The Blues claimed a 2-1 victory over a familiar face on Saturday, with London rivals Tottenham downed on derby day at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has completed a historic double over his mentor Jose Mourinho, with the current Tottenham manager suffering home and away defeats to the same side for the first time in his career.
The Portuguese has enjoyed the most memorable of careers at the very top of the coaching game.
Success has followed him around wherever he has been, with few able to claim the upper hand in touchline duels.
Mourinho was, however, to suffer a rare setback when leading Spurs into battle with Chelsea in December.
He was still finding his feet in north London at that stage, having inherited the Tottenham reins from Mauricio Pochettino.
A 2-0 defeat represented the first time he had been beaten by a former club in 14 outings.
History has now repeated itself for Mourinho on his latest return to Stamford Bridge.
An injury-depleted Spurs side made their way across London for a meeting with old adversaries.
They were always up against it and fell behind inside 15 minutes as Olivier Giroud opened the scoring.
Marcos Alonso doubled the Blues’ advantage early in the second half, which left Tottenham with a mountain to climb.
An Antonio Rudiger own goal late on offered them hope, but Mourinho was left to reflect on the first home and away double defeat in a single season of his career to date.
While claiming the notable scalp of his former manager, Lampard has also seen Chelsea cement their standing inside the Premier League’s top four.
Spurs had closed to within one point heading into a derby date on Saturday.
The Blues have edged clear once more and can relax a little before keeping an eye on how other rivals get on in the latest round of fixtures.
Lampard has always maintained that Chelsea are outsiders to claim Champions League qualification, given the transfer ban he inherited and an enforced reliance on youth.
It could, however, be that a fifth-place finish is enough this season, given the UEFA sanctions imposed on Manchester City.
That has given Lampard’s side a bit of breathing room, but they remain determined to end the campaign as high as possible.
