Nicholas Jackson scored a second-half hat-trick as Chelsea came from behind to beat nine-man Tottenham 4-1 in a frenzied game on Mauricio Pochettino’s return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With the scores level at 1-all after 75 minutes, Jackson fired a hat-trick in the final 15 minutes to help his side win the breathtaking game that was full of drama.
The drama arrived just six minutes into the encounter when Dejan Kulusevski’s deflected effort gave the hosts the lead.
A few minutes later, Son Heung-min’s goal was chalked off for offside after a VAR check.
Raheem Sterling suffered a similar fate at the opposite end when he was judged to have handled the ball before putting the ball into the back of the net.
Moises Caicedo also had his rifled shot from a distance ruled out following a lengthy intervention by VAR, which also saw Tottenham defender Cristian Romero given a straight red card for a foul on Enzo Fernandez in the build-up.
Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot for Cole Palmer to convert from six yards. The youngster stepped up and put the Blues level.
After conceding an equalizer, Ange Postecoglou’s pain was compounded when Romero’s defensive partner, Micky Van de Ven, was forced off with a hamstring injury he suffered while trying to block off Jackson.
More drama came after the restart as Destiny Odogie, who was so fortunate not to be sent off in the first half, was shown a second yellow for a late foul on Sterling.
Chelsea’s quest for a second goal continued, but they faced an inspired Guglielmo Vicario, who made fantastic saves to deny the Blues.
Eventually, Vicario was beaten with 15 minutes remaining when Jackson tapped home from close range following a Sterling pass.
Despite being two men less, Spurs continued to carry a threat. Eric Dier volleyed past Sanchez, but the celebrations were short-lived by the offside flag.
Rodrigo Bentacur and Son also had chances but failed to put the ball in the back of the net.
Then Jackson grabbed his brace with a nice tap-in before completing his hat-trick just before the end of the game with a neat finish.
This result means Spurs who started the match day as table leaders drop down to second place. They are now a point behind leaders Manchester City who beat Bournemouth 6-1 to ascend top.
Chelsea meanwhile climb to the 10th position with 15 points.
