Adebayor completed Spurs' comeback at Stoke

Four days after the heroic performance at Stamford Bridge, Emmanuel Adebayor starred again for Tottenham, scoring a late go-ahead goal to erase the early deficit to keep pace with Arsenal in the hunt for Champions League football next season.

Wigan's loss last week means Stoke City is technically safe from relegation on superior goal difference, but Tony Pulis, who has been under huge pressure for the second half of the season, still showed great desire for triumph in their last home game this season.

The vulnerability of Tottenham in defending set-pieces is what Stoke is capable to expose. Steven Nzonzi did it three minutes into the match, turning Charlie Adam freekick from the right into the net. Surprisingly employing a zonal defence, Gareth Bale and Scott Parker, who were responsible for defending the near post, showed no intention at all in going for neither the ball nor Nzonzi.

However, Stoke's performance showed why they are criticised by their fans throughout 2013. They were never able to build on the early lead and keep challenging Hugo Lloris, who did not look utterly convincing in fending off Stoke's aerial advantage. Surrendering possession to AVB's side, their transition to attack and support to Peter Crouch was just sluggish. There were a couple of threats from corners, but only one goal attempt in the first half said it all.

AVB decided to field Clint Dempsey ahead of the tenacious Lewis Holtby in a game they could not afford to lose, but similar to that at Stamford Bridge, with Adebayor's preference to drop deeper, Spurs often crowded the midfield, thus seeing more of the ball but could not break through the defence effectively.

Spurs, though, found the equaliser at the expense of Stoke's misery. Scott Parker's diagonal pass to Aaron Lennon was dismissed, but miscommunication between Begovic and the defender left an empty goal to Dempsey. The American's first-time lob from 35 yards gave a huge boost to Tottenham half way through the first half.

Not quite sure what was in his mind

It will always be a physical contest at the Britannia Stadium. Body-checking and sliding tackles have been Stoke's weapons to keep their opponents in-check. Tony Pulis would not mind a couple of yellow cards, but surely not a red card. Unfortunately, Charlie Adam completely forgot his booking in the first half and a needless and silly tackle from behind to stop Vertonghen near the half-way line left Stoke with 10 men on the field for most of the second half. The goal-provider became the centre of jeering, mostly from the Yids, who still remember how the Scot treated Gareth Bale in a pre-season clash playing for Liverpool.

Fatigue started to show in Stoke City's half, but Spurs still could not find the touch in the final third. Dembele and Defoe were introduced as AVB tried the ultimate push for victory. Dembele, returning from injury, fed Gareth Bale into  the box and the Welshman’s attempted a shot with his right foot, which had beaten Begovic but was just on the wrong side of the post.

Playing exceptionally in the last ten minutes of recent matches, Spurs revived once again through a late goal, this time by Emmanuel Adebayor. The striker continued his own late-season revival by tapping in Dempsey's squaring pass. Dempsey, with a bit of fortune, picked up Bale's deflected pass in the box in an on-side position and calmly found Adebayor for the winning goal.

Spurs then hanged on to climb above Arsenal momentarily to fourth place. The Gunners are yet to play Wigan and Newcastle, while Spurs will face Sunderland at White Hart Lane on the final day. Interestingly, the evolvement of the relegation battle could potentially play a significant part in the battle for fourth. For certain, it will come down to the final second of the season.  

Record-breaking Super Frank was the hero at Villa Park

A match of equal importance to both teams, although far apart in the league table, Christian Benteke could have washed away their 0-8 memory at Stamford Bridge to pay tribute to the brave Stiliyan Petrov and ensured their survival, but Frank Lampard was destined to be the star of the afternoon by breaking Chelsea's all-time goals record with a brace and securing Champions League football in Stamford Bridge next season.

Travelling to Amsterdam in a few days time, Rafa Benitez had to go for rotation to give some breathing space for his players, who were playing their 67th game of the season. While the away fans were cheering for the return of the two legendary figures, Frank Lampard and John Terry, it was a big gambling decision with Benteke, Weimann and Agbonlahor on the other side.

Nevertheless, it was the younger side of Chelsea defence being defeated by Aston Villa's signature counter attack. Weimann's under-lapping run distracted Azpilicueta and left Benteke to take on Gary Cahill alone. Cahill was on his backfoot and exposed the near post to Benteke, who skilfully guided his shot past the near post. Peter Cech could be prompted for better positioning, but the pace of the attack and footwork of Benteke had surely caught him out.

The young Belgian has already showed this season his all-rounded ability as a centre forward. As strong as a beast, though with touch as soft as silk, it is fair to tip Benteke to be one of the most successful strikers in Premier League.

Temperament, though, would be a key to his development. Two elbowing towards Azpilicueta in the first half could have easily seen him sent off. A similar move to that of Nani against Real Madrid in the second half forced Lee Mason to eject Benteke. He must understand no matter how good he is, he must first be able to stay on the pitch.

This is something Ramires still struggled to master as well. His high boot did not catch directly into Agbonlahor's chest. However, already been booked for a dangerous tackle, together with the reaction from the crowd, Lee Mason did not give Ramires a second chance to redeem himself.

Early goal boasted the confidence of Aston Villa. Should Fabien Delph catch his shot slightly better, Chelsea could be in deeper trouble before the interval. In fact, they would count themselves very lucky to escape the first half with 10 men. Yacouba Sylla dispossessed Ramires and went clear through towards Peter Cech. John Terry cynically tripped Sylla and if not of Ashley Cole's quick recovery of position, the clear path foul would have seen the captain heading for an early bath.

Veteran at the back looked unconvincing, but the one in attack just delivers. Villa lost a bit of rhythm after Benteke's sent off. Chelsea did not let the chance slip and Lampard scored a thundering left foot shot for the Blues. Brad Guzan had already brilliantly denied Lampard's freekick in the first half, but this time, experience had got the better of youth.

However, Chelsea could not pour on the pressure and allowed Villa to re-establish. Agbonlahor, Delph and Sylla all tried to find the go-ahead goal but just found themselves short of quality in their finishing touches. Meanwhile, the Blues retained more possession, but poor passing, in particular David Luiz, who came in after half time, denied them from creating any opportunities for Demba Ba.

Villa looks vulnerable in corner defence throughout the season. Gary Cahill, former Astion Villa player, nearly punished them for allowing him to chest down a corner with ease. Nathan Baker brushed Cahill's shot with his arm, and Demba Ba's tap might need the help of goal line technology to determine the call. It would be harsh to criticise the officials for the no-call decision, but all credits to Sylla and Westwood for the last ditch blocks on the goal-line.

With John Terry stretched off following the goal-line dispute, there was a lengthy injury time . Frank Lampard sealed the deal just before the clock turned 90th minute. A one-two released Eden Hazard in the box and Lampard tapped in to become the highest goalscorer of Chelsea's history. Also locking the Champions League berth, no wonder the fans could not constraint from celebrating with the legend on the field.

Lucky Spurs survived Stamford Bridge behind Adebayor and Super Sub Sigurdsson

Stepping up for a freekick within shooting range, Gareth Bale was prepared to repeat the late magic against West Ham and Southampton, but it was the clown of the season Emmanuel Adebayor who rescued Tottenham's Champions League dream.

Andre Villas-Boas returned to Stamford Bridge for the first time since his short stint with the Blues. There were not much welcoming nor booing for the young Portuguese, as the home fans continued to show no love towards their interim manager, who again left Frank Lampard and John Terry on the bench.

Best night of the season for Ade

Tottenham does not lack the quality to be top four. The missing puzzle is the winner's mentality and self-belief. It was a match they could not afford to lose, but the attention to details was not there. You were destined to be punished when you could not get the basic right, as basic as deadball  defense. Oscar made sure Tottenham learn the lesson with a close range tap-in following Cahill's squaring header. One would wonder what was in Scott Parker's mind when the inspirational midfielder let go of Oscar at the far post.

It has been a long season for Chelsea, having competed in almost double the amount of Premier League games all season. They did not look very sharp although with Hazard, Mata and Oscar all on the field, but they remained solid at the back and showed tremendous threat with their rapid counter attacks.

With Gareth Bale surprisingly sticking on the left flank, Azpilicueta played with less adventure and together with fellow Ashley Cole, Bale and Aaron Lennon, the two main sources of threat for Tottenham were silenced. They had to dig somewhere else for a goal, and they found an unlikely hero.

Having finally earned a permanent contract at White Hart Lane following some, Adebayor has never been able to rediscover the form last season. On this important evening, he got a surprising start from AVB and he did not disappoint. Adebayor started the fastbreak and pulled out some of his best skills to leave Peter Cech stranded with a running curling shot. The Togo striker single-handedly found an important equaliser for Tottenham.

While their attacking talents are beyond doubt, complacency in defence has let them down in many occasions this season. Chelsea gave little space to Huddlestone and Parker all night long and it had certainly frustrated Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen. Once the two centrebacks attempted something out of their comfort zone, Chelsea's opportunity came.

A legal weapon --- toe

Having intercepted the pass at midfield line, the ball eventually fell to Fernando Torres, who sent a killer pass to the cutting Ramires and the Brazilian amazingly defeated Lloris with his right toe. The quick counter attack had caught Dawson napping. The Tottenham captain was too slow in closing the gap between himself and Vertonghen and left with no chance to block Ramires' shot, however brave he had shown with a face-blocking against Hazard's rocket shot.

Ramires brought the lead again to Chelsea, but he would be punching himself having not doubled the lead early in the second half. Another counter-attack following Tottenham's corner, Juan Mata calmly waited for Ramires' support, but only saw the unmarked goalscorer lost his footing in the box.

The embarrassing missed opportunity looked unlikely to haunt Chelsea, as Spurs looked in despair like a bunch of headless chickens. Just as the away fans began to moan when AVB decided to use his last sub to introduce Tom Carroll instead of Jermain Defoe, Tottenham again managed to create something out of nowhere.

The equalising machine

Benoit Assou-Ekotto lobbed to Adebayor in the box. The big striker skilfully flicked it back to another super sub Gylfi Sigurdsson. Should David Luiz follow his run more closely, the Icelandic would not have such amount of time in the key area. Still, Sigurdsson had a lot to do to beat Peter Cech. Once again, he found a late equaliser for Tottenham. 

It was as if the storyline at Upton Park was to be replayed, but Bale's last minute freekick was just not special enough to beat Cech for the third time in the evening. Spurs will settle for a point which never looked like theirs, but find themselves slip to fifth, one point behind Arsenal. Nothing less than six points in the last two games would give them a chance for a place in Champions League now.  

The Latics gave away advantage in the race for Great Escape

They had twice turned it around at West Brom in the weekend. Last night at home, they simply gifted it away. Twice leading Swansea, Wigan threw away the match in hand and left themselves in the worst possible situation ahead of the Wembley trip.  

What else is left in his pocket?

Triumph at Wembley could mean nothing if they will be in the Championship next season. The Latics knew they had to battle, and they came out fighting from the very first minute. Without the injured Maynor Figueroa and Antolin Alcaraz, club captain Gary Caldwell was recalled. Being dropped as the slow centreback does not fit Martinez's high line defense, the experienced Scot was however seldom tested in the first half, as the Michu-less Swansea continued their lacklustre performance since their own Capital One Cup triumph at Wembley.

Michael Laudrup made it clear his aim to finish in the top half of the table. Whether his players share his ambition is questionable. When Espinoza, replacing another injured defender Beausejour, stroke a low volley following Michel Vorm's punch, a bit more commitment from Angel Rangel or Garry Monk could have at least deflected the shot to give Vorm a chance to deny the goal. Instead, Wigan scored a big opener in the dying minute of first half.

Swansea's one-striker formation, similar to that of West Brom, allowed Martinez continue to urge his fullbacks to roam forward, in support of their creative front three, Arouna Kone, Callum McManaman and Shaun Maloney.  Espinoza got the glory of their first, while their second was started by an unlikely provider. A well-measured through pass by Gary Caldwell sent James McCarthy clear to beat Michel Vorm.

It was an instant reply to Swansea's strong start to the second half. The midfield pushed higher up in search for an equaliser and momentarily sent Wigan panicking. Just as Rangel kept hard to hide his celebration, in respecting his former manager, after receiving Routledge's diagonal pass and hit both posts before scoring his volley, James McCarthy re-inspired Wigan to lead again.

Twists and turns make football much more appealing, but it was the last thing Martinez wanted to see after leading in a match of such significance. James McArthur ruined an opportunity to put them 3-1 up. Shortly after, the hero in the second goal turned into a villain. Gary Caldwell carelessly gave away the ball and saw Swansea punish their high line with a rapid fastbreak. Itel Shechter's first goal for Swansea had undone all the hard work by Wigan. However, Caldwell knew he had only himself to blame.

Tiendalli completed the comeback

Desperation and impatience grew among the home side. Martinez sent Di Santo in with the hope of providing some spark, but Laudrup cleverly used Nathan Dyer as a counter-substitution. The enormous speed of Dyer piled pressure on Caldwell, Scharner and McArthur when trying to play their way out of defense. With growing nerves, they had finally broken down. A string of chaos in the box resulted in missed headers by both Maloney and McArthur, in the area which should be guarded by left back Espinoza. Tiendalli did not think twice to give Swansea a leading position for the first time of the evening.

Michel Vorm's head injury in turn gave Wigan a much needed lengthy break to calm themselves. Half a minute after the match had restarted, Wigan experienced another setback. Ronnie Stam, having only just come in, wobbled off following a sliding challenge by Nathan Dyer. Playing with ten men, Arouna Kone made the final attempts to save Wigan a point, but neither his right foot nor his head was strong enough to beat reserve goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel.

Just as McArthur blew away the final cross when the clock hit the 99th minute, Martinez knew their faith is no longer controlled in their own hands. They have witnessed miracles in the past, but is the belief still at DW stadium? And can they begin this mission impossible first at Wembley on Saturday?