For all of his talent, former world player of the year George Weah may not exactly be a prolific goalscorer but he is renowned for hitting the target just when it matters most.

And so it proved for the centre-forward on his first appearance for Chelsea just hours after flying into London following his loan signing from AC Milan as he scored a dramatic 87th-minute winner against Tottenham.

Chelsea were struggling to create chances up to that stage as they were indebted to the reactions of keeper Ed De Goey to maintain their record of not having lost to Spurs in almost 10 years.

But then up stepped Weah to make a vital impact just 30 minutes after his introduction as a substitute as he forced his way ahead of Stephen Carr inside the box to head home Dennis Wise's cross.

Spurs may have had the best of a largely dour battle and were infuriated in the dying seconds when they claimed an equaliser which referee Neale Barry ruled had not crossed the line before an unseemly fracas broke out with Tim Sherwood apparently at the fore.

But there was no doubting the Chelsea hero - the Liberian international signed by Gianluca Vialli in a bid to pep up his largely misfiring strikeforce.

Some may raise doubts over his age - officially given as 33 - while others may point to the fact that he is hardly match-fit after failing to win a regular place in the Milan side.

But while he had few other opportunities to shine on his debut due to a lack of service, he was there when it mattered most to lift the Blues above their North London rivals into sixth place.

Then again, one can only wonder what on earth Weah, the only player wearing gloves on a cold but hardly freezing night, must have made of it all in an uninspiring first-half.

The centre-forward, who along with Chris Sutton had taken Gianfranco Zola's substitute's spot, witnessed all of the grit and determination of the Premiership without any of the creativity.

Having seen Zola initially walk away from the ground - only to be later reported to be happily sitting in the directors' box - his ears were then subjected to vitriolic abuse being constantly heaped upon coach Graham Rix by the Spurs fans.

And there was patently little to distract his attention onto the pitch, where Chelsea's rare move to a 5-3-2 formation was paying few dividends as they lacked any real attacking threat in the opening 45 minutes.

Right wing-back Bernard Lambourde was assigned to keep a close eye on David Ginola in the absence of the suspended Albert Ferrer but it was something of an uneven battle.

Ginola, who responded by roaming all over the pitch at will but was also guilty of one apparently clear dive, carved out an opening for Chris Armstrong but the striker drove wastefully over the bar when he should have squared the ball to the unmarked Steffen Iversen.

Spurs keeper Ian Walker did have to block Lambourde's long-range effort, with Gustavo Poyet's follow-up hitting the side netting, while Frank Leboeuf's claims for handball in the penalty area against Campbell fell on deaf ears.

But that was about it for Chelsea's attacking threat in the first-half and they were otherwise indebted to keeper De Goey as the first-half mercifully drew to a close.

The Dutchman first recovered brilliantly to save from Iversen from close range after initially parrying Darren Anderton's drive on his return to the Tottenham side for the first time since August.

Then he did even better to rush out as Iversen bore down on goal from Sherwood's incisive through-ball and block the Norwegian's path.

His opposite number, Walker, meanwhile twice had to claw the ball off the line after the interval - once from Campbell's deflection and then from his own fumbled attempt at catching Jon Harley's cross.

However, with Poyet increasingly drawn into a midfield battle rather than supporting lone striker Tore Andre Flo, both of them were substituted shortly afterwards - a decision met with two pairs of raised eyebrows.

That meant the introduction of Weah, who was given a standing ovation, and Sutton.

But still Chelsea were under pressure - de Goey having to display split-second reactions to twist himself on the ground to react to a wicked deflection from Anderton's shot.

While Weah headed a cross by Harley wide of the target, Leboeuf did revive the home side's spirits as he cut inside through the challenges of Chris Armstrong and Chris Perry before curling a right-foot shot just inches past the far post.

Then came the moment that Weah had waited just half-an-hour for - his first goal in English football - and finally Chelsea were ahead.

They still had to survive a nervous moment just before the final whistle when Ginola's corner was headed powerfully goalwards by Campbell and de Goey saved with his legs on the line.

A host of Spurs players converged on keeper and ball at once, with de Goey desperately scrambling to gather it in his arms, but the appeals for a goal fell on deaf ears and a melee ensued, with Sherwood appearing the chief guilty party but Iversen being booked.

An equaliser would have been justified on the run of play - but it would have taken the gloss from a perfect debut by Weah.

Teams:

Chelsea: De Goey, Leboeuf, Lambourde, Thome, Terry, Harley, Petrescu, Wise, Di Matteo, Poyet (Sutton 56), Flo (Weah 56).

Subs Not Used: Ambrosetti, Morris, Cudicini.

Booked: Wise.

Goals: Weah 87.

Tottenham: Walker, Carr, Campbell, Perry, Edinburgh, Anderton, Clemence, Sherwood, Ginola, Armstrong, Iversen.

Subs Not Used: Baardsen, Fox, Dominguez, Young, Nielsen.

Booked: Armstrong, Sherwood, Iversen.

Att: 34,969

Ref: N Barry (Scunthorpe).