Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham: Fernandez header decides London derby
Enzo Fernandez's header guided Chelsea to a 1-0 win over Spurs as they leapfrogged Manchester City and Newcastle United in the table.
Chelsea returned to the Premier League's top four with a 1-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham, as Enzo Fernandez's second-half header proved decisive.
Fernandez powered home following an outstanding cross from the returning Cole Palmer in the 50th minute, as the Blues earned a deserved three points at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentina international was totally unmarked six yards out as he was picked out by Palmer, who ended a near three-month wait for a Premier League goal involvement.
Chelsea had been by far the better side before Fernandez's goal, with Micky van de Ven striking his own post in the first minute and Guglielmo Vicario making a stunning save to deny Jadon Sancho.
They thought they had a second goal soon after making the breakthrough as Moises Caicedo sent a thumping volley past Vicario, but the decision to award the goal was overturned following a VAR review, with Levi Colwill offside in the build-up.
That offered Spurs hope, and when Pape Sarr lashed home from range moments after stepping off the bench, it seemed they had found a route back into the game.
But following another VAR review, this one at the monitor, referee Craig Pawson ruled Sarr had fouled Caicedo in the lead-up.
Son Heung-min squandered Tottenham's only other chance of note, with Robert Sanchez equal to his sliding effort as the visitors' winless run stretched to four league games.
They stay 14th, while Chelsea move back into fourth following midweek wins for a host of other Champions League hopefuls.
Enzo Maresca's Blues are one point ahead of Manchester City, two clear of Newcastle United and four above Aston Villa.
Data debrief: Palmer back with a bang, Enzo the derby hero
A muscle issue caused Palmer to miss Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at Arsenal prior to the international break, and he also skipped England's first games under Thomas Tuchel.
After a quiet first half, he stepped up with his first assist in 15 Premier League games, and his first goal involvement of any description since netting in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in January.
Fernandez, meanwhile, had another outing to remember against Spurs, having also scored when Chelsea won the reverse fixture 4-3 in December.
He is just the third Chelsea midfielder to score home and away against Spurs in a single Premier League season, after Roberto Di Matteo (1996-97) and Gus Poyet (1998-99).