Tottenham's faint hopes of reviving their Premier League title challenges were effectively ended in a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Under-fire Maurizio Sarri belatedly exerted his authority by dropping Kepa Arrizabalaga for his refusal to be substituted in Sunday's EFL Cup final penalty shootout loss to Manchester City.

The world's most expensive goalkeeper was replaced by Willy Caballero as Pedro's 57th-minute strike was followed by an embarrassing Kieran Trippier own goal.

The right-back passed the ball by Hugo Lloris into his own net after 84 minutes as Spurs slipped to a fourth successive away loss.

They will now be looking over their shoulders, with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea closing in, after slipping nine points off leaders Liverpool in the title race.

In Pictures | Chelsea vs Tottenham | 27/02/2019 27 show all In Pictures | Chelsea vs Tottenham | 27/02/2019 1/27 PA 2/27 REUTERS 3/27 EPA 4/27 AP 5/27 AFP/Getty Images 6/27 Action Images via Reuters 7/27 Action Images via Reuters 8/27 AP 9/27 EPA 10/27 AFP/Getty Images 11/27 AFP/Getty Images 12/27 Getty Images 13/27 Getty Images 14/27 Getty Images 15/27 AFP/Getty Images 16/27 Action Images via Reuters 17/27 AFP/Getty Images 18/27 AFP/Getty Images 19/27 AFP/Getty Images 20/27 Getty Images 21/27 Action Images via Reuters 22/27 AFP/Getty Images 23/27 AFP/Getty Images 24/27 AP 25/27 AFP/Getty Images 26/27 AFP/Getty Images 27/27 Getty Images 1/27 PA 2/27 REUTERS 3/27 EPA 4/27 AP 5/27 AFP/Getty Images 6/27 Action Images via Reuters 7/27 Action Images via Reuters 8/27 AP 9/27 EPA 10/27 AFP/Getty Images 11/27 AFP/Getty Images 12/27 Getty Images 13/27 Getty Images 14/27 Getty Images 15/27 AFP/Getty Images 16/27 Action Images via Reuters 17/27 AFP/Getty Images 18/27 AFP/Getty Images 19/27 AFP/Getty Images 20/27 Getty Images 21/27 Action Images via Reuters 22/27 AFP/Getty Images 23/27 AFP/Getty Images 24/27 AP 25/27 AFP/Getty Images 26/27 AFP/Getty Images 27/27 Getty Images

Tottenham dragged into top-four battle

Forget the title – that's well and truly done; Tottenham are in a battle for a place in the the top four. Defeat to Chelsea left them just four points ahead of rivals Arsenal, who visit Wembley on Saturday.

And the north London neighbours could hardly go into that game in more contrasting moods, with Spurs reeling from back-to-back defeats and Arsenal buoyant after returning to form with a 5-1 home hammering of Bournemouth.

"Tottenham Hotspur, we're coming for you," sang the Arsenal fans at the Emirates – and they just might be. Spurs still have to visit the Etihad Stadium and Anfield this season and, although they missed the chance to close the gap on the leaders to just three points on Saturday, they suddenly look a long way from competing with the top two.

From looking up the table, Spurs are now looking nervously over their shoulders.

Individual mistakes cost Spurs again

There was not a great deal to separate the teams over the course of a blood and thunder derby, played at a frenetic tempo and littered with as many sloppy mistakes as moments of quality.

But individual errors in the biggest games, at high-pressure moments have been the scourge of Tottenham's season and, while Chelsea restricted their sloppiness to their opponents' half, Spurs were again guilty of meltdowns in their own penalty box.

Chelsea's second goal summed-up the seasons of Kieran Trippier and Hugo Lloris, who have been the biggest culprits when it comes to high-profile errors. Trippier should fear for his future at the club, while Lloris would benefit from a spell on the bench behind the promising Paulo Gazzaniga.

The Frenchman had already let Pedro's shot squirm through his legs for Chelsea's opener – a goal for which Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld shared the blame.

Pochettino questioned his players mentality before the game and their tendency to make costly individual mistakes is surely part of what he meant.

Son has masked team's deficiencies

There were worse performers than Heung-min Son for the visitors – Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela for starters – but the South Korean's subdued display illustrated just how much his run of brilliance was masking Spurs' deficiencies.

Spurs did not play particularly well in the wins over Watford, Newcastle and Leicester but Son's goals earned them important wins. With the forward off the boil in the defeats to Burnley and Chelsea, their problems elsewhere – the lack of a midfield, their defensive fragility – have been brutally highlighted.

Son's downturn has coincided with the return of Harry Kane and while it would be unfair to blame Mauricio Pochettino for recalling his captain, it is easy to wonder, with hindsight, if it might have been wiser to ease him in gently from the bench at Turf Moor.

Spurs miss Alli

Dele Alli loves nothing more than a game – and a goal – against Chelsea and for the first time since his hamstring injury it felt Spurs desperately missed the England midfielder, as they failed to register a shot on target for the first time under Pochettino.

When Alli is playing, it's often hard to say what he specifically does – but when he's not playing it's painfully obvious.

With Eriksen pedestrian and Lamela wasteful and conservative, Spurs missed Alli's thrust, particularly on the break, and his menacing movement in the final third. Pochettino has been cautious about putting a timeframe on Alli's return and the north London derby will surely come too soon for him, which leaves Pochettino faced with a series of unappealing options on Saturday.