Published: 14 May, 2012
by DAN CARRIER
Premier League
Spurs 2, Fulham 0

HARRY Redknapp will be flying to Germany next week to back Bayern Munich in the Champions League final against Chelsea, after Spurs ended the season in fourth spot.

Only a Bayern win would then guarantee his Spurs team a place in next term’s premier European cup competition.

Speaking after the game, Redknapp said he had booked himself a ticket.

“I’ll be going to the final and roaring on Bayern,” he said.

“I would have loved to have finished third, but I can’t really ask for more from my players. They have given it everything.”

He praised his team, saying the strength of the Premier League today made the fourth-place finish even better than qualification two years ago.

“If you look at the quality of the teams we’re playing against, finishing fourth is some achievement.”

His on-loan hitman Emmanuel Adebayor opened the scoring in the first minute when van der Vaart picked him out in space on the left and the striker tucked his finish home neatly.

Spurs looked so lively from the off and poor Fulham were faced with a cacophony off the pitch and a maelstrom on it, with Sandro and Jake Livermore in the middle of the pitch Fulham were never allowed to settle.

Livermore, Modric, van der Vaart and Bale all had chances in the opening 20 minutes, and with Adebayor in one of those moods which makes it reasonable for him to have Real Madrid on his CV, Spurs had the cut and thrust that they have not always shown in the spring.

They never looked likely to concede, though John Arne Riise had an effort blocked on 38.

The second half saw Spurs play keep-ball for much of the time, and though they did survive a scare on 58 when Demebele skimmed a post, it always felt like if push came to shove the players could take it up a notch.

An inspired switch by Redknapp saw Jermain Defoe replace Rafa van der Vaart, and within three minutes make it 2-0 with a classic striker’s goal.

And so it remained. Spurs did what they needed to, but while it was all in their hands even with two games to go, they couldn’t get their noses over the line. Instead, they will be relying on Bayern Munich doing them a favour against Chelsea in the Champions League final in a way West Brom couldn’t against Arsenal.

Player ratings

Friedel, 7: Had little to do for long periods but two marvellous saves in each half showed him at his best.
Bale, 7: Played in defence but still powered forward regularly.
Kaboul, 7: Strong as ever, but hobbled off halfway through the second half. His toddler won the fans over with the nipper’s enthusiasm at being on the pitch when the fans did a lap of honour.
Lennon, 7: Bright and dangerous.
Adebayor, 8: Really set the tone with some battling, and scored a great opener.
Van der Vaart, 7: Classy as ever. Sub: Defoe
Gallas, 8: Rock solid.
Modric, 8: Knitted things together. How he will be missed if Spurs can’t put off the mega-bucks that will surely be offered for him.
Walker, 7: A worrying ankle knock saw him later hobbling around on crutches. Sub: Nelsen
Livermore, 7: An all-action display, he has made himself a first-team player this year.
Sandro, 7: Did all that was expected – great tackling and his passing today was also incisive and neat.

Eyewitness: Dan Carrier reflects on the games that got away

WHAT a strange experience it is to have one ear on the radio reporters behind you in the press box, hoping for goals elsewhere to go your way, as well as keeping half an eye on the action on the pitch.

At first it was gloom, as Arsenal went a goal up, and then, wow, we heard they were losing. But there was a sense that having handed Arsenal third place on a plate, it was all too much to ask for that they’d do a Spurs and throw it all away. 

This was a season that was always going to feel slightly disappointing as, for a few brief week,s I genuinely felt I was supporting the best team in the country, and let’s face it, I can’t say that’s been a regular occurrence in all the years I’ve followed Tottenham.

It’s been a mixture of muck-ups in games we should have won at a canter, and then big dollops of bad luck – not just with the “Harry for England” debacle that clearly unsettled the team, but also the half an inch between Jermain Defoe’s toe and the ball when we could have won it at Eastlands. 

Then there were those frustrating draws. Swansea away (three minutes from victory), Stoke at home (1-1 despite dominating) the draw against Wolves when Adebayor had a good goal disallowed, the 0-0 at Chelsea when we deserved the three points, Sunderland away 0-0 when we thrashed them possession wise. 

Might-haves, should’ve-beens, if-onlys. Heartbreaking, but also the reason we’re football fans.