Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham: ‘Spurs show they now have fight as well as depth’ – Jermaine Jenas analysis

I’ve been waiting a long time for Tottenham to play as badly as they did against Chelsea and still get a positive result.

One of my biggest criticisms of Spurs for many months has been their inability to put in a poor performance and still avoid defeat.

All the best Premier League teams have always been able to do that – so it’s important that Antonio Conte’s side have now shown they can too.

I was already feeling very upbeat about their prospects this season anyway but what happened in their 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge gives me even more confidence, if anything.

I know some Tottenham fans might be jubilant about the result while also thinking ‘hang on, we didn’t play very well’ – but that’s the reason why they should be even happier, especially in a fixture with a history like this one.

Plenty of Spurs teams of the past – including the ones I played in – went to Chelsea, played really well and got beaten. When we didn’t perform, we always lost.

On Sunday, we finally saw that a Spurs side can go there without getting anywhere near the levels we know they can, and still get a result against a Chelsea team that – to a man – has played out of their skin.

The ability to do that is what Conte was searching for with the signings he has made, to meet his demands as a manager.

He has players in his team now who have got character and set standards in matches even when the team are playing poorly and getting dominated the way they were by Chelsea.

That’s why Spurs weren’t beaten on Sunday; because they are starting to develop an understanding of what it means to go all the way in games, not to give up – and how to fight.

Late equaliser will feel extra sweet

I played in plenty of games like this one where my team has nicked a draw we didn’t deserve, away from home and right at the death. You get on the coach afterwards and go ‘how the hell did that happen?’.

It feels like a win, whoever you are playing, but Harry Kane’s 96th-minute equaliser will feel especially sweet for the Spurs players given the opposition, and what they had to do to get a point at Stamford Bridge.

‘We were fighting for our teams’ – Tuchel on clash with Conte

They were up against a direct competitor for the top four, who have played probably the best they have done for a long time, on top of the historical rivalry between the two clubs.

I can still feel the needle between Chelsea and Tottenham now I am watching their games rather than playing in them.

Nothing has changed there. On Sunday you saw exactly how much it meant from the way both teams – and their managers – were scrapping for 90-plus minutes.

Richarlison adds bite and energy

It was far too easy for Chelsea to play through Spurs in the first half, while the home team were snapping into Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski whenever they got the ball.

What Blues boss Thomas Tuchel did tactically for most of the game was absolutely brilliant, switching between four or five at the back depending on whether his side had the ball, and finding pockets of space for his creative players.

But it was just as impressive by Conte to recognise what was happening and understanding what he could change to respond and hurt Chelsea.

Richarlison coming on definitely shifted things in the second half, with the bite and energy he provides and also by tightening up the Tottenham press.

I wondered where the Brazil forward would fit into this Spurs team when he signed from Everton in the summer, but just having him to come off the bench in a game like this shows the progress they have made with their squad.

He is the kind of player who will have been watching everything that has been happening and thinking ‘get me on, I want to have an impact’ and, because he plays on the front foot, you could tell he lifted the Spurs side instantly.

Now Conte can make changes that count Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham: Antonio Conte says his side are catching up with rivals

The beauty of all the signings Conte has made is that they give him the depth and flexibility to make the changes he needs.

His options now are vast, to change shape as well as personnel, instead of him looking behind him during a game and thinking ‘what’s the point?’, because he might as well stick with the best XI he has got on the pitch.

Tuchel was able to do it as well, when he brought Cesar Azpilicueta on at 1-1 and pushed Reece James forward to score his side’s second goal.

What I loved about both managers today was that most of the tactical tweaks they made during the game were attacking moves.

But solving any kind of problems with your substitutes is another ability all the other top teams have, and it’s something else Tottenham can say they can do now too.

Jermaine Jenas was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.