There was hardly a breath of optimism ahead of this match. Going to White Hart Lane is almost considered as tough as playing a top four side and, coupled with Stoke's dreadful record at Spurs, not many people saw the Potters getting anything from their trip to London.

Tony Pulis made one change to the side that beat West Ham, with Robert Huth's suspension allowing Andy Wilkinson to slot back into the side. However, about 40 minutes before kick off, Thomas Sorensen jogged off the pitch to be ill and Steve Simonsen was given the nod to start the game.

Spurs opted for a front pair of Peter Crouch and Robbie Keane, while Jonathan Woodgate made his first appearance of the season in the centre of defence.

The day was meant to be Tottenham's. Minutes before kick off the whole ground erupted into a remarkable buzz of applause as a video of Spurs' greatest ever manager, Bill Nicholson, was shown on the big screen. This week marks the fifth anniversary of his death. 

The other anniversary saw Tottenham's current manager, Harry Redknapp, celebrate a year in the hotseat. It was time for Stoke to upset the party.

It didn't take long for the Potters to get into their stride. Matthew Etherington picked up the ball on the left wing and delivered a tremendous ball to the far post. With James Beattie lurking, Woodgate flung himself at the ball to superbly divert it away for a corner. 

The England centre half injured himself in the process, and his season debut came to a premature end after just thirteen minutes, being replaced by Michael Dawson.

That was the closest Stoke were to come in the first half. Beattie was called upon in his own box, somehow raising his foot above his head to clear Crouch's header off the line. 

Simonsen had to be at full stretch to palm away Crouch's header for a corner, while Niko Kranjcar smacked the post from twenty yards. It was fair to say that the Stoke goal was living a charmed life.

Simonsen keeps out Crouch's header

As we all know in football though, you need to score when you are on top. The catalogue of misses from the Tottenham line-up must have been frustrating the home support, but they would have been gripped by Aaron Lennon's electric performance.

Hugging the right touchline, he skipped past Danny Collins on numerous occassions, and the former Sunderland full back must have been dizzy as he tucked into his half time orange.

The orange clearly sorted Collins, as he snuffed out Lennon's dazzling pace and skill in the second half. Keane's sharp turn and shot forced Simonsen into a brilliant one handed save, before Whitehead cleared the ball from under his own crossbar.

The Stoke troops were performing like lions, with Salif Diao popping up in all the right areas- getting his foot in when others would have failed miserably.

Spurs' next chance fell to Crouch who saw his towering header half cleared by Beattie, before Vedran Corluka could only put the rebound into Simonsen's midriff.

As time marched on, the home side were becoming more reliant on Crouch's height, and the introduction of Tuncay- making his first appearance away from home for Stoke- gave the Potters an added dimension.

His class shone, and a touch more composure might have seen him bury Etherington's pull back. 

Perhaps the biggest moment in the match came fifteen minutes from the end. Glenn Whelan, who was playing in an unfamiliar right wing role, was booked for a tackle on Lennon. The England winger fell awkwardly on his ankle and was forced to limp off. Having made all three subsitutions, Tottenham were forced to play the remainder of the match with ten men.

Stoke took advantage. Ricardo Fuller picked up the ball on the right touchline from Diao and trotted towards the corner flag. After keeping the ball for twenty yards, he turned towards goal, skinning Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the process.

The left back pulled back the Jamaican striker, but the referee played an intelligent advantage. Fuller passed the ball to Whelan who, from fifteen yards, curled a first time shot beyong Gomes and into the back of the net.

It sent the travelling 1800 Stokies into absolute ecstacy. A mass of bodies hugged each other as the players celebrated in a similar style. With just four minutes of time remaining, surely this was the goal to seal Stoke's finest hour away from home in the Premier League.

There was still time for Kranjcar to fall in the box underneath Diao's outstretched boot but no penalty was given. This was Stoke's day and, as Delilah rung around an empty White Hart Lane, it was clear that the journey back to the Potteries would be joyous. 

POTTERSNET RATINGS:

Steve Simonsen- 9. Called in at the last minute, and put in a very impressive display to thwart Crouch and co.
Andy Wilkinson- 8. Great return to action from the thunderous right back.
Ryan Shawcross- 8. Another top display, this time infront of the watching Fabio Capello.
Abdoulaye Faye- 8. Looking more like his former self.
Danny Collins- 7. Improved in the second half after giving Lennon too much room.
Rory Delap- 6. A quiet display from the throw-in King.
Salif Diao- 9 **MAN OF THE MATCH**. Heroic performance for the third match in a row.
Dean Whitehead- 8. Didn't do much wrong all afternoon.
Matthew Etherington- 8. The signing of Tuncay appears to have given the winger a much needed kick up the backside.
Ricardo Fuller- 7. Didn't do much, but set up the winner magnificently.
James Beattie- 6. Kept giving the ball away in the second half.

Substitutes.

Glenn Whelan (replaced Delap, 57)- 8. Clattered Lennon and scored the winner. Need I say more?!
Tuncay Sanli (replaced Beattie, 70)- 8. Looked very good when he came on, and added a classy dimension to Stoke's play.
Danny Higginbotham (replaced Fuller, 89)- 6. Time wasting substitution.

Unused Subs: Cort, Lawrence, Pugh, Kitson.

Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Corluka, Bassong, Woodgate (Dawson, 14), Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone (Jenas, 71), Kranjcar, Crouch, Keane (Pavlyuchenko, 63).

Unused Subs: Cudicini, Hutton, Bale, Naughton.

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