They may have slowed Chelsea down, but Tottenham will still need other teams in the Premier League to drop points if they're going to keep their eyes on the last Champions League berth.
The Blues were looking to all but cinch their 11th consecutive visit to Europe's top competition, but were usurped from victory twice on Wednesday night in a home game against the Hotspur. Oscar opened the score early with an 11th-minute header off Gary Cahill who won the ball on a corner kick. But 15 minutes later Tottenham pulled itself back up with Emmanuel Adebayor's 22-yard curling shot off an inside run.
It wasn't long, though, before Ramires got his turn to put Chelsea back in the lead after edging a pass from Fernando Torres beyond Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris in the 39th minute.
The pace remained kinetic at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea looked for opportunities to create a secure two-goal lead. Torres lost two chances to Tottenham defenders, while both Ramires and the Belgian Eden Hazard failed to find their footing on the wet turf and squandered solid moments to ensure a spot in next season's tournament.
With the clock winding down Tottenham Coach Andre Villa-Boas pressed into changes with Aaron Lennon and Lewis Holtby replaced by Gylfi Sigurdsson and Clint Dempsey. Chelsea remained undaunted. Dempsey shot off a pass from Adebayor with 15 minutes remaining, but was blocked. Five minutes later Ade caught a pass off Benoit Assou-Ekotto before slipping the ball to Sigurdsson who sailed a curved kick past the bottom corner of the Chelsea goal bringing the match to a 2-2 tie.
Both sides frenetically searched for final chances to gain a critical three-points in league standings, but neither could capitalize on the derby's momentum. Dempsey got one more shot off, but was denied by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Although both clubs will be looking to finish their last two games of the season with decisive wins for a chance to meet the two Manchester teams in next year's Champions League, tonight's inability to produce a win may have been hardest on Villa-Boas. It was the Spurs coach's first time back at Stamford Bridge since his firing as the Blues' manager last season after an unpopular attempt to alter the team's lineup and style.
Yet Villa-Boas remained undeterred in the team's slimming chances of qualifying for Champions League. "Anything can happen," he said. "The Premier League is completely unpredictable and the next fixtures, with the emotion of the last few games of the season, can be decisive. Keep the faith."
Tottenham's star player of the night, Adebayor, matched his coach's sentiment: "We have a chance. We have to win our two games, and hope the others do not."
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