Carling Cup Final Review

By: Richard | February 25th, 2008

Ah, what a game the lads played yesterday! There was a sense of urgency right off the bat from Tottenham. Their passes were crisp and creative and it was obvious that our intent was to come forward and take an early lead. Chelsea weathered the storm though and tried to get themselves into possition for a few set pieces with the hopes of taking advantage of Spurs most glaring weakness. Sure enough after a handful of opportunities the strategy worked. Didier Drogba started the scoring with a free kick from about 20-yards out that Paul Robinson didn’t even make an effort to stop. Bad positioning by Robinson brought question to the decision to return the former England No. 1 to the starting eleven. Though Spurs outplayed Chelsea the score at half told a different story. 1-0 Blues.

The second half was perhaps a bit more even in terms of overall play. Real scoring opportunities were a rare occurrence and it seemed that Spurs had fallen right into the style of game that would benefit Chelsea. Chelsea’s defense did the job until the 70th minute when Spurs were given an opportunity to pull even. Aaron Lennon had pestered the Chelsea defense throughout and while trying to get by Wayne Bridge he gave the Spurs a penalty as the ball hit Bridge on his left hand. Dimitar Berbatov calmly and coolly scored the penalty and Spurs were back on even ground. Zokora and Berbatov had the opportunity to end it prior to extra time but some superb goalkeeping from Cech meant free football for the folks at Wembley.

As the first 90 came to a close and extra time began it became apparent that there was little difference between the two sides on the pitch. Sure, Chelsea are without a doubt a collection of some of the finest players in the world, but Tottenham Hotspur are talented and hungry. Extra time, I have to admit, became a bit of a blur for me. Spurs took the lead four minutes in as Woodgate’s header of a Jermaine Jenas free kick rolled into the goal. (My friend’s father actually said during the game that he thought we’d win on a Jenas kick headed in by Woodgate. So help me.) I spent the rest of the time doing a lot more praying then I would normally do. Every clearance made me pay more attention to time remaining in the game then anything that was actually happening on the pitch. As time expired and we watched Ledley King, Robbie Keane and the rest of the team make their way up to claim their trophy and medals it was finally time to celebrate! What a ride.

If anyone happens to be reading this little blog of mine and you’re not a fan of Tottenham Hotspur, well, I feel for you. There is very little in the world of sports that can compare to the emotional roller coaster that is the life of a Tottenham supporter. It’s a wonderful thing. COYS!!