Glenn Whelan’s fine late strike earned Tony Pulis’s Stoke a memorable victory against high flying Spurs at White Hart Lane yesterday. The substitute’s powerful effort four minutes from time completed what many are calling a classic ”smash and grab raid” on the North London club, and was enough to guide the Potters to a first top flight victory in the capital since 1981, and a first league win away to Spurs since seven years before that. The hosts had bossed the game but Stoke, inspired by stand-in goalkeeper Steve Simonsen’s heroic performance, defended superbly, and, after an injury to Aaron Lennon meant Tottenham were forced to play the last fifteen minutes with ten men, manager Harry Redknapp having already made his available three substitutions, capitalised on their numerical advantage to record an unlikely triumph.

Stoke were without regular right back Robert Huth, with the German suspended after lashing out at Matthew Upson during last week’s victory over West Ham, so the tenacious Stoke fan Andy Wilkinson returned in the position from which he excelled last year, with Ryan Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye and Danny Collins completing Pulis’s defence. Behind them played Simonsen, who learned of his involvement just twenty minutes before kick-off, with Danish number one Thomas Sorensen, who is suffering with flu, being ruled out of contention after falling ill during the warm-up. Matthew Eterington, Dean Whitehead, Salif Diao and Rory Delap made up a now familiar midfield, while James Beattie was rewarded for his two goals against the Hammers with a start alongside Ricardo Fuller. Turkish forward Tuncay once again had to settle for a place on the bench which, in Sorensen’s absence, featured no goalkeeper.

On the first anniversary of assuming control over Tottenham after leaving Portsmouth, Redknapp was without top scorer Jermain Defoe, the striker having been sent off against Pompey last Saturday, so England forward Peter Crouch was handed a rare league start alongside Robbie Keane. After recovering from two operations on his groin, centre back Jonathan Woodgate was fit enough to start his first game of this season which, like so many before it for him, looks set to be blighted by injury, while the eccentric Brazilian Heurelho Gomes was preferred in goal to Carlo Cudicini.

In was the Potters who were first to threaten, with only some excellent defending from Woodgate preventing Beattie, who was actually standing marginally offside, connecting with Etherington’s powerful cross six yards out in just the third minute. Gomes was left stranded as the ball was deflected across goal towards Beattie, who looked set for an easy finish, but Woodgate intervened magnificently, diving across to nick the ball away from the Stoke man with his head and, receiving a heavy blow to it for his troubles. He’d never recover, and was withdrawn ten minutes later suffering from concussion. With England manager Fabio Capello watching on, Woodgate will be bitterly disappointed that he did not have more of a chance to play himself into the Italian’s thoughts ahead of next summer’s World Cup, but from this brief showing, he possesses the commitment and quality necessary to merit a place on the plane to South Africa.

This early scare for the hosts was by no means a sign of things to come, as they soon began to dominate going forward, with Simonsen having to be on his toes to beat the looming Crouch to a high ball, before making the first of many fine saves from the striker. Using his 6′7” frame to easily climb above the Stoke rearguard, he headed a left wing cross across Simonsen’s goal. The ‘keeper reacted well, scampering to his right and stretching to claw the ball away from danger.

Simonsen then saved well from Lennon, but it was Beattie who kept the scores level the one time Simonsen was beaten 25 minutes in. Crouch’s looping header flew past the former Everton ‘keeper, and, with the ball heading for the top corner the Sours fans behind the goal for on their feet celebrating. Enter Beattie; backtracking superbly, he acrobatically forced his foot as high as his head to hook the ball backwards off the line, Tottenham having been mere inches from finding a reward for their pressure.

This pressure showed no sign of letting up, with Niko Kranjčar’s thundering long range effort seconds later bouncing back off the post. This was surely a lucky break for Stoke and it was this luck, coupled with moments of defensive brilliance that allowed Pulis’s side to leave the pitch at half time still level.

There was more back to the wall defending from the Potters in the early stages of the second half, but far from desperate, this was committed and effective. Timely intervention from both Shawcross and Whitehead just three minutes in keep the scoresheet blank, as they narrowly managed to dive in to clear the danger after Keane’s powerful shot was only parried by Simonsen straight into the path of Crouch.

Beattie was at the thick of his side’s defensive efforts again on the hour mark, a combination of the striker and Simonsen bundling Crouch’s header off of the line, with the ‘keeper gratefully gathering in Vedran Ćorluka’s tame effort from the rebound.

With Whelan introduced for the tiring Delap, and Tuncay for Beattie, Stoke, however, began to find a foothold in the game. Diao, who had gone close from range in the first half, tried his luck again with a twenty yard volley that drifted narrowly wide, and Beattie, having been picked out by Etherington at the back post wasted a good headed opportunity, complaining that illegal pressure from Spurs’s Benoit Assou-Ekotto had forced him off balance. Referee Lee Probert was unmoved though, waving away his claims for a penalty.

With fifteen minutes to play, Whelan, who had added an extra dimension to the Stoke midfield, pinned Lennon back on the right wing, and, spurred on by the rousing shouts of the increasingly hopeful travelling Stoke fans, leapt into a tackle from behind on him. Collapsing in a heap before crawling to the sideline for treatment, it was clear that Lennon was in pain and, clearly thinking about his future for club and country, was seen to tell Redknapp that he could not continue. Spurs having introduced Jermaine Jenas, their third and final substitute, five minutes before, they had no choice but to attempt to see out the match a man light.

This seemed to spark a sea change in the Stoke players. A draw would be a fantastic result, but suddenly they seemed up for going for the three, and when Tuncay shot marginally wide after a good move with ten minutes to play, hope sprung eternal. These hopes were realised with just four minutes left on the clock. Fuller, who had been about to be replaced by Danny Pugh, embarked upon a trademark powerful run down the right wing, and, turning Assou-Ekotto sharply, he fed Whelan sixteen yards out. With the ball rolling towards him, Whelan struck it beautifully, sending it curling away from the despondent Gomes and nestling delightfully in the far side of his goal after crashing in off his right hand post.

The lateness of this goal added to its already huge significance. With just four minutes of normal time, and then the five additional minutes indicated by Probert left to play, there was little chance for Spurs to pour forward, or indeed, for Stoke to sit back. As the Potters held on stoutly, there was one major talking point, Kranjčar hitting the ground in the area under a challenge from Diao. Whether the veteran Senegalese international, enjoying the best form of his Stoke career, made any contact with the ball is questionable, but, unconvinced by the theatrical was the Spurs winger fell, Probert allowed play to continue.

The final whistle duly came, with the Stoke players jubilantly congratulating each other on what must go down as our best Premier League away day to date, before running the full length of the pitch to celebrate with their delirious fans. Their Spurs counterparts looked shellshocked, wandering slowly to the dressing room, disbelieving that they lost the game, and missed the chance to move level on points with the then league leaders Manchester United.

Stoke remain ninth after the win, but move level on points with Liverpool and, with Premier League matches coming up against struggling duo Wolves and Hull, after the League Cup trip to Portsmouth in midweek, could, on this form, be climbing the table further very soon. 

Stoke Side:

From The Horse’s Mouth:

Stoke manager Tony Pulis:
“It was probably our best result because we were playing against a top, top side. They have all the ammo you need to win games and they will still probably have a great season. For this football club, we have to be in the Premier League for three years before we push on. We are still living in portacabins at the training ground.”

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp:
(On Aaron Lennon’s decision not to play on, leaving his side with just ten men): ”I hoped he could stay on but he couldn’t. I told him we’d only have 10 men and could he play on, but he said his ankle was too sore. I don’t want to cause an issue. It’s not about England, he’s got big games coming up for Tottenham.”

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