On this day seven years ago, Tottenham Hotspur stormed to a famous victory against Chelsea in the League Cup final and, on Sunday, Chelsea will look for revenge when the two battle it out again.
Jonathan Woodgate was the unlikely hero that day after his extra-time header saw Spurs come from behind to beat the seemingly unstoppable Blues 2-1 as Tottenham earned their first trophy in nine years.
A lot has changed since 2008 – Woodgate can be found plying his trade in the Championship and Chelsea have won seven trophies to firmly establish themselves as one of Europe’s football powerhouses.
John Terry, Petr Cech, John Obi Mikel and Didier Drogba are the only Chelsea players remaining from the starting 11 that day. As for Tottenham Aaron Lennon, who is on loan at Everton, and Younès Kaboul are the only survivors from the Spurs team.
As for managers, Tottenham have had four managers since Juande Ramos led them to victory while Stamford Bridge has been somewhat of a managerial merry-go-round with eight managers since Avram Grant.
The Blues will be making their first appearance in the League Cup final since their 2008 defeat to Tottenham and the current Premier League leaders will be favourites as they were last time.
Spurs won’t mind the underdogs tag though; they relished it in 2008 and no doubt will again on Sunday where Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping for his first piece of silverware as Tottenham manager.
Pochettino, with the help of striker Harry Kane, has overseen a remarkable transformation in Tottenham’s form which has propelled the North London team to the cusp of a top-four place.
Jose Mourinho will be fully aware of the threat from the formidable Kane who scored twice in his team’s 5-3 thrashing of Chelsea on New Year’s Day which ended a winless run of 10 matches in the league and cup against the Blues.
Drogba scored Chelsea’s only goal in 2008 and, with his impressive Wembley goalscoring record, Mourinho may call upon the Ivorian veteran as he looks to win his third League Cup as Chelsea manager.
Feature image courtesy of Sky Sports, via Youtube, with thanks
