Spurs sink Blues to reclaim fourth

Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale blew the Barclays Premier League title race wide open with goals in a 2-1 win against Chelsea that also put Tottenham back in the Champions League places.

Defoe tucked away from the penalty spot for his 24th of the season after John Terry handled in the area, then Bale followed up his midweek goal against Arsenal with another before the break at White Hart Lane.

Terry's miserable evening, after being involved in a verbal spat with a supporter at half-time, was capped off with a sending-off for two bookings. Frank Lampard pulled one back, but it was too late for Chelsea.

It left Carlo Ancelotti's side just a point clear of Manchester United after their dramatic defeat of neighbours City - a result that also favoured Spurs who move into fourth spot.

Spurs were denied penalties when Defoe appeared to get his shirt pulled by Terry and when Bale went over John Mikel Obi's challenge, before Phil Dowd pointed to the spot for a Terry handball and Defoe converted past Petr Cech.

It got worse for Chelsea when Mikel picked up an injury in the 34th minute.

Bale doubled the lead just before the break when he cut inside Paulo Ferreira and used his right foot to beat Cech at the near post.

Ancelotti's response was to use his remaining substitutes at the break, with Nicolas Anelka and Branislav Ivanovic coming on, but Didier Drogba pulled up injured before the restart but was soon running freely.

Spurs wasted chances to wrap it up with Terry seeing red after fouls on Roman Pavlyuchenko and Bale.

David Bentley almost added another but his cheeky lob was tipped over by Cech and there was also time for Heurelho Gomes to deny Drogba from close range before Lampard pulled one back in stoppage time.