25.02.2008
The battles over
all the pitch were won by Spurs.
Jenas made
Lampost look like the ordinary, one-dimensional player he is.
Chimbonda did
well against Wright-Phillips, keeping him starved of possession and
keeping him in areas where he could do no damage.
Alan Hutton shut
out Anelka and made him as anonymous as the bloke who ended up in
the Spurs team photo.
Zokora out-Essien-ed
Essien. His rash tackling is a part of his game we might have
to accept, but the amount of ground he covered was phenomenal.
Just don't expect him to score. Ever.
Berbatov gave
Terry the run around. He was left chasing shadows and moaning
about all and sundry.
When Lennon got
going, he gave Bridge and Belletti a hot time, trying to track him.
Robinson made a
few good stops and flapped a couple of crosses, but did more good
than bad.
Woodgate and
King had Drogba in their pockets. Both deprived him of time on
the bal and Ledley made some timely challenges. They look good
together and hopefully, they might be able to have the opportunity
to do so again in the future.
Malbranque was
as effective going forward, but worked across the line, while
Huddlestone had an impact on the game with his passing and calmness
on the ball. His added fitness also allowed him to chase back
to defend when Spurs were under pressure.
Robbie Keane's
movement caused Chelsea problems and he was unlucky with a couple of
chances he had ... one of which appeared to be deflected wide by
Terry's testicles !!
Tainio is not
that different to you and I. A Spurs fan. The only
difference is he has the opportunity to get a shirt on and give his
all for the cause. His sub's appearance did enough to stop
Chelsea's progress on goal and to wind them up.
And Kaboul's
appearance caused a few heart flutters when he came on, but he did
what he had to do and held his position in the middle of the back
five in the closing stages.
The biggest
battle was won off the field, with Ramos convincing the team that
they can win games like this. Chelsea went the same way as
Arsenal and almost were joined by Manchester United recently.
With games like this, the side can push up the table next season.