All the Luck of the Lane

“Lucky Arsenal” was what they used to chant. Not any more. That particular taunt has shot off up the Seven Sisters Road to find a new and more appropriate home in another part of north London - White Hart Lane.

If you doubt that for a moment, ask Blackburn Rovers. Mark Hughes’ team, so often pilloried for what most charitably has been called their ‘over-physical’ approach, dominated Spurs to an extent that was, for the home fans at least, deeply embarrassing – and are probably still wondering how they came to lose the game 3-2.

So how lucky were Spurs? To begin with they took the lead in the 8th minute when Robbie Keane received the ball from a throw-in, beat two Blackburn defenders brilliantly and scored from close range. But it shouldn’t have happened. Replays showed clearly that the ball went out of play off Mido, so the throw ought to have been awarded to Blackburn. Put the linesman (sorry, referee’s assistant) down for an assist.

Undaunted, Blackburn took the lion’s share of possession and played the better football, only for Sinama-Pongolle to somehow miss from 3 feet on 32 minutes when it would have been easier to score. Then five minutes before half-time, an undistinguished Mido free kick was parried by Friedel straight into the path of Keane. 2-0.

Within three minutes, Rovers had produced the perfect response, when a flashing Bellamy cross was powered past Robinson by the diving Sinama-Pongolle, and on the stroke of half-time, David Bentley squandered a good chance to level the game from a central position on the edge of the box.

In the second half Spurs were luckier still, as they somehow withstood wave after wave of attacks from a Blackburn side that was enjoying almost 70% possession. Bentley produced a stunning shot from over 30 yards that was flying towards the top corner, only to be denied by the brilliance of Robinson, then on 66 minutes Sinama-Pongolle crossed for Bellamy to produce an overdue equaliser and set the game up for Blackburn to grab the winner.

But remarkably, somehow Spurs’ luck held out. On a rare forward excursion, Lennon crossed for Mido to bundle the ball in from close range and despite Blackburn’s pressure in the last 20 minutes, including a Gray header that clipped the top of the bar, the home side held out for a most improbable and totally undeserved victory.

As for Blackburn, having played with courage, confidence and conviction to produce their best football of the season, they must have been devastated.