Sunday 9th September 2001, 2.00pm

FA PREMIERSHIP, WHITE HART LANE

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2 (Ziege 76, Davies 87)

Sullivan

Doherty

Bunjevcevic

King
Taricco

 
Ziege 1 (76)

Anderton (Leonhardsen 80)

Freund

Davies 1 (87)

Sheringham

Ferdinand

Subs not used: Keller, Perry, Rebrov, Etherington

SOUTHAMPTON 0

Jones; Delap, El-Khalej, Richards (Capt.), Bridge; Svensson (sub Draper, 71), Oakley, Tessem (sub Murray, 81), Pahars (sub Beattie, 71); Davies, Rosler

Referee:- A Wiley

Attendance:- 33,668

 

This was one of those nightmares

I had to book a holiday before the fixtures were announced. I knew the England – Germany game was on at the start of Sept and guessed. I got it wrong by a week, which meant that I was in Iceland while this match was on.

Sky and the rest of the TV companies are doing their best to ruin football for the supporters that go to matches, but on this occasion, their intrusion was very welcome as it allowed me to watch the game in the Sport Kaffi in Reykjavik town centre.

Animosity between Southampton and Spurs, mostly from them to us, had reached fever pitch, and the fact that Spurs only had two points from their first three matches made this a must win match for us.

I’ve no real gripe with the Southampton fans – they have every right to give us some stick after nicking Hoddle and what looks like Richards, but their chairman is an absolute tosspot, and this one was for him.

 

TOPSPURS outside the Sport Kaffi after the match

Spurs had one or two dodgy moments in the first half, but had the best of the play and were unlucky not to have taken the lead when Les smashed  a shot against the Saints crossbar.

Spurs took control of the match, albeit with good football interspersed with some periods of patchy play during the second half, but had to wait to the 76th minute when Ziege beat Delap to a through pass, advanced on the Paxton goal before hitting a beautiful shot with the outside of his left foot into the far corner.

A classic worthy of winning any match, but we made the game safe a couple of minutes from the end when Davies getting an outing for the suspended Poyet again got beyond Delap before hitting his shot beyond Jones into the same corner. Even at this early stage of his career, Davies has a great eye for goal and you don’t expect him to miss when he has a chance.

And that was that. The few hundred Southampton fans that bothered to show up were sent back to the south coast with their team’s third consecutive 2-0 defeat and the Spurs ship was steadied as we climbed into the top half of the table.

Sullivan (7/10)

Taricco (7/10)

Ziege (7/10)

Doherty (6/10)

Bunjevcevic (7/10)

King (6/10)

Anderton (7/10)

Freund (6/10)

Davies (6/10)

Sheringham (7/10)

Ferdinand (6/10)

Subs:

Leonhardsen (6/10)

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