Why Chelsea Dare Not Lose to Tottenham Hotspur in Monday's Title Showdown

Chelsea's season has come down to this: They dare not lose to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

The Premier League title may have already been wrapped up by then, but regardless of what Leicester City achieve against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Chelsea have much to gain from putting a dent in the momentum being created at Spurs.

It's been 26 years since Chelsea have lost a home game to their London rivals. Now, Chelsea have lost plenty in what's been a dreadful season.

Jose Mourinho's gone for a second time, and John Terry's expected to join him through the exit door. The Blues have surrendered their Premier League crown meekly, have lost out on European football for next season and could still lose a crop of stars who may look elsewhere in the pursuit of glory.

They can't lose that unbeaten record to Spurs as well.

The good news for Chelsea fans is that the message seems to have reached the players. First it was Eden Hazard telling Match of the Day after last week's 4-1 defeat of Bournemouth that he and his Chelsea team-mates didn't want Spurs winning the title. Now Pedro has spoken out with a similar sentiment, saying that Monday's game is about much more than denying Spurs the title.

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"None of us want to be part of the team that lose the [unbeaten] record, and we are really concentrating on making sure we keep the run going," the Spaniard told the Evening Standard this week. "Is it another incentive that beating Spurs will stop them winning the League? Yes. But the most important thing for us is to win this match."

Pedro's got the tone right. Chelsea need to be worrying about getting their own house in order before they think about beating teams to give others a leg up. Maintaining their dominance over rivals is a big part of that.

The record stands for so much in west London. It used to be Spurs who had the upper hand when the sides would meet. They won the 1967 FA Cup final at Chelsea's expense and in 1975 played a big part in Chelsea's relegation when they defeated them 2-0 with just three games remaining in the season.

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Much has changed since those times, notably how far Chelsea have come as a club. Way before Roman Abramovich injected his fortune into the Stamford Bridge coffers, Chelsea were dominating Spurs.

For instance, in 2002 the Blues twice beat them 4-0 within a matter of days. First it was an FA Cup game on March 10 at White Hart Lane before a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink hat-trick on March 13 completed an eight-goal hammering in those combined fixtures.

It's those sort of performances and results that determine the order in a city like London. For years Chelsea have been doing it to Spurs, and that must continue on Monday. Yes, there's nothing to play for in the league, but pride is all Chelsea have now, which defeating Spurs will help restore. Denying them the title in the process is a byproduct.

The tables have turned in the Premier League this year. As neutrals, we've been treated to one of the best title races in a long while simply due to the unpredictable nature of it all. Few would have backed Leicester and Spurs going head-to-head for honours, but they have lasted the distance.

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Time will tell if it's been a blip, a freak in the Premier League's ongoing narrative. If Chelsea lose to Spurs, the suggestion will be that in London at least, the landscape is shifting for real. It will be 26 years of history wiped out at the kick of a football.

"[The unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge] says Chelsea have always been very strong in the past," Guus Hiddink said at his press conference on Friday.

"I'm not a man of statistics, because you can Google them very easily, but I don't know [if I've seen a record like this before in football], but we want to continue that."

Forget Spurs and the title; Chelsea simply can't lose come Monday. There's too much riding on it for the club.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes