Tottenham 3-4 Chelsea: Blues fight back from two goals down to win and move four points off leaders Liverpool

Postecoglou pointed to fine margins as his Tottenham team came out on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller against Chelsea and a generous interpretation of events might conclude that he had a point. The same could be said of Spurs’ season.

Six more points and they would be handily placed in fifth, one point behind Manchester City. A couple of wins from games against Crystal Palace, Ipswich and Bournemouth would have been enough. Or how about holding on to that two-goal lead at Brighton?

But the reality is that Postecoglou’s Tottenham keep leaking those two-goal leads and they keep leaking points. It is not bad luck. It is beginning to feel like a consequence of the coach’s mantra, one that prioritises style of play over navigating the game’s nuances.

There was no hint of control even when gifted two goals by Cucurella’s early slips. The result is that as fine as those margins may be, Spurs now sit in the bottom half of the Premier League table after 15 games. They have lost more than they have won.

In fact, of the 17 teams that have been in the Premier League both this season and last, only two have lost more games in the competition than Tottenham since Christmas. Dominic Solanke arrived in the summer but the other additions were young prospects.

As a result, are the signs of progress imminent? For all the talk of trophies in the second season, maybe this is his Spurs. “Tottenham are so close to being a good side,” said Carragher on co-commentary for Sky Sports. “But they always let you down.”

Maresca’s changes at half-time helped Chelsea win the game. One was subtle, switching his centre-backs because Benoit Badiashile was struggling to deal with Dominic Solanke and Heung-Min Son on his weaker right side. It was the right move.

The decision to withdraw Romeo Lavia was intriguing because he was perhaps Chelsea’s best player in the first half. Maresca recognised that he needed a specialist right-back in Malo Gusto but opted to move Moises Caicedo into midfield rather than remove him.

The first penalty was won as a result of that man Caicedo running into the box and drawing the rash foul by Yves Bissouma. A good afternoon’s work for Maresca then, and a fifth win in a row in all competitions to lift them above Arsenal into second spot.

How much further can they go? Some supporters themselves will be quick to say that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez remains a concern, while there are still issues to address at the back. Liverpool and Arsenal both have better defensive records than Chelsea.

But no team can come close to matching their 35 goals so far and that firepower could yet be the difference in a tight title race. Chelsea will win a lot of games and do not have the distractions of their rivals. An opportunity is emerging for Maresca’s fledgling side.