessary free-kicks in our half. However, under pressure we gave away one too many, Terry equalising, too much room in the box.  

These were anxious times. AVB kept adjusting – Holtby for the fading Eriksen – but Chelsea dominated, at least until Torres was sent off. I have not seen any replays of this game so I’ll leave it to the comments section to judge what did and did not happen. I saw him go for the man not the ball as he and Vertonghen challenged but didn’t see an elbow. Already booked, the ref gave a second yellow.  

What I can be certain of is that this once fine footballer spent the entire match enveloped in a red mist of bitter frustration. Fine by me – he’s less effective that way – but if he spent half the energy expended in niggles, pettiness and feeling hard-done by on actually playing football, he could be great again.

His dismissal was the final shift in the game’s equilibrium. Full circle – the match ended in hope and expectation as Spurs came forward purposefully and with patience, shifting the ball from side to side to stretch the ten men. At one point Dawson, 30 yards from their goal, was our mst withdrawn outfield player. It nearly worked. Defoe was on for Soldado, a bold substitution from AVB to take the game to Chelsea despite the pressure we were under. He found space but missed the two chances that came his way. Fine margins again. 

Going home – relief to be honest. A point in a game we could have lost. We competed well but were overwhelmed too easily at the start of the second half. Eriksen and Soldado contributed little. Eriksen seemed unsure about his positioning when Chelsea had the ball and was aimlessly too far forward. Wingers have to track back. Chadli appeared lost.  

Siggy worked very hard all game. Naughton at left back did OK defensively but because he is not as comfortable on the ball as most of his team-mates, he gets caught in possession. Also, full-backs are important in our attacks, pushing up allowing our wide-men to come inside and get into the box, in turn vital if we have only one up front. Naughton is also right footed, so he comes inside too, denying us the options.

And what about the managers? A first-half match up with Our Andre getting more from his men than Jose the ugly sister but Mourinho ran the second period with Villas-Boas on the catch-up with considered substitutions to shift a balance that tipped finally only with the red card.

Last night Spurs cruised to an easy win against Villa in the League Cup. Four goals, all of them good but the first was a peach, Defoe delicately heading in Holtby’s delightful chip, delivered with the touch of a major-winning golfer that took out the entire defence in a single moment.

One theme of the blog this season has been the club’s development in the safe hands of Villas-Boas, now that he has the unequivocal backing of his chairman. Our Andre is rightly keen to have a go at all competitions and play a strong team in the early rounds of the EL and League Cup. I agree but it was clear to both of us that players tired towards the end of last season. He’s put that right by improving the quality and depth of the squad. Now we have genuine choices and the players are ambitious to play regularly.

Just take a look at the team sheets from last night – Villa fielded a reserve side, we put out an alternative first team. Not only that, he has players who suit his preferred basic system, so they slot in and are comfortable together. Different players, same set-up. When changes are made, they all slot in smoothly, rather than fitting together like an Ikea cupboard in the hands of yours truly. They know their manager wants them to do. There remains uncertainty – we weren’t as fluent as we can be for much of the time – but it works very well.

Contrast with a couple of years ago. We played a home Europa League tie, PAOK I think but can’t recall (sums up the EL but there you go), brought in decent players to the back four but they had not played together as a unit. Result – chaos and defeat. You sense that won’t happen under Our Andre. Three matches in six days, all won and rather than being tired, Spurs have created a winning momentum to take into Saturday and beyond.

Unfortunately there’s a limit to the value of games like these in judging the true merit of our players, because they get more space than is the case in the Premier League. However, Holtby stood out like a beacon, all effort and he’s got that left foot working a treat. As on Sunday, he found the channels and willing runners. He’s clearly desperate to become a first choice.

Sandro and Paulinho have the air of a long-term partnership that is going to be so good, and another goal from Paulinho, this one from a near post corner. Defoe took his chances well, scoring a second by taking the ball calmly round the keeper. He also had a hand in the build up for Chadli’s effort, our third, and began the move that led to his opener. Kane did well enough too, showing that he’s best not as an out and striker but when he can move around up front.

Having said all of this, Villa could have come back into the game when Tottenham were a goal up, after an incident which some are calling one of the best moments in football they have ever seen. Helenius ran through on goal, Vertonghen in hot pursuit. Superjan fell over and as he tumbled, grabbed the nearest point of stability, which happened to be the Villa player’s shorts. They came down but Helenius stayed upright, valiantly shooting with his shorts around his ankles, exposing his jockstrap to the watching millions. It’s what the game needs to remain popular.

No complaints if that had been a penalty and if so, Jan would have been sent-off. However, the referee allowed play to continue, I guess because he judged that Helenius did not seem to be impeded greatly. We can laugh about it now, suspect Paul Lambert isn’t amused. For Spurs, another four goals, none conceded, plus a feeling that things are going our way. Can’t complain about that.

I can’t claim to have seen every second of this one due to a combination of a flickering stream and domestic chores. Tottenham On My Mind – the Spurs blog that’s HONEST about housework. Ask yourselves this – do other blogs have an explicit position on hoovering?

Also a slight disruption to the routine at home this season, hence a couple of missed matches. I won’t dupe you into believing I have seen a match when in fact I haven’t so I would rather not write a report. But I’m still around, as a few regulars have asked, and no plans to change what the blog covers.

Yesterday’s launch of the Stop Stubhub campaign led by Spurs writers and the Supporters Trust generated a real buzz. Register your support by signing the petition here: www.change.org/stopstubhub More info, including our statement in yesterday’s article