As Tottenham Hotspur bid farewell to the White Hart Lane with a fantastic 2-1 win over Manchester United, we take a look here at some of the most memorable games at the White Hart Lane in the last decade. Despite there having been some amazing results, I have managed to pick out five such games. Some games have been picked not because of the magnitude but because these results probably meant much more to Tottenham fans than battering of mid-table clubs.
1) Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Arsenal (2008)
Games against the arch-North-London rivals have always been intense regardless of the competition being played in and whenever Tottenham have done better, the fans have thoroughly enjoyed the bragging rights. Tottenham produced one such result in the North London derby in the Carling Cup semifinal on 22nd January 2008. Tottenham got ahead through Jermain Jenas while Bendtner extended Tottenham’s lead through an own goal. Robbie Keane piled more misery with an 18-yard shot to make it 3-0. Aaron Lennon sidefooted to add one more before Adebayor pulled one back for the Gunners, only for Malbranque to restore the lead to four goals.
2) Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic (2009)
On November 22, 2009, Tottenham humiliated Wigan with a 9-1 scoreline at the White Hart Lane. Peter Crouch opened the scoring for Tottenham, while Defoe doubled the lead from close range. Wigan pulled one back after which Tottenham pulverised the Wigan defence, scoring 7 more goals. Defoe scored 5 times in the game with a quick burst three in seven minutes, which was the third fastest hat-trick in the Premier League back then. Aaron Lennon was exceptional on the right flank and he also got on the score-sheet scoring the 5th goal for Tottenham. Kranjcar and Bentley scored a goal apiece adding two more in the final minutes of the game.
3) Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Inter Milan (2010)
On November 2, 2010, Tottenham produced a fantastic Champions League result with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan thanks to a Gareth Bale masterclass. Bale had scored a hat-trick at the San Siro and his performance was just as good at the Lane as he ran the Inter’s defence ragged with his power and pace. Despite such a good performance he failed to get on the score-sheet. Van Der Vaart opened the scoring for Tottenham in the 18th minute while Peter Crouch doubled the lead in the 61st minute. Eto’o pulled one back for Inter in the 80th minute but Pavlyuchenko restored the two-goal lead with a goal in the 89th minute which confirmed their promotion to the next round.
4) Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 Chelsea (2015)
Chelsea were stunned by Tottenham in their pursuit of the Premier League title on 1st January 2015 which they eventually managed to win. Chelsea went ahead early with a Deigo Costa tap in, only for Kane to level the proceedings with a 20-yard drive. Rose gave Tottenham the lead while Andros Townsend extended the lead from the spot after Kane was tripped by Gary Cahill. Spurs got the fourth one through Harry Kane. Chelsea were given some hope when Eden Hazard’s low strike found the back of the net but Nacer Chadli’s goal ensured that Terry’s late goal was only a consolation.
5) Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Arsenal (2017)
It’s perhaps altogether something else when Tottenham defeat their North London rivals and this victory was put on this list not for the magnitude of the victory but for what it indicated. On April 30th, 2017, Tottenham kept up their pursuit of the title with this particular victory despite Chelsea also managing all three points against Everton. This particular game perhaps was in indication of the power shift in the North London even if temporary and it also assured them a finish above Arsenal since 1995. After a tonne of chances in the first half which Tottenham failed to convert, Spurs scored two quick goals through Harry Kane and Dele Alli. The score could have been easily worse for Arsenal if not for Cech, who had an excellent day between the sticks.
