PREMIERSHIP REVIEWS 2
Oh dear Glenn! There Spurs were, cruising 2-0 ahead and steaming back to the top of the Premier League table when the wheels fell off. Someone needs to remind the title aspirants from WHL that the game is not over until the final whistle.
Fulham saw that Spurs had taken their collective feet off the pedal, sensed they were there for the taking and did exactly that with a stunning fight back which saw them score the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Tottenham scored twice in the first half, through a Dean Richards header, from a 36th minute corner, then, two minutes from the interval it was 2-0 when Teddy Sherringham finished off a great move between Etherington and Ferdinand to fire home a sweet left foot drive into the corner of the net.
It looked odds on that Spurs would return to the top of the table but, as those at OT and Highbury will testify, league championship sides are not built overnight and Hoddles side were given a lesson in stamina.
Junicho Inamoto began the fight back, after 68 minutes, when the Japanese international pounced on a hasty Chris Perry clearance to blast home his fifth goal of the season. Steve Finnan was unlucky not to equalise but his effort hit the bar as the 'home side stepped up the pressure, late in the second half.
Six minutes from time Steed Malbranque converted a controversial penalty as Fulham went for the jugular and with five minutes of stoppage time on the clock Sylvain Legwinski ran clear to snatch a dramatic winning goal, leaving Hoddle with head in hands and forced to concede: "The most alarming thing is that although we conceded three goals, it could have been five. Thats how poor we were in the second half.
"It was a kick in the teeth. There are harsh lessons to be learned and we must learn them. There are no excuses, our second-half performance was just not good enough. We needed to show more defensive resilience and quality. If we are going to achieve things, thats something which has to happen.'
Blackburn Rovers 2 Chelsea 3
Whisper it quietly BUT this might just be the result that convinces Chelseas foreign legion that they could have an impact on this seasons championship race.
It was not so much the fact that the visitors claimed the three points but more the way in which they did so. Twice Chelsea fought back from behind and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of Rovers who could only stand in wonderment as the wizardry of Gianfranco Zola carved out the winner ten minutes from time.
The game started well for Blackburn and they took the lead after just eight minutes when David Dunn converted a penalty after Lucas Neill was fouled, in the box, according to referee Mike Riley. Outside according to Celestine Babayaro.
Rovers led for half an hour, without adding to that lead and it proved costly, seven minutes from half time, when Jesper Gronkjaer equalised after a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink cross.
David Thompson, on his debut after being rescued from Coventry City, restored Blackburns lead, with a typical 25-yard effort, in first half stoppage time, to underline an impressive start to his Ewood Park career.
Seven minutes into the second half Zola pulled another equaliser from the hat with a header from a Mario Stanic cross, after good work by Hasselbaink. A draw looked the more likely result as the game drifted towards the last ten minutes but Zola had other ideas.
The impish Italian curved a brilliant winner, with a trademark 25-yarder, past Brad Friedel from the corner of the box and a fresh belief descended on Stamford Bridge. Little wonder Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri went into raptures about Zola afterwards, saying: "He is 'Gianfranco the Younger. He has a mentality, a passion and a heart for the game, he wants to play well.
"He has got a good feeling with the crowd and when he arrived for pre-season, he had already had a 'pre-season at home. He arrived ready to play. His second goal was a great finish, but all my players believed this victory was possible. When we were 2-1 down at half-time in the dressing room the guys all believed in the possibility of victory.'Rovers boss Graeme Souness said: "To concede three goals at home is not what we want. The second goal was like Fred Karnos circus - the defence went to sleep because they thought the ball was going out of play."As for the winner, when Gianfranco Zola goes back home to live in Italy, whenever he is remembered it will be for scoring goals like that which he has done on so many occasions. If hes on the edge of the box hes always looking to move the ball onto his right-foot and curl it in, thats his trademark, and you have to keep him on his left.'He added: "At Middlesbrough we felt we should have got three points and came away with nothing and tonight its hard to have come away with nothing again.'
