Spurs have beaten the Blues just once since 1990, a 5-1 Worthington Cup drubbing at White Hart Lane last season, but in 29 other meetings during that spell, Chelsea have taken at least a point, including winning four of their five encounters last season.

As goalless draws go, this breathless encounter was probably as good as you will get, but Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle left the touchline at the end shaking his head in frustration after Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini made spectacular saves from Jamie Redknapp and Teddy Sheringham.

Yet after all Spurs domination – especially at the start of the second half - it was Chelsea who could have snatched their familiar victory when Mario Melchiot’s header from a Gianfranco Zola free-kick struck a post just before the hour mark.

Chelsea’s biggest worry though was another injury to the enigmatic Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who virtually took himself off just before half-time having looked largely leaden-footed against the Spurs defence, a tired-looking caricature of his old self.

Hasselbaink hobbled off a minute before the interval, walking like a man afraid of an imminent attack of the runs after sitting down heavily from an aerial clash with Chris Perry.

It was as much of an impact as the Dutchman had made all afternoon, having been repeatedly caught either offside and in possession. The one flash of the old Jimbo, who cracked 29 goals last season but only four so far this term, came when Jody Morris and Melchiot linked up to feed him a half-chance in the 23rd minute which he flashed just wide from 25 yards.

But as soon as he signalled his injury with a roll-over motion of his arms, he was immediately substituted by Eidur Gudjohnsen, with boss Claudio Ranieri not even bothering to wait for the imminent arrival of half-time to take a look at the £15million striker who claims his relationship with the manager was severely strained by a difficult start to the season.

Hasselbaink’s in-and-out-form has enabled the veteran Zola to grab his opportunity again but the old master belied the clinical form that had brought him eight goals already this season when Melchiot slid him in behind the statuesque Dean Richards with just 12 minutes gone. The little Italian scuffed his shot across goal with only Kasey Keller to beat.

Keane missed a chance just as inviting for Spurs five minutes later when shrugging off Williams Gallas to attack Carr’s cross from the right but making only minimal and unproductive contact from eight yards out.

There were chances at both ends in a fast-moving first half, with Steffen Freund almost scoring his first Spurs goal in 117 matches with a block tackle on Marcel Desailly on the edge of the Chelsea box which sent the ball skidding just over the bar.

And it required the save of the match from Cudicini on 25 minutes when Keane’s short free-kick was flicked up by Redknapp so that the former Liverpool star could strike a fierce volley which the Chelsea keeper turned over the bar at full stretch.

But Redknapp’s cousin Frank Lampard was guilty of taking one touch too many and allowing Keller a smothering after Zola had opened up Spurs with a classic touch. And the ex-West Ham midfielder should also have done better when Hasselbaink chested down to give him a clear shot which Keller again held well.

Chelsea had another outstanding chance just before Hasselbaink’s exit when Emmanuel Petit’s long ball put Quique de Lucas away down the middle only for the Spaniard to skew his effort horribly wide as two defenders bore down on him.

It should have proved an expensive lapse by Chelsea as Spurs opened the second half with a real blitz. Keane headed over at the far post from Carr’s marvellous run and cross. Then Gallas cleared off the line from Richards before Poyet’s shot from eight yards bounced off the legs of Cudicini when it looked certain the Uruguayan would score against his former club.

And Cudicini reproduced his acrobatics of the first half to deny Sheringham with a flying leap after the wily old striker stealthily pulled away to the edge of the box to meet Redknapp’s low, driven corner.

All that came in 10-minute spell after the interval and yet it was Chelsea who were a goalpost’s width from going ahead when Zola tricked a free-kick out of Carr’s impetuous challenge and floated it over for Melchiot to glance it off his dreadlocks against the far upright. Somehow the rebound eluded Desailly’s stretch inside the six-yard box.

There were four red cards when these two teams met in a five-match mini-series last season but just four yellow ones this time as referee Rob Styles struggled to keep up with the pace in the last 20 minutes.

One of the cautions was for Keller who furiously kicked the ball away when Styles awarded Chelsea a contentious free-kick which was moved on 10 yards to the edge of the area for the keeper’s dissent and then ballooned over the bar by Zola in a dreadful anti-climax.

Zola was out of luck again, stretching for Petit’s long cross when left unattended at the far post but just failing to make contact.

It summed up an afternoon of near-misses but you sensed Chelsea were happier with the point than their hosts.