Chelsea vs. Tottenham: Heurelho
Gomes Falls but Rises Again To Save a Point for Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur faced each other in their English Premier League fixture on December 12 in the London derby. It was not as important a derby as the North London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal, but it still gained
importance in context of the league position. Victory in the match was very important for the Blues in order to keep their title hopes alive. Tottenham, on the other hand, needed a victory in order to remain contenders for the Champions League spot.
Both teams faced each other at Tottenham home-ground White Hart Lane. Chelsea had a strong record in the league against Tottenham but their current team is in total disarray. Therefore, the North London side had a chance to win
the match and get all three points on Sunday. There was a lot of pressure on the managers of both sides, as a victory was important for both teams in their Premier League campaign this season.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti chose his strongest side for the visit to White Hart Lane. The great news for Chelsea was that Frank Lampard was back in the side after sitting on the bench for almost three months. However, Ancelotti
kept his anchorman on the bench and did not bring him in until the second half. Didier Drogba was also on the team but he did not start the match as well. Salomon Kalou and Nicolas Anelka were paired as forwards while Michael Essien, Ramires, Florent Malouda
and John Mikel Obi were present in the midfield.
Harry Redknapp also picked a strong side but he was missing his best player, Rafael van der Vaart, because of an injury. However, the midfield of Tottenham still looked very strong in the presence of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and
Aaron Lennon. These midfield players were supplemented by two great forwards, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe. Therefore, as far as the teams were concerned, a great battle was expected with both teams having the credentials to produce a victory.
It was a very high tempo game as both teams kept on attacking from the very start of the match. However, only a few open chances were created by both sides but the keepers on each side were tested on a number of occasions. The
first goal came for Tottenham in the 17th minute with Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko on the score-sheet. It was Defoe’s pass that found the Russian roaming free in the box. The striker took an incredible first touch, taking two of the defenders
out of the equation, and hit a powerful shot with his left foot. The diving Petr Cech could not save the day and he was clearly beaten towards the near post.
Gareth Bale made some promising runs for his team but he could not come close to scoring. Tottenham should have doubled their lead, but Chelsea kept the tempo high for the game which was making it difficult for the hosts. In the
second half, Ancelotti brought Drogba in the game in place of Mikel. In the 70th
minute of the match, Drogba took a shot which was coming straight at Heurelho Gomes, the Tottenham goalkeeper. However, the keeper made a mess of the shot, which went out of his hands and into the goal.
Tottenham were denied two points because they were in control of the game
before the error of Gomes, who was really having a bad time. In the extra time of the match, Gomes made another error and fouled in the box, getting a yellow card and practically gifting a penalty to Chelsea in return. It was a great opportunity for
the Blues to take the lead and win the match as the normal playing time was already over. However, at this point, Gomes gathered all his nerves and saved the resulting penalty taken by Drogba.
In the end, both teams finished level on scores getting one point in the bag. This result will not help the cause of either of the two teams;
both really needed a victory. Now, Chelsea have dropped to fourth place in the table and Tottenham are in fifth place, while Manchester City has moved above in second place after their 3-1 drubbing of West Ham United.
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