• Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham, Premier League

Chelsea's CL hopes fade with Spurs stalemate

Gareth Bale hit the bar with a header as Spurs enjoyed the better of the few chances there were in the match © Getty Images

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Chelsea remain five points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the battle for a Champions League place following a 0-0 draw between the teams at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are now unbeaten in their last 22 league meetings at home to Spurs, but that will be little consolation after they saw their Champions League hopes fade in a forgettable stalemate.

It is Tottenham who will feel more aggrieved to have not taken three points after spurning a handful of fine chances, with Emmanuel Adebayor particularly wasteful.

Interim boss Roberto Di Matteo preferred Didier Drogba to Fernando Torres at the head of Chelsea's attack, while John Terry returned to central defence alongside Gary Cahill. For Spurs, ex-Chelsea defender William Gallas started for the first time since January, and Sandro partnered Scott Parker in central midfield.

Both teams seemed to acknowledge the importance of avoiding defeat in the early stages, trading periods of possession in which there was little risk-taking or penetration. Drogba had a couple of what might generously be termed half-chances, but on each occasion was crowded out before he could get a shot away.

There was, finally, some excitement in the 28th minute when Frank Lampard went down in the box under a tackle from Gallas. While the appeal roused the crowd, referee Martin Atkinson was having none of it. Nonetheless, it injected some life into the game, and the first attempt on goal followed two minutes later, Gareth Bale blazing over from 30 yards.

Caution was the name of the day, and it was noticeable how few players Spurs in particular were willing to commit to a counter-attack, apparently deciding early on that a draw would suffice. They were nearly caught out towards the end of the opening period when Gallas misjudged a header and the ball fell to Juan Mata inside the area - but his chip was neither cross nor shot, and Brad Friedel gathered.

Emmanuel Adebayor's goalbound effort was blocked by a sliding Gary Cahill in the second half © Getty Images

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Despite their lack of adventure, Spurs had by far the best opportunity of the half in the final seconds, Luka Modric getting to the byline and pulling back for Rafael van der Vaart who, eight yards out, struck straight at Cech. Tottenham had two more fine chances to score from subsequent rebounds - however, Van der Vaart and Adebayor couldn't force the ball over the line, and the teams went in level.

Di Matteo said before the game that Chelsea could not afford to lose, and his words were written all over his side's listless performance. Their first shot took 51 minutes to arrive, Drogba outmuscling Gallas and nodding to Daniel Sturridge, who rushed the shot and could not test Friedel.

It looked like either an individual error or piece of brilliance was needed to open up such a congested match, and so it proved when Lampard was robbed in the Chelsea half, allowing Bale to surge at the fractured Blues defence and feed Kyle Walker - but the England international, in space inside the area, could only find the side netting.

By the hour mark the tempo had increased dramatically, with both teams showing more ambition, and Chelsea came agonisingly close to a reward when Mata's free-kick cannoned back off a post with 20 minutes remaining.

That jolt stirred something in Spurs, and they should have taken the lead on three occasions before the 80th minute: Gallas and Bale going close with headers - the Welshman's hit the bar - and Adebayor seeing his goalbound shot cleared off the line by a sliding Cahill, who had played the striker onside earlier in the move.

Cech produced a stellar save from a Bale free-kick in the 95th minute as Chelsea were forced to settle for a draw that does nothing for Di Matteo's chances of landing the manager's job on a full-time basis.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.