Not on FSC, who aired Man U/Bolton, and my allergy medicine kept me at home to follow the match via the web, though it was televised on Setanta. The hallucinogenic aspects of the medicine certainly seemed to aid my sensibility today though, as Spurs rallied from a second half 3-1 deficit to earn a point that certainly seemed lost up till that point.
Some good Chelsea play, some lousy defending and Paul Robinson being his usual self led Spurs to find themselves behind 2-1 after just 20 minutes at White Hart Lane, with Didier Drogba and Micheal Essien scoring for the Blues, while Jonathan Woodgate, who also scored the winning goal against Chelsea in the Carling Cup final, got his second goal for the club in the midst of those.
Joe Cole, who would've been MOTM had not the defenses evaporated, scored the first of his two goals early on in the second half on a nice chip shot that really seemed to doom the match in the eyes of most Spurs fans.
However, Dimitar Berbatov made it a game again just a few minutes later, and then Tom Huddlestone equalized in the 75th minute. Cole then responded in the 80th minute with another goal that gave Chelsea the lead again at 4-3. The reaction from Chelsea manager Avram Grant at that point was to take Cole off of the pitch and replace him with Micheal Ballack, a very curious move given the nature of the match up to that point.
Fate smiled upon Spurs though in the 86th minute when a long ball deep in Chelsea territory hit defender Roberto Carvalho in the back, whereupon Robbie Keane pounced upon the ball to deliver a terrific strike to level things once again. It took a terrific save from Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini on a Berbatov shot a couple of minutes later to assure one and all that there would be no more goals in such a thrilling contest.
The other big news is that Chelsea's Ashley Cole was only given a yellow card, instead of a straight red, for a studs-up tackle on Alan Hutton late in the first half that incensed the home crowd and the Spurs coaching staff. The petulant manner of the video of Cole listening in the aftermath to referee Mike Riley with his back turned to him certainly showed a childish attitude.
All in all, a great comeback in an exciting match, I guess I'll have to look to torrents for the full length match. The bad news for Chelsea is that they could have drawn level with Arsenal for second place with a victory. After this match, it looks more and more certain that Avram Grant's tenure as Chelsea manager will be lucky to last through the season. The Blues could make up the missed ground with a victory over the Arse this coming Sunday, and given the schizophrenic nature of Chelsea's play as of late, it would not surprise me in the least to see the Blues take all three points at Stamford Bridge.
SOCCERNET REPORT
Also found an interesting article on Spurs assistant manger Gus Poyet on his not-too-long ago CHELSEA DAYS.
Now it's home to Portsmouth, but the breaking news is that ex-striker Jermaine Defoe will NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY, due to transfer rules. What a shame, I know that most Spurs fans still hold him in high regard. Oh well, the warm reception will just have to wait until next year. Come On You Spurs!!!
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