Chelsea's relentless pursuit of the Premier League title seems no where near being derailed as they finally put a stubborn Stoke City to the sword at Stamford Bridge - running out 4-2 winners.
Twice the league leaders, on a run of 12 straight wins, took the lead - Gary Cahill and Willian calling the shots before the Potters ground their way back in to the match.
Then, within 50 seconds of parity, Willian blasted in the third which finally broke Stoke's spirits, leaving Diego Costa the task of providing his 14th league goal of the season to calm the nerves of the crowd and put the Blues in the perfect mood for the crunch encounter with Spurs, at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.
This 13th win in a row equals the Premier League's record of Arsenal's all-conquering 2002 season. Only Sunderland and Preston North End have matched that and that was in the days when the world was in black and white.
Should the Blues win on Wednesday, a new record will be in the bag. And, after this pulsating encounter, it will be fully deserved.
Diego Costa had a wonderful chance to open the scoring on 18 minutes but his chest down and shot was brilliantly parried away by Lee Grant. The ball then bounced off Bruno Martins Indi and straight back into the grateful palms of Grant.
Stoke were dangerous on the break and Cesar Azpilicueta was twice on game to hack away the ball from goal-bound chances.
Grant was at it again four minutes later, tipping away a downward Gary Cahill header from a Cesc Fabregas corner.
Charlie Adam's glancing header on 27 minutes inched wide of Thibaut Courtois's right post as the visitors remained a threat from set pieces.
A route one kick by David Luiz found Costa who brilliantly collected the ball in mid-air, he rounded Ryan Shawcross but was again thwarted by Grant, who clipped the ball away for a corner.
From the resultant corner by Fabregas, a bullet header by Cahill thundered into the back of the net to put then Blues 1-0 up.
Within seconds of the restart, Chelsea conceded a needless fee-kick by Azpilicueta.
Adams dumped a deep regulation ball into the far post area, the ball was headed back across goal by Peter Crouch and up popped Indi to turn the ball home to level the score.
Willian almost restored the lead on 53 minutes, but his edge of the penalty area curler went inches wide.
Grant then foiled a low drive by Costa as then Blues increased the pressure on the visitors.
The lead was deservedly restored on 57 minutes when ex-Stoke loan player Victor Moses, on the right, twisted the blood of left back Eric Pieters before crossing low into the six-yard box. Eden hazard then tapped a deft short ball to in-running Willian, who connected perfectly with the ball and arrowed a left-footer which zipped into the back of Grant's net.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes brought on Bojan and then midfielder inspired the equaliser on 64 minutes which saw Crouch tap home easily.
Then 50 seconds later the Blues went up field and Willian blasted them back into the lead.
Chelsea's defending is woeful, but their attacking is peerless - a New Year's Eve madness of a game.
Chelsea should have finished off Stoke with 15 minutes on the clock, when Crouch made a hash of a pass. The ball fell to Willian who, in one swift movement found Hazard, who then found Costa in the Stoke area. But striker fluffed his lines and sent the ball over Grant's crossbar.
But with six minutes on the clock, the Brazil-born Spain striker got his customary goal, out-muscling Indi and flashing a blaster high and wide of Grant to notch up his 14 league goal of the season for the Blues.
That was the end of Stoke's resistance and now it's on to north London and the first match of the new year at White Hart Lane
Teams: Chelsea, Courtois, Alonso, Fabregas, Kante, Hazard, Moses, Costa, Willian, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Luiz
Subs, Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Batshuayi, Chalobah
Stoke City: Grant, Pieter, ASllen, Johnson, Afelly, Martins-Indi, Adam, Shawcross, Diouf, Shaqiri, Crouch
Subs: Given, Bardsley, Whalen, Bony, Imbula, Bojan, Ramadan
Referee Robert Madley