Wembley battle too close to call
Tottenham Hotspur fans could be excused for putting their faith in the old mantra “what goes around comes around” as tomorrow’s seismic FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea looms.
Years of misery have been infl icted by a club they once lorded it over so victory at Wembley would not only heal some of the scars but also fuel belief that the Premier League title race could yet have a final twist.
While a win would put Tottenham in their first FA Cup final since they beat Nottingham Forest in 1991 – possibly against north London rivals Arsenal who play Manchester City on Sunday – it could have wider ramifications for the final weeks of the season.
In the space of a few weeks Spurs have whittled leaders Chelsea’s advantage down from 13 to four points thanks to their own dazzling form and defeats by Crystal Palace and Manchester United for Antonio Conte’s side.
The cracks that have appeared in Chelsea’s facade could open wider should they lose to a rampant Spurs side who have won seven successive league games.
Conversely, should Chelsea prevail it would surely give them the impetus to claim the Premier League and FA Cup double.
“For us it’s a great opportunity to go into a final,” Chelsea defender Gary Cahill said. “Two very good sides up against each other.”
The last of Chelsea’s seven FA Cup wins came in 2012 when they met Tottenham in the semifinal.
Spurs were crushed 5-1 with the aid of a disputed second goal scored by Juan Mata.
A few weeks later Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham side saw a Champions League place ripped from under their noses when Chelsea beat Bayern Munich away to win the competition.
Tottenham had finished fourth to Chelsea’s sixth in the Premier League and ordinarily would have qualified for the Champions League. Instead Chelsea did as winners and Spurs dropped into the Europa League. –