Sonia Bompastor's side came into the game having never lost to Tottenham in the Women's Super League. Yet they faced a very different prospect from the Spurs side of last season.
Since the arrival of Martin Ho at the beginning of the campaign, Spurs have registered eight wins and two draws from their 15 WSL matches this season, with five of those victories recorded on home soil.
Their confidence was evident in Sunday's encounter as Chelsea had to defend hard against the 12 shots they registered in the opening 45 minutes. Tellingly, the Blues made seven tackles, 12 clearances and four interceptions in the first half alone.
Yet we ultimately came away with a 2-0 victory and all three points, even in the face of a determined Tottenham side. Here's how we did it...
Clinical Chelsea
A goal either side of half-time was enough to seal the points for the Blues, but the stats show this was it was evenly-matched encounter.
Although we kept the ball for 62 per cent of the game, we only took one more shot than our opponents, and the Expected Goals (xG) totals make for interesting reading. Our two goals saw us slightly outperform our xG of 1.92, while Spurs came away with an xG of 1.79.
Those figures illustrate just how hard Chelsea were pushed and highlight that Keira Walsh and Alyssa Thompson displayed their clinical finishing to come out of the contest with a goal apiece.
Girma helps weather the storm
It wasn't only Walsh's strike that enabled the Blues to go in at half-time one goal in front. A resolute defensive performance kept the home side at bay during the first 45 minutes.
Naomi Girma was one of the standout performers in our backline, making the most ball recoveries of any outfield player (seven), while also producing two blocks, winning one tackle, one aerial duel and completing 96 of her 100 passing attempts.
As Chelsea began to get a foothold in the game, the American also registered one shot on target and completed 14 passes in the final third of the pitch.
Nusken shines
Bompastor handed Sjoeke Nusken a place in Sunday's starting XI, and the midfielder responded with a performance that earned her the Player of the Match award after the final whistle.
Deployed alongside Erin Cuthbert, and slightly ahead of Keira Walsh in midfield, Nusken created more chances (two) than any other player on the side.
It was also the German international's shot on target that was parried by Spurs goalkeeper Lize Kop and finished by Thompson early in the second half as she made a keen impact on the outcome of the match.
As the graphic above shows, Nusken battled all over the pitch before she was replaced by Guro Reiten after 79 minutes, winning the ball back five times and successfully completing two out of her four tackle attempts.
Potter up to the task
Bompastor explained after the game that replacing Walsh at half-time was planned. In her place came a capable deputy, even though she had big shoes to fill.
Nineteen-year-old academy graduate Lexi Potter has made one start and six substitute appearances this season and is becoming an increasingly familiar face in this Chelsea team.
Taking over the holding midfielder role that Walsh executed in the first half, Potter produced a level high in possession, showcasing a maturity beyond her years.
In addition to completing 22 of her 24 passing attempts in the second half, Potter won one tackle and recovered the ball on two separate occasions.