LONDON: Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso returned to the starting lineup with stunning effect by grabbing a goal apiece in a crucial 2-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the battle between the London rivals for fourth place on Saturday. It was only Chelsea’s sixth win in 14 home Premier League games this season but it was fully deserved as they remain in fourth, the last Champions league qualification spot, with 44 points from 27 games. Tottenham have 40 points. Such was Chelsea’s dominance that the derby lacked it’s usual intensity, although there was a flashpoint when Giovani Lo Celso got away with a dreadful tackle on Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta — prompting another VAR controversy. A poor run of form had dented Chelsea’s top-four hopes but from the moment French international Giroud, making his first league start since November, rifled a shot past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the 15th minute they were in control. Alonso, back for only his seventh league start under Frank Lampard, doubled the lead three minutes after the break with a thumping finish to give Chelsea a boost ahead of their Champions League last 16, first leg at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Tottenham, badly missing injured strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, were lacklustre and a late Antonio Rudiger own goal made the contest look closer than it actually was. The hosts held on comfortably though as Lampard got the better of his former Chelsea boss Mourinho for the second time this season after a 2-0 win at Spurs in December. The margin of victory should have been bigger with Tottenham’s Lloris making several fine saves and Alonso also curling a free kick against the bar late on.