Match Report

Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea

Walker, Calderwood, Fox, Nielsen (Anderton, 60), Ferdinand, Carr, Ginola, Vega, Wilson, Scales (Allen, 71), Sinton (Edinburgh, 56).

Attendance
28,476

Referee
D J Gallagher

De Goey, Petrescu, Babayaro (Nicholls, 20), Leboeuf, Wise, Duberry, Le Saux, Di Matteo, Flo, Sinclair, Zola.

Subs not used: Baardsen, Mabbutt.

Subs not used: Hitchcock, Vialli, Hughes, Myers.

Booked:

Booked: Di Matteo.

Goal Scorer: Vega 43

Goal Scorer: Flo 40,63,90, Di Matteo 48, Petrescu 59, Nicholls 78

Skyscraper striker Tore Andre Flo was high on a hat-trick as six-hit Chelsea shattered Spurs and inflicted the heaviest home defeat on their London rivals for 62 years. The Norwegian, surprisingly preferred to Mark Hughes in the Chelsea attack, struck twice in the second half with his right foot after heading Ruud Gullit's team in front after 39 minutes. It was an advantage they had barely deserved after Dutch goalkeeper Ed De Goey defied Frenchman David Ginola at a time when Tottenham were well in command. And when Ramon Vega powered home a header for their equaliser just before the break it appeared that coach Christian Gross would celebrate his first home match in charge with a notable triumph against a Chelsea team labouring desperately to cling on to the coat tails of Premiership leaders Manchester United. But Spurs' defensive deficiencies were cruelly exposed in 17 minutes at the start of the second half when Chelsea rattled in three more goals through Roberto Di Matteo, Dan Petrescu and Flo - and Spurs just got rattled. Their fans, who had been taunted by Chelsea cries of ``There's only one Gerry Francis'' were heading for the exits by the time substitute Mark Nichols added the fifth for the Blues before Flo, looking suspiciously offside, completed his treble in the closing seconds.
The familiar sound of jeering and booing accompanied the final whistle as Spurs held their heads in shame on the long trudge up the tunnel. But the afternoon had started full of optimism for the home side, with keeper De Goey somehow sticking out an arm to knock away Ginola's fierce volley after only three minutes. Vega headed just over and Spurs were denied confident appeals for a penalty when Ruel Fox went down under a challenge by Celestine Babayaro. Chelsea's game had hardly got off the ground when De Goey again came to their rescue, turning another drive from Ginola over. It was a major surprise when Flo headed in at the near post from Gianfranco Zola's cross six minutes before the interval.
Spurs seemed to have repaired the damage when Vega climbed highest to head home Andy Sinton's freekick, after the midfielder had been bundled over by Frank Leboeuf. But Chelsea ran away with the match in the second half. Just three minutes after the interval Di Matteo caught the home defenders dozing with a late run to head in Petrescu's cross, after Zola held off three defenders, although he appeared to use a hand in the process. Spurs never recovered after that. Petrescu reacted quicker than both Vega and goalkeeper Ian Walker to glide home Leboeuf's long ball into the box. Then Zola, with a mercurial flick over John Scales, returned Flo's pass for the big striker to drive the ball into the net. Substitute Mark Nichols, who had replaced the injured Babayaro after only 14 minutes, was the next to benefit from Zola's magic. He collected his perfectly-weighted pass to slot home inside the near post. And Spurs fans were in deep despair by the time referee Dermot Gallagher allowed Flo to run on from a seemingly offside position to control another Leboeuf pass before completing his treble.

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