John Murray
BBC Radio 5 Live chief football correspondent

After two and a half years under this current ownership, and well in excess of a billion pounds spent on new players, when at times Chelsea have looked almost like a basket-case, it finally looks like they are going places.

Remember how they finished 12th and 6th in the first two seasons under BlueCo?

Mauricio Pochettino eventually got the ship pointing in the right direction in his final months as manager but Enzo Maresca has shown himself to be a clear thinker who has very obviously seen the wood from the trees.

Image source, Getty Images

With regards to the title race, according to Opta's supercomputer projections Liverpool strengthened their grip on the 2024-25 Premier League title without kicking a ball this weekend.

With both Arsenal and Manchester City dropping points, Arne Slot's side now have a massive 81.6% chance of finishing first.

Despite the win over rivals Tottenham and now being just four points behind the leaders, Chelsea are still only being given a 2.4% chance of getting their hands on the title. But that number is creeping up.

The Gunners remain second favourites with an 11.8% probability while City have plummeted all the way down to just a 4.2% chance of making it five in a row after their draw with Crystal Palace.

Image source, Opta

John Murray
BBC Radio 5 Live chief football correspondent

It’s a young Chelsea squad - the oldest outfield player in yesterday’s team was Marc Cucurella at the age of 26.

Enzo Maresca makes sweeping changes almost match-by-match, but until such a time comes when they can’t match the pace, IF that time comes, then they are in the thick of this title race.

John Murray
BBC Radio 5 Live chief football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Cole Palmer appears to have it all in whatever aspect of his life you look at. He has that 2020s everyman appeal. A man in public at least of few words, who looks like he’d rather be in a hoodie and trackie bottoms than in the spotlight. Apart from on the pitch that is, when he appears oblivious to the many millions who are hanging on his every delightful touch.

Enzo Maresca said last night that since he’s been at Chelsea he has not seen Palmer practising penalties, yet he’s scored all 12 he’s taken in the Premier League culminating in that nerveless ‘Panenka’ spot-kick that turned out to be the eventual match-winner.

Long may Cole Palmer remain exactly as he is.

Before we hear from Phil McNulty, let's see what Ian Dennis, BBC Radio 5 Live's senior football reporter, made of Chelsea's victory at Tottenham...

I am happy to say that BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has now joined us for his weekly question and answer session.

His first answers of the morning will be posted shortly.

If you want to send him a question, please get in touch via X, WhatsApp or text using the contact details above.

Include your name on any message and mark for Phil's attention.

Tottenham Hotspur

Those injury and illness problems could not have come at a worse time for Tottenham, who have to play six more games in three different competitions in December:

• 12 Dec: Rangers (a) - Europa League
• 15 Dec: Southampton (a)
• 19 Dec: Man Utd (h) - Carabao Cup
• 22 Dec: Liverpool (h)
• 26 Dec: Nottm Forest (a)
• 29 Dec: Wolves (h)

Image source, Getty Images

More from Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou on the injury worries in his squad: "Brennan [Johnson] wasn't well and he tried to sort himself out at half time but he just wasn't up to going out there.

"Micky [van de Ven] was just a bit of tiredness. The plan today was always to try and give him 60 or 70 [minutes]."

Johnson and Van de Ven's substitutions followed the early departure of centre-back Christian Romero with a quad injury.

Ashley Williams
Former Wales defender on the Premier League Review

You had a feeling even before the game that Spurs could do something like that. I thought they started the game excellently but there are four points in the game that are really disappointing from their point of view and that's the two penalties, the chance that Son [Heung-min] had and the other chance that [Dominic] Solanke had and the game looks a lot different.

I thought Tottenham matched them for the majority but a lot of credit has to go to Chelsea for the way they performed over the 90 minutes - that just shows the difference in the starting XI of both teams and the squads of both teams.

Listen to the Premier League Review.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou agreed somewhat with Troy Deeney's analysis, saying "in the end the critical moments cost us".

He also pointed to Christian Romero's first-half substitution, leaving the pitch with an injury on 15 minutes, as a turning point.

The Spurs boss said: "Obviously Romero's injury was a big disappointment for us. He felt something in his quad and he couldn't continue."

As good as Enzo Maresca's Chelsea were at Tottenham, Troy Deeney believes that Spurs were the masters of their own downfall.

Check out the clip above to see his analysis on Match of the Day 2.

Nigel Reo-Coker
Former West Ham midfielder on the Premier League Review

Image source, Getty Images

That's Enzo Maresca for you and that's why he's coming up and his reputation is growing.

To be a top manager you have to make tough decisions and credit to him for making that decision [Malo Gusto on for Romeo Lavia] at half-time and make that change and it worked out well.

He's willing to change, willing to adapt and if you look at it on the other hand, when you look at Ange Postecoglou, does he really adapt as well? No.

It's credit to Chelsea and whether they like it or not, that result lets everyone know that they are in the Premier League title race, regardless of what message they want to put out there but they are in it now.

Listen to the Premier League Review.

One conversation starter that has got people talking this morning is which goalkeeper will be the first to save a Cole Palmer penalty?

Here are Chelsea's league fixtures for the remainder of December - could it be a keeper for one of these teams?:

• 15 Dec: Brentford (h)
• 22 Dec: Everton (a)
• 26 Dec: Fulham (h)
• 30 Dec: Ipswich (a)

NB: Chelsea have Conference League matches at Astana on 12 December and at home to Shamrock Rovers on 19 December, but Palmer was omitted from their squad for the competition's league phase so cannot play in these ties.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

While we are talking stats, Cole Palmer's penalty success at Tottenham earned him a Premier League record.

He now holds the longest 100% conversion record in the competition after putting away his first 12 spot-kicks.

Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure had a perfect record of 11 out of 11 penalties in the competition, reaching that mark almost 11 years ago to the day, but Palmer has gone one better.

It was typical of Palmer that he got there in virtuoso style, dinking the ball down the middle as goalkeeper Fraser Forster expected him to go for a corner.

If there was any pressure on the moment, Palmer clearly didn't feel it, living up to his 'Cold Palmer' nickname.

Good shout Alan, just checked and Chelsea have conceded 18 league goals so far this season, compared to Liverpool's 11, Arsenal's 15 and Manchester City's 21.

Ashley Williams
Former Wales defender on the Premier League Review

Image source, Getty Images

I think they are genuine contenders. They have gone under the radar right up until this point and I think they were happy with that, but now a lot of people are looking at them.

They have been consistently good for a long time now this season and credit goes to Enzo Maresca because he's done an unbelievable job.

He made some big decisions in pre-season, questionable ones that have all come off and now I think they are genuine contenders.

You can never write off Arsenal, but Chelsea are in the mix whether they like it or not, they are that good, they are that consistent and the manager is that good.

The quality they have got all over the pitch, they are as good as any other team in the Premier League right now.

Listen to Football Daily's Premier League Review on BBC Sounds.

Enzo Maresca praised his young Chelsea players for their mental strength, then contradicted himself by saying seasoned title contenders like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City were less likely to "slip up".

Yet Chelsea have already shown their mettle this season.

They have won eight of their last 10 away games in the Premier League (D1 L1), more than their previous 31 on the road in the league beforehand (W7 D9 L15).

Indeed, the Blues now have more away points in the league this season than any other side (19).

Only Erling Haaland for Manchester City (39), Andy Cole for Newcastle (43) and Mohamed Salah for Liverpool (46) have reached 50 goal involvements in fewer Premier League appearances than Cole Palmer (48).

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are comfortably the top scorers in the Premier League with 35 goals from 15 games so far.

Cole Palmer, still only 22 years old, has scored 11 of those goals and added six assists.

He has 50 goal involvements (33 goals, 17 assists) in 48 Premier League games since joining from Manchester City, fast emerging as the kind of player a title tilt can be built around.