Were Chelsea to emerge victorious again, it would've meant that the North Londoners had lost a record-breaking seven London derbies in a row.
Chelsea were huge pre-match favourites
Given the form of both sides, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that the Blues would earn another three points from their most accommodating rival of recent times.
As things turned out, it was once again an exercise in ensuring that complacency doesn't creep into the mindset.
How many times in the past have so-called underdogs upset the odds, principally because the pre-match favourites haven't approached the game in the right manner?
Chelsea were rocked by the absence of Joao Pedro, who, as current top scorer for the club, has been integral to their attacking play this season.
Tottenham's astonishing 83% possession
With the untested Mike Penders having to deputise for Emi Martinez once again, there were weaknesses for Roberto De Zerbi and his side to expose if they themselves brought the right mentality.
That certainly appeared to be the case during the first half hour, when Tottenham had an astonishing 83% possession, and three attempts at goal to Chelsea's one.
One player who was metaphorically head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch was Spurs' dynamic midfield ace, Mateus Fernandes.
A club record signing temporarily, until Spurs added Sandro Tonali to their squad, it's taken the young Portuguese a while to get going for the Lilywhites, but this game turned out to be a stage for him to produce a performance worthy of the standing ovation he received from the gathered audience.
Fernandes clearly best player on pitch
Chelsea simply couldn't live with his physicality or his desire to win the game, and when all eyes might've been on Morgan Rogers to produce exactly that, he was firmly put in the shade by the 22-year-old.
It isn't a stretch to suggest that Fernandes was the driving force behind Spurs' eventual victory, even if the likes of Omar Marmoush (three attempts at goal) and Micky Van De Ven (96.2% pass completion) had slightly better showings in some metrics.
The fact is that the midfielder came out on top for total touches in the match (124), total passes attempted (98), total passes completed (90), completed passes in the opponent's half (35), line-breaking passes (19), tackles made (five), crosses attempted (five) and chances created (two).
For a player who had suffered relegation in successive seasons with Southampton and West Ham United, a standout and breakout performance for Tottenham must've felt like a total justification of his quality, and that the Premier League is where he belongs.
Spurs' confidence shone through
That quality has never been in doubt, though one could argue prior to his move to N17 that he was in two teams where he was more of a firefighter than a conduit for positive, front-foot attacking play.
Under De Zerbi, once Spurs get their act together across the squad and play in the manner which the Italian knows they can, Fernandes is going to flourish even further.
He will, without doubt, become one of, if not the most important player in the squad, because the strength of his all-round game allows others, such as Tonali, the freedom to wreak havoc.
What's been lacking this season, for whatever reason, is the confidence that the Lilywhites showed in pockets under De Zerbi at the back end of last season.
In the last couple of games, and particularly at the Bridge, Tottenham were back to their swashbuckling best.
The difference in demeanour in the space of two matches is, frankly, astonishing, but that's what winning football matches can do for the collective.
Props to Van Hecke and Van De Ven
When players such as Fernandes are in their pomp, too, with chests puffed out and strolling about like they own the place, others follow.
The 22-year-old was the architect and lynchpin behind Saturday's victory, but Spurs couldn't have closed out the win without the tenacity of Conor Gallagher against his old side, nor without the rock-solid defensive pairing of Van De Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Van De Ven won 100% of his ground and aerial duels, whilst Van Hecke won 10 of 13 ground duels and eight of nine aerially.
Gallagher weighed in with five successful one-on-ones from seven attempted, and his willingness to disrupt his old side's flow largely contributed to Cole Palmer's petulance, which eventually saw the England man rightly sent off.
Though both sides only had four attempts on target each, the fact that Spurs had 15 total attempts to Chelsea's seven also indicates just how much more positive the Lilywhites were, and that's a damning indictment of a Blues side that haven't really got going under Xabi Alonso.
The only Chelsea player who earned any credit was Moises Caicedo, who made a game-high four interceptions and won a joint Blues-best six duels.
Even that wasn't enough to keep Fernandes' name out of the spotlight, however, and as a deserved man-of-the-match, there can scarcely have been an easier award given out this season.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
