Chelsea must wait to secure a Champions League return as Tottenham kept their hopes of a top-four finish alive by twice coming from behind to draw last night’s Premier League clash.

In a pulsating contest with plenty at stake, UEFA Europa League finalists Chelsea deserved their half-time lead courtesy of goals from Oscar and Ramires, either side of an exquisite Emmanuel Adebayor shot.

Tottenham had not won at Stamford Bridge in 23 years but levelled in the 80th minute through substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson to deny Chelsea a seventh successive Premier League home win.

The Blues are now third by two points ahead of Saturday’s penultimate match of the campaign at Aston Villa, while Spurs sit one point behind Arsenal, with an inferior goal difference.

While Spurs must rely on their London rivals slipping up in the final two games of the season to secure a top-four finish, Rafael Benitez is close to completing his mission as Chelsea interim boss with a return to the competition the Blues won 12 months ago.

The consequences of missing out on a place in Europe’s elite are numerous, with Tottenham facing the prospect of Gareth Bale leaving if they fail to qualify.

Bale’s performance did not reach the heights of Eden Hazard yesterday and his stoppage-time free-kick did not test Petr Cech.

Chelsea 2
Oscar 10; Ramires 39;
Tottenham 2
Adebayor 26; Sigurdsson 80;