Just when you think there is nothing that Spurs can do, good or bad, to surprise you any more they come up with something like this. Just when you start to doubt whether the goals would flow as freely as the early weeks of the campaign, the players produce something truly amazing. These are the games that make you turn up on a freezing rain-swept Sunday in November – the days when everything you only dream about happening at the Lane actually become a reality.
It is still hard to believe what we witnessed in that barmy second-half and where the majority of the credit should go. Jermaine Defoe would be the obvious choice after scoring five goals after the interval but Aaron Lennon created numerous assists and provided one splendid strike, Niko Kranjcar scored and tortured the Wigan defence throughout, Peter Crouch could have had a hat-trick of his own while even David Bentley provided a glittering cameo. Truly, everything Spurs touched turned to goals.
Our preview before this match said that much would depend on Harry Redknapp getting his tactics right. No trying to fit three strikers into two and a similar snug fit in central midfield needed to be avoided. Hey presto! Of course, things are never quite that simple but the fact that Spurs looked balanced and more confident as a result should not be underplayed. The Robbie Keane moaners will also point to the way the team looked far more threatening and fluent without the Irishman gesturing and holding up play so often. Defoe in particular thrived on the space he was able to occupy.
But there should be no negatives or tactical conundrums for the future to be mulled over on a day like this. Indeed, if you wanted to add further positives, then you can add the fact that Ledley King and Luka Modric are still to come back. Even better news is that others have now started to step up and minimise the loss of two of our most influential players. Many people have claimed that Spurs have as good a squad as any team in the league and this game was proof that, when the mood takes them, that may well be true.
If the likes of Defoe and Lennon can produce this sort of display every week then Spurs have a right to think big. The main difference between us at the moment and the traditional big four is that they have world class players who can make a difference in any game. As yet, Spurs do not have any of that calibre but this season is preseting a stage by which the likes of Defoe, Lennon and Modric, maybe even Heurelho Gomes and Wilson Palacios, can rise to that stage. In Redknapp, who incidentally conceded nine goals in his first game as Bournemouth manager, they will not have a better tutor.
Lennon set the tone by nearly setting up a goal in the opening minute and when his perfect cross was headed in by Crouch on eight minutes, Spurs were up and running. Lennon was denied by Kirkland, Palacios drew a fine save and Tom Huddlestone spanked one inches wide as Spurs threatened to run riot before the break. Defoe hit the bar and was then kept at bay by Kirkland’s fingertips – it really was one-way traffic and Spurs could have had four or five in the opening 45 minutes. But without the comfort of a two-goal lead, Spurs were still a little edgy and could have gone in level had Gomes not made a smart save after a poor throw out.
Spurs needed to start the second half as spritely as the first and Defoe ensured they did with an eight-minute treble. The striker had already nodded a Lennon cross on to the roof of the net before the pair combined again for Defoe to thump a finish into the top corner. Three minutes later it was 3-0 as a wonderful pass from Wilson Palacios bisected the defence and Defoe, from a tricky angle, swept his finish across Kirkland. The goalkeeper fared better seconds later when he denied Crouch and it could have been a telling moment as Wigan pulled one back swiftly.
The manner of it was disgraceful but, unlike against the Chelsea’s of this world, it mattered little in the end. Where the Spurs defence went is anyone’s guess but Scharner’s handball was as blatant as Henry’s for France against Ireland in midweek and the Spurs crowd rightly displayed their displeasure for the rest of the game. We should really have guessed that the repulsive antics of a despicable ex-gooner who Spurs fans have known for years was a dishonest cheat would somehow effect us even though he has long-since departed the hell hole down the road.
If anything, the goal riled Spurs and within a minute it became 4-1 as Vedran Corluka released Lennon and he again put a cross on a plate for Defoe. The winger deserved a goal for his brilliance all day and his reward was forthcoming when Crouch drew in three defenders before releasing him and the finish was another pinpoint one. Corluka again played his part for number six with a glorious ball behind the defence for Defoe to run on to and thrash in off the inside of the near post.
Kranjcar’s expert pass released Defoe again only for Wigan to finally make a last-ditch challenge but the pair were not to be denied as hapless former Spur Edman only fluffed a clearance from the Croatian’s pass and Defoe strode on to ram in the seventh. It was party time now and as the crowd demanded an eighth, substitute David Bentley provided it with a sensational free-kick from 30 yards. There was still time for the cherry on top of the icing of the multi-tiered cake as Bentley’s cheeky pass gave Kranjcar the time to batter his finish off the bar. Sheer bliss, our best result in the top-flight, and Spurs should now use this display as a benchmark going forwards. These truly are times worth savouring.
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