During his darkest hour, Thomas Tuchel saw the light.
Sure, Chelsea can be thankful for the most obliging of opponents in Tottenham after avoiding a full-on crisis heading into the Premier League’s winter break.
But it was Tuchel’s own intervention when the campaign looked in danger of careering out of control that is the true story of a 2-0 win that can serve as a platform for the rest of the season.
He required every facet of his managerial repertoire to avoid potential disaster — from the personal touch with players, to a system change that points to an evolution of the tactics that proved so successful for the most part of his reign.
Now the German can enter a two-week lay-off in optimistic mood, with scrutiny on him eased. How different the picture might have looked if not for the salvation of a triple-header against Spurs this month.
Of course, it could have gone the other way. Antonio Conte could have denied Chelsea safe passage to the Carabao Cup Final and made it five League games without a win for Chelsea.
But Tottenham do not do that. They simply do not beat Chelsea. And even when Tuchel’s team came close to their lowest ebb, they remained levels above their bitter rivals.
Even so, Chelsea’s manager had to come up with the answers. It is precisely because of his side’s historical dominance of this fixture that anything other than three points would have served as evidence of the deep-rooted problems at Stamford Bridge.
It was a game fraught with jeopardy — not least because Spurs had the chance to move to within five points of the European champions with four games in hand. Instead, the distance is now 11, and Chelsea can look over their shoulders with much greater ease going forward.
It is too soon to hail this a turning point but credit must go to Tuchel for the manner in which he arrested the slump. His immediate concern was fatigue as a result of injuries, Covid and a punishing schedule.
It came to a head in the midweek draw with Brighton when Hakim Ziyech barely had the energy to celebrate his stunning goal and the irritability within the camp highlighted by his on-the-pitch row with Romelu Lukaku.
Defeat by Manchester City the previous weekend had been particularly wounding to the players’ psyche, effectively confirming Chelsea’s title race had been run.
Tuchel only fully realised its impact during that Brighton game, after which he granted them a two-day circuit-breaker. How valuable that lightness of touch could prove.
The benefit could be seen within minutes yesterday, with Mason Mount and Ziyech epitomising a freshness that has been absent for weeks.
Mount’s performance justified Tuchel’s decision to drop him against City — a move that did not sit well with the England international.
Ziyech, meanwhile, has repaid Tuchel’s faith after three straight starts and goals in his last two matches.
His opener yesterday was a spectacular curling effort from 20-yards that brought back memories of his best form under Frank Lampard.
There is no coincidence that it came after a switch in system to a 4-3-3 that allows the Morocco international to play as more of an orthodox winger — cutting in on his left to menacing effect. He registered four shots on target to underline his renewed confidence.
This was as fluid as Chelsea’s attack has looked for some time, with Mount combining with Ziyech (left, celebrating his goal) in a manner that has been missing from Chelsea’s game since Reece James’s injury last month.
Notably it was a system that saw Romelu Lukaku heavily involved and it was only his wayward finishing that prevented him from capitalising on the quality of Chelsea’s service.
Tuchel still prefers his 3-4-3 system, which he believes offers better protection for Jorginho and Thiago Silva, who sealed the win in the 55th minute.
But without the injured Ben Chilwell and James, he does not have the wing-backs to effectively deploy it.
While he will be reluctant to abandon his favoured formation, he has options in the second half of the season and here was evidence of his adaptability.
A latest win against Tottenham may not eradicate all of his concerns but it has put Chelsea back on track right at the point when Tuchel was facing the most serious doubts of his 12 months in charge.
