Tottenham's title hopes thwarted: 3 matches that derailed Spurs' season

Monday's pivotal draw at Chelsea mathematically eliminated Tottenham from the chase of its first top-flight title since 1960-61, with the result at Stamford Bridge being the latest in a string of fixtures that cursed the club's ambitions.

Here's a look at three matches over the past two months that doomed Tottenham's title prospects:

March 5: Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal

Billed as one of the biggest north London derbies, Tottenham couldn't take advantage of a one-goal advantage over 10-man Arsenal in a result that handed the title impetus to Leicester City.

Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring for Arsenal at White Hart Lane in the 39th minute to quiet the home crowd before Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane scored in a two-minute second-half window to propel Spurs to certain victory on the heels of Francis Coquelin's sending off minutes earlier.

It wasn't to be for Mauricio Pochettino's lot, though, as Arsenal talisman Alexis Sanchez scored in the 76th minute to share the spoils with the club's rival. Leicester had drawn a few days prior at home to West Brom, handing Spurs a chance to draw nearer to the table-topping Foxes, but instead Sanchez's goal twisted the knife in Tottenham's title hopes.

April 2: Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham

Spurs traveled to Anfield to face the mercurial Merseysiders on the other side of the international break only to rescue a point with a second-half Kane goal.

Were it not for Hugo Lloris' heroics, the result could've been worse for Tottenham, with Liverpool taking 15 shots - seven of which were on target, including Philippe Coutinho's opener.

Considering Jurgen Klopp's side had one eye on a midweek Europa League tilt with Borussia Dortmund, Spurs should've done better against a Reds side that fielded an underwhelming team littered with names like Alberto Moreno and Jordan Henderson.

A win would've moved Tottenham to within two points of Leicester. Instead, the draw saw the north London side remain four points adrift before the Foxes topped Southampton the following day, creating a seven-point gap above Spurs.

April 25: Tottenham 1-1 West Brom

While the other two results of note may have sidetracked Tottenham's title hopes, a 1-1 draw against West Brom at White Hart Lane all but destroyed those ambitions.

Add Craig Dawson's name to the list of players - including Sanchez and Coutinho - who'll never get a Christmas card from Spurs, as his 73rd-minute header stunned a once jubilant Tottenham crowd.

The goal - which was Dawson's second of the day after a first-half own goal handed Spurs the lead - sucked the wind out of a stadium full of sentiments that were tentatively tethered to Tottenham's narrow title hopes. Things would get worse for Spurs, as Eric Dier became the victim of a concussion and Dele Alli was retroactively slapped with a three-match ban for punching Claudio Yacob.

With the result, Leicester widened its gap atop the table to seven points and all but secured its first top-flight title, while Spurs were left lamenting what could've been.