Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham – 2007/2008 Carling Cup Final
Tottenham come back from a goal down to win in extra time against Chelsea in a gripping Carling Cup Final. Match report follows.
Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham – Carling Cup Final – Goal Videos
Tottenham attacked from the start, as we knew they would. Chelsea soaked it up and retaliated with a fine goal, although by this time Tottenham had missed a couple of great chances to go in front. It would be half-way into the second half before we saw the next goal, but when it came, my word, how it breathed life into the game. More than the goal, more than the eruption from the Tottenham of the crowd, more than anything else it was Dimitar Berbatov’s celebration that sparked life into Tottenham’s game.
This is exactly what Berbatov has stayed at White Hart Lane for – to perform at the highest end of the footballing pyramid, the cup finals, the big games. In hindsight he seems the natural choice for taking that penalty but it required nerves of steel to step up to the spot and send Petr Cech the wrong way. No amount of practice can give you that confidence, no amount of practice can prepare you for this stage, and yet Berbatov scored as if he was born for this, and indeed, he probably was.
From that instant, no matter how well Chelsea played you knew that the Berbatov finish had inspired Tottenham players and taken them to a whole new level. It didn’t matter (well, it did, but not in the sense of dampening their confidence) if Zokora missed, twice, a golden chance in regular time. He had done his best, and in that situation it was all you could ask for. Tottenham forged ahead, scored in the first half of extra time and then, the job done, put three across the back and defended their 1-goal advantage till the final whistle.
People will glorify the win – and understandably so, as this revival from Tottenham is as significant as their #5 finish in the last two seasons. They will question Chelsea’s pedigree, which is unfair to both sides – Chelsea did their best, and Tottenham were worthy winners.
Some critics may question the quality of football but in reality these thrill-seekers are after goals, not quality football. The football on display was edgy at times – nerves will do that to you – but on a whole this was a great game of football, with every player having a story of their own. For many, like Terry, Lampard and King, it was a battle of stamina and willpower as anything else. For Cech it was more serious – the Chelsea keeper manfully continuing in extra time despite complaining of double-vision after being hit on the head by the ball in Zokora’s attempt. For Paul Robinson, it was a great way to boost his confidence as he made a few vital saves to close out the game.
In this emotional rollercoaster though, a few things need to be remembered:
- Chelsea need a better right-back.
- Tottenham need someone better than Huddlestone and Zokora to partner Jenas in midfield.
- Chelsea also need Grant to be more aggressive with his tactics.
- Tottenham need to jettison Chimbonda, fast. The man’s footballing talents are not in question but his behavior – and more importantly his history of disrespect towards his clubs – is inexcusable. If pressed, Ramos can always play Tainio at left-back.
- On today’s evidence, England can always try Lennon on the left to give them the width that Joe Cole fails to provide. Don’t get me wrong, I love Joe Cole, but his game lacks a certain dimension that the left-wing berth requires.
All in all, a cup final to remember – and for both clubs, a performance that they need to build upon to finish the season strongly domestically and in Europe.
Starting Lineups
Tottenham: Robinson, Hutton, Woodgate, King, Chimbonda (Huddlestone), Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque (Tainio), Berbatov, Keane (Kaboul).
Unused Subs: Cerny, Bent.
Chelsea: Cech, Belletti, Carvalho, Terry, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (Joe Cole), Essien (Kalou), Lampard, Mikel (Ballack), Anelka, Drogba.
Unused Subs: Cudicini, Alex.
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
Preview
Chelsea take on Tottenham in the 2007/2008 Carling Cup Final at Wembley on Sunday to round off a solid week for both teams – Chelsea securing a 0-0 away draw and Tottenham securing progress to the next round of the Uefa Cup.
Both sides will fancy their chances and it promises to be an entertaining (and thanks to Tottenham’s 5-1 blitz of Arsenal and the Ramos effect, unpredictable) match. Let’s see how things line up:
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
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LEAGUE CUP MEETINGS
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Tottenham
Andy Greeves: It’s time for Tottenham to swap nostalgia for success.
Spurs go in this game on the back of progress in the UEFA Cup and that win against Arsenal in the semi-finals. Tottenham have the players to score against Chelsea and if they play their aggressive, forward-possession brand of football against Chelsea on Sunday, Tottenham have a chance of winning the Carling Cup.
What’s worth remembering is that this Tottenham side has successfully challenged the top sides this season and the season before (even if it has been, like was last season against Chelsea, only for part of the match) and that confidence coupled with the wave of momentum Juande Ramos has built since his arrival means that Chelsea will have little, if any, psychological advantages over their opponents.
If Tottenham can defend, and if Robinson (assuming he plays) delivers a good performance, Tottenham will go a long way towards compensating their inability to challenge for the 4th spot this season.
Chelsea
There are concerns that Avram Grant could rest John Terry and Frank Lampard keeping in mind that they’ve just returned from injury and Chelsea need them fit for the season run-in with both Arsenal and Manchester United still to visit Stamford Bridge in the league (not to mention Arsenal’s trip to Old Trafford) and obviously for their Champions League campaign as well.
Ricardo Carvalho and Alex are able deputies at the back and Essien and Ballack are more than capable of running Chelsea’s midfield – the captain and vice captain are important to the team but not irreplaceable, and Grant will want to ensure that his squad stays injury-free (they are the only club without any injured players at the moment – do correct me if I’m wrong).
A lot depends on whether Grant can get Chelsea to match the electric pace Tottenham will be expected to bring to the game, or whether he will play the tactical game and get Chelsea to play on the counter using Joe Cole, Drogba and co. to pick off the gaps in Tottenham’s defence. IMO Chelsea are strong enough at the back to dominate this match by attacking first and pushing Tottenham back from the first whistle.
Prediction: Tottenham to win 3-2. Chelsea to win 2-1. Too close to call.
Yessssssss!
It was a great game, no doubt about it. Zokora was frustrating, as ever, but Jenas, Lennon, Huddlestone and Woodgate were all fantastic. I felt we made a mistake in defending rather than looking for a third goal, but we got lucky anyway! What makes me happiest about this triumph is the number of English players in our team.
A great occasion, anyway. Chelsea should be commended for their commitment, though I felt they never really got going.
Hats off to Spurs – Worhty opposition today.
We never did get it going, did we Hugo? I suspect that Tottenham wanted it much more than we, with it being the only silverware shot they have this year. Still, no excuse for a poor performnace…
Ahmed, don’t comment on things you don’t understand. Belletti has been co-Team MVp for Chels this season, and had maybe one of his worst games to date. It happens, but there isn’t a readily replacement available at current.
Joe Cole is better than Aaron Lennon (who, BTW, has a mostly dissapearing act going for much of the match.) If Joe Cole cannot provide width, then play him an a CAM role for Three Lions and let him create, and tell that scouse scum to back off and play the CM like he should.
Grant gambled and failed with Anelka split out wide; it happens. Time to go to a 4-4-2, because you can’t change the footballing style with all of the same players you had last season.
Belletti’s age means that he’s not a long-term solution. Regardless of whether he’s been one of the best players this season or not, Chelsea will need to replace him sooner than later.
Joe Cole is definitely better than Lennon – but after repeatedly underperforming in the left-wing role for several years, you’d think other players deserved a chance in that slot. Lennon deserves a chance, if not an extended run. Joe Cole as CM – definitely.
Brian – Lennon did not underperform. He was simply not given any service. Almost every time he got the ball, he was productive and exciting. I remember sending a text to a friend at 1-0 saying “We´ve got to get the ball to Lennon”. Next time he got it, he played in an excellent ball to Huddlestone and we won a penalty. Incidentally, it was a great move from Ramos to switch Lennon to the left.
I don’t think Chelsea fans can be too disappointed. Your lads were committed and it was a great spectacle: lots of passion and drama. And you’ve still got at least 2 competitions to compete for.
We are disaapointed, Hugo. The lads were NOT committed, at least not until they fell behind. An uninspiring performance. They walked out there as cup holders and demanded respect because of that, and expected to win by reputation alone. As far as Lennon, it takes a player to make good runs and positioning to receive the ball. Lennon was largely silent the first half, and only came on for a few short spurts in the second. We were worried about him coming into the game, but during it, we were not. But the lad has talent, I admit that.
Ahmed: Everyone will have to be replaced at some point. It is silly to nitpick one bad performance from an aging RB that has been consistently one if not the best in the league this season. He is definitely not a long term solution, which is why theyw rapped up Ferreira on a 5 year deal, but if you are going to pick out a Chelsea woe, it should not be the future of the RB position. We definitely have more pressing problems at winger and forward positions.
hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gooooooooooo Spurs we r da best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to Spurs. I’ve always had a soft spot for them since Lasagna-Gate.
Deserved victory and it’s good for the game to see the silverware spread around more evenly.
Very dissapointing today, Joe Cole shudda started from the very beginning, he frequently said how much he wanted to play given that he didnt play last season due to injury, he didnt get nearly enough time,
Mikel was pretty poor, basically staying in the same spot and getting his now traditional booking,
Beletti had a poor one but given his other performances this season he can surely be forgiven,
Bridge didnt get foward enough, and despite a resonable performance all that will be remembered will be his handball which led to the penalty,
lampard ran his legs off and covered the entire pitch for 120mins and was ounlucky not to score on several occasions,
Overall spurs wanted it more and were deserved winners in the end, as a Chelsea fan I was dissapointed to see them lose a final(obviously) but being Irish I was happy to see Robbie finally win something at club level and thought it was fitting King let him lift the trophy with him.
I think Avram got it all wrong. Saying that I do believe Tottenham wanted it more and did deserve the win. Berba was again incredible, every time he plays Chelsea Terry struggles to deal with his aerial presence.
I had a sneaky feeling that Chelsea would win the CL this year but I’m beginning to have my doubts. It’s becoming more apparent that Avram’s Chelsea find it difficult against the better sides (e.g. with a fit Torres it may have been Liverpool’s day when the recently visited the bridge). We’ll have to see how they play against United and Arsenal.
As a neutral I think it was a totally deserved win. Avram Grant says that Chelsea deserved more, but on the day, I think he is completely wrong.
I’m not convinced about this ‘wanting it more’ phrase. Surely there were no Chelsea players holding back at all in a cup final at Wembley?
the lads hold on from being 1 – 0 down and ramos stood by waitin 4 the perfect moment to happen and it did and everyone was mocking the fact we signed woodgate but at the moment he is proving to be a good asset in the squad and i hope he stays a good time and a happy time come on the spurs!!!!
we won the carling cup cause we beat arsnal in the semi-final and chelsea in the final so we r da best!!!!!!!!!
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