Can Spurs actually win the Premier League?

Had you asked a neutral supporter that question before Manchester United shocked Chelsea Sunday at Old Trafford, the answer would have likely been a resounding "no."

Hours later, after Chelsea's attacking threats were nullified by the likes of Ander Herrera and an organised makeshift back-three, and suddenly, Tottenham is four points adrift of its London foe with six matches to go.

Related: Chelsea's lead dwindles to 4 points after being dominated by United

Antonio Conte and Co. have not looked as poor as they did Sunday at the Theatre of Dreams since switching to the back-three after a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September. The last time Chelsea failed to register a shot on target was 2007 against, you guessed it, United. Oof.

Even in losing to Crystal Palace a fortnight ago, the Blues appeared dynamic and full of ideas. On Sunday, Chelsea appeared a side prepared to emulate prior Tottenham sides by bottling the league's latter stages.

Those looking for bad omens for Chelsea's title chances have as much fodder as Spurs supporters have reason to believe.

Here's a glance at the top of the table on the heels of Sunday's clash in Manchester:

After Chelsea virtually killed Tottenham's title chase last season with a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge where Spurs suddenly became an undisciplined lot, picking up a record nine yellow cards, Mauricio Pochettino's side will be looking for retribution this time around.

With a little more than a month to go and 18 points to play for, Tottenham could very well win the English top flight for the first time since 1960-61. Here are three factors that will decide who succeeds Leicester City for Premier League honours:

Form:

If Chelsea looked uncharacteristically poor Sunday against United, failing to score in the Premier League for just the third time this season (yup, Spurs blanked the Blues 2-0 in January), Tottenham has looked unbeatable of late.

Saturday's 4-0 thumping of Bournemouth handed the north London lot its first seven-match winning streak since 1961, the season Spurs last won the league.

Pair that with the fact that Tottenham has not lost at home this season, coupling 15 victories with draws versus Leicester and Liverpool for a dozen wins at White Hart Lane on the trot, and it appears unlikely that it will drop many points during the run-in, if any at all.

It should also be noted that Tottenham is joint-tops with United and Romelu Lukaku with nine goals in the 80th minute or later, proving that this squad differs from previous incarnations liable to fail in a match's waning minutes.

Conversely, the Blues have now lost two of its last four matches and haven't notched a clean sheet in 10 league outings since a Jan. 22 win over Hull City. During that spell, Conte's charges have conceded 10 times. Over the same 10-fixture stretch, Tottenham has allowed six goals.

Advantage: Tottenham

Remaining fixtures:

Tottenham may have the advantage when it comes to recent form, but one glance at the two club's remaining fixtures is reason enough to favour Chelsea.

Chelsea has four home matches compared to Tottenham's two, with Spurs set to play United in what could be the final ever match at White Hart Lane and bitter rival Arsenal in a north London derby with a title chase on the line. Few things would boost a relatively dire campaign for the Gunners like ending Spurs' trophy hopes. A trip to the King Power and a visit to KCOM to face a Hull City side fighting for it's top-flight life and hasn't lost at home since Boxing Day isn't exactly straightforward either.

For the Blues, it's difficult to imagine them dropping any points, even in light of Sunday's ghastly display. Perhaps a visit to Goodison Park to face Everton for a Lukaku audition could pose a threat, but it's hard to see Conte's crew do worse than pick up a point on Merseyside.

Advantage: Chelsea

Squad:

Chelsea supporters, look away, Tottenham's cohesive unit is peaking at the right time.

Harry Kane has returned early from a pesky ankle concern that saw the England international miss a stretch from September to November, and on Saturday Kane became just the fourth player to score 20 goals in three seasons on the bounce in Premier League history.

Related: Kane joins elite company with 3rd consecutive 20-goal campaign

Dele Alli has been the in-form player of the second half of the year, scoring 13 goals and registering four assists since the congested Christmas period. Remarkably just 21 years old, doubters of the MK Dons product need not look any further than his exemplary performance in Kane's absence during a come-from-behind win at Swansea City on April 5.

The outstanding performances don't end there. Previously maligned for failing to add goals to his repertoire, Christian Eriksen has scored seven times this season and his dozen assists are second only to Kevin De Bruyne. Heung-Min Son has a career-best 12 goals in 18 starts, Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama are arguably the league's least-porous defensive midfield pairing, and Toby Alderweireld and Belgian brethren Jan Vertonghen have shaken off early season injuries to cement the Premier League's best centre-back pairing.

Arguably the Premier League's two most dominant players this season, Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante, were both shadows of themselves Sunday, with the former spending the match firmly planted in Herrera's back pocket and the latter uncharacteristically ineffective. Diego Costa hasn't scored in his last five league matches, Pedro has gone cold, also failing to register a goal in five like his Spanish international teammate, and injuries to Marcos Alonso and Thibaut Courtois are a reason for concern.

Advantage: Tottenham

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)