Spurs were making their first appearance in the final since 2002, when they lost 1-2 to Blackburn Rovers. Rovers thrashed Bolton 4-1 today, but that is a story for another time :D. Chelsea on the other hand, were defending the title that they had won by beating Arsenal 2-1 last year, and were playing in their third final in four years.
Avram Grant chose to start with Anelka and Drogba upfront.He left the likes of Alex, Ballack and Joe Cole, who scored the winner in the semifinal against Everton, on the bench. Spurs started with Keane and Berbatov upfront, with Hutton, Woodgate, King and Chimbonda at the back. Malbranque, Zokora, Jenas and Lennon played in the middle. And not to mention, Paul Robinson in goal.
It was Didier Drogba who gave Chelsea the lead with a marvellous freekick. Chelsea had been awarded quite a few freekicks in that area by Mark Halsey, and Drogba finally converted one after being tripped by Zokora. As he hit his kick, Robbie Keane turned towards the right. Had Keane stood his ground, the ball would have been intercepted by him , but as luck would have it, he moved and the ball flew into the back of the net.
Dimitar Berbatov had a glorious chance to equalise just before half time, but he lost his footing. Chelsea lead at the half time break, despite not dominating. The pitch didn’t seem to help matters, with Jermaine Jenas slipping near the edge of the area after making a fine run. With minutes ticking away, Ramos brought on Huddlestone for Chimbonda, a move that was clearly not liked by the former Wigan man as he stormed into the tunnel after coming off. Spurs kept trying, and were rewarded when Lennon crossed in from the left. The ball was intercepted by Huddlestone, and unfortunately for Wayne Bridge, struck him in the very place it should not have. The linesman spotted it, and Berbatov converted the resulting penalty with ease.
Didier Zokora had a glorious chance to put Spurs ahead when the ball bobbled to him with only the keeper in sight. He shot at Cech who saved it, and hit the rebound wildly into the crowds. All of Tottenham were disappointed and none more than Zokora, but the Ivorian could have passed it to Berbatov in the first place, or allowed him to take the rebound.
Teemu Tainio and Michael Ballack came on Malbranque and Essien respectively. Essien’s last touch of the ball before he was substituted nearly resulted in a goal, but Drogba, expecting Robinson to come forward was a tad slow in reacting to Essien’s ball.
As the match went into extra time, it seemed that Chelsea held the upper hand. Spurs were looking a tired lot, and it was showing on the pitch. They had done much of the running through the match, and one wondered how long they could go on.
Jermaine Jenas had delivered a few decent balls into the area from the right hand side, and in the 94th minute, he delivered another one, this time from the left hand side. There were three Spurs men in the box to Chelsea’s seven. Didier Drogba, who was marking Woodgate, saw Cech coming forward for the ball and didn’t bother. Cech palmed the ball into Woodgate and the resulting touch was enough for it to cross the line. Spurs were leading, and Jonathan Woodgate had turned the match on its head. What a time for your first club goal, btw 😀
Chelsea frantically began to search for an equaliser. Joe Cole was brought on, and he had a couple of good chances. Paul Robinson produced a stunning reflex save to deny Salomon Kalou from close range. Ramos brought off Keane for Younes Kaboul, allowing Lennon and Berbatov to wander upfront. Zokora had a chance to finish the match off, but his pass seemed to be aimed at the advertising board rather than a fellow colleague. Whether your were watching live online, or were at the local pub, the match was one which had Spurs fans biting their nails in tension towards the end.
Spurs held on to win their first silverware since 1999, when a late goal from Allan Nielsen saw them beat Leicester City.
Has the Ramos Revolution begun ? He outhought Avram Grant, and one cannot help but think that this is the start of better things to come at White Hart Lane.
Avram Grant has said that he feels pained by the loss.