Chelsea ends unbeaten Tottenham's start, stays top of league

LONDON (AP) — After spending the last three seasons out on loan, Victor Moses is back at Chelsea and finally feeling at home.

Moses, revitalized as a wing back under Antonio Conte, secured a seventh consecutive English Premier League win for Chelsea by 2-1 on Saturday and ended Tottenham's unbeaten start.

He completed a counterattack six minutes into the second half of a game that began with Christian Eriksen becoming the first player to score against Chelsea in around 600 league minutes. Pedro Rodriguez leveled on the stroke of halftime before Moses netted his third of the season.

"I've definitely found a home here, it's my club," Moses said. "I'm pleased to be playing this season. The manager gave me an opportunity to express myself and I'm relishing it at the moment."

Moses ensured Chelsea remained on top of the standings while Tottenham slipped seven points off the pace as its largely unconvincing 12-game unbeaten run ended at a ground where it still hasn't won since 1990.

Tottenham's tenacious start suggested the barren run at Stamford Bridge could end, but collapsed just as it did in May when a 2-2 draw saw the north London team's title bid end.

Tottenham has only one win in 10 games.

"We need to be quiet," Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. "Yes it's disappointing for the result but we need to be pleased for the performance and the way we competed because we competed against a very good team, and I have nothing (bad) to say about my players."

Indeed, as feeble and timid Spurs were in Monaco on Tuesday when exiting the Champions League, they were combative back in more familiar Premier League territory in the first half.

Chelsea was struggling to cope with Tottenham's pressing when it fell behind in the 11th minute. Dele Alli received the ball from Moussa Dembele and cut in from the left before squaring to Eriksen, who unleashed a volley past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Chelsea was being outplayed and Courtois kept out Kane's rising shot to prevent the visitors extending their lead.

And Pedro equalized when he switched the ball before his feet before curling a shot past Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

What advantage Tottenham had was soon lost as Chelsea seized control six minutes after the break.

Diego Costa did the hard work down the left, allowing wing-back Moses to surge down the opposite flank and arrive in the penalty area unmarked. Moses met Costa's cutback from the byline and struck past both Lloris and Vertonghen who were on the goal-line.

"Victor is a good player," Conte said. "I saw him at the end of the season and I wanted to keep him in the squad. It's the same as with Pedro. He's deserving to play and he's playing fantastic football. For us, it's very important."