Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur!

Yesterday has got to be one of the best Sundays in a long time. First, my most hated team Arsenal, lost their Premiership game away to struggling West Ham. Then later that night, my beloved Tottenham Hotspur finally beat defending champions Chelsea after a 16 year wait!

A lot of Spurs fans will remember November 5 2006 for a very long time but as the match started, not many would have thought that Spurs could beat Chelsea. As this article from Independent Online pointed out:

Nelson Mandela was still in prison when Tottenham last defeated Chelsea in a top-flight League match, at Stamford Bridge in the old First Division in February 1990, more than 30 matches ago. For their last such home win against these opponents Spurs had to look back through the mists of time to 1987 when Berlin was a divided city, Sir Alex Ferguson was calling time on the drinking culture at Old Trafford, and Aaron Lennon was a five-month-old baby in nappies.

Aaron Lennon, only 19 and most probably the hottest English talent now, became the hero when he scored after half time to give Spurs a 2-1 win. It was an amazing, pulsating match. Chelsea took the lead in the first half courtesy of a good strike by Claude Makelele. Like most Spurs fan, I remembered I must have said, "Oh no, here we go again" but Spurs battled hard after conceded the goal.

Defender Michael Dawson decided that this was a good time to score his first goal for Spurs when he rose to head Jermain Jenas' free kick. Spurs 1 - Chelsea 1. Now we have a game. Spurs started to have more belief in them and their hope for a miracle win against Chelsea came after the second half began. Robbie Keane made a fool out of Chelsea's Khalid Boularouz with his brilliant footwork and then whipped in a low cross into the box for young Aaron Lennon who controlled it brilliantly before shooting it into the Chelsea net. Spurs 2 - Chelsea 1!!!

Chelsea then had their Captain John Terry sent off for a second yellow card but they showed everyone why they have been Champions - they swarmed the Spurs' half in search for an equaliser. They nearly did near the end of the match when a curler from Arjen Robben beat the Spurs goalie Paul Robinson but the ball rebounded of the post. Phew! Spurs did defended well and hanged on until the referee blew his full time whistle. And what a game it was! I think I must have cried a little towards the end of the game. It has been so, so long and finally. Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur! And the Spurs go marching on, on, on!

Update: Watch the match highlights here. (Thanks Mr Big)