Adrian Mutu is a Chelsea legend in waiting.
The Romanian striker netted a brace as his Chelsea side maintained their 13-year unbeaten league record against their north London rivals.
Mutu, 24, has now scored in every game for club and country this season - four in the Premiership alone.
And how the Blues needed him on form as Spurs looked early on as if they were going to break their hoodoo and Freddie Kanoute can think himself unlucky to score two goals and find himself on the losing side.
His opener came on 25 minutes when he latched onto a Darren Anderton cross, outfought Mario Melchiot and squeezed home the ball past the stranded Carlo Cudicini from eight yards.
That could have been Spurs' second goal had Cudicini hot been alive to a Jamie Redknapp 25-yard piledriver in the first 60 seconds.
It was down to England midfielder Frank Lampard to claw the West Londoners back in to the game.
A Jesper Gronkjaer clipped left footer from out wide was met beautifully by Lampard at the far post and he headed downwards past Kasey Keller to equalise on 35 minutes.
The Blues took a first-half lead two minutes later when Mutu notched his first of the day.
A sweeping move involving Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Damien Duff saw the Irishman put a slide rule pass into the path of the Romanian, who dispatched his effort with style and composure, slotting home a curling right footer past Keller.
It became 3-1 on 75 minutes when Mutu ran into the box and collected an inch-perfect pass from substitute Joe Cole.
Again Mutu slotted home with class, leaving Keller stranded.
But once again Chelsea seemed to go asleep and Spurs capitalised. Kanoute latched onto a Bobby Zamora shot that rebounded off the Chelsea upright, tucking in from five yards after 86 minutes.
But a defensive lapse allowed Hasselbaink to tuck home Chelsea's fourth deep into injury time when his right footer from six yards from a Cole cross easily beat an exposed Keller.
Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle lambasted his side's defending, commenting: "We made a great start but defended poorly for the four goals. We made wrong decisions and let them in.
"It doesn't matter how well we play if we defend like that. Dalmat went to sleep for the fourth goal. We did not show enough resilience." Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri was also unhappy with his side.
"We need to be focussed and more calm," he said of the early stages of the match.
"We are still building our side. We are not strong. We lost concentration and should have played better. But we have no time to train with all these matches coming up."