Birth Date: October 7 1982
Birth Place: Beckton, EastLondon
Birth Nation: England
Height: 171cm
Weight: 66Kg
Nationality: British
Position: Forward
Jermaine Defoe Rumours and Transfers
11 08 2007
The game looked set to end in a scoreless draw, however a 93rd minute strike from substitute Michael Chopra gave Naill Quinn, Roy Keane and Sunderland a fabulous triumph at the Stadium of light.
Sunderland missed several of their chances to win a closely contested tie, however it was almost destined to be a perfect starting for them, and a nightmarish one for Martin Jol's Tottenham, who looked very uninspired to say the least.
It would not were more dramatic either. Michael Chopra, who had come on with fifteen minutes left on the clock, scored with virtually the final touch of the game to send the Stadium of Light into delirium.
The early exchanges were pretty even as both sides looked to settle into the game. Sunderland can be forgiven for being the more anxious of the 2 sides, that came through when Kieran Richardson sent a corner from one flag to the other.
Spurs soon had a corner of their own, however Berbatov was penalised for jumping over the back of Paul McShane. Jermaine Jenas then had a go from 25 yards out after Berbatov had poked the ball back into his path, however dragged it well wide.
The 1st half chance of the game came in the 15th minute, when Steed Malbranque curled one into the box from open play. Berbatov was several inches from heading it in, and Robbie Keane half a yard from having a poke at the far post.
Gradually, Martin Jol's boys started settling into their own passing rhythm, and that saw a spell of domination. However, there is not much real danger in the final 3rd, with debutant Craig Gordon not having had to make a save.
The Black Cats had a lot to cheer about themselves, with Zokora and Jenas being forced away from the ball several times thanks to some good work from the Sunderland midfield. Richardon's 2nd corner brought about a sequence of headers in and around the Spurs box, however Jol's defenders in the end got the ball away from danger.
Tottenham regained their composure and Robbie Keane forced Gordon into the 1st save of the match only before the half hour mark. That was followed by another spell of load from the North London club, with Sunderland only about hanging in there for a good 5 or 7 minutes.
Dig in Roy Keane's boys did, and were rewarded with the best chance of the 1st half, with Daryl Murphy being denied by Paul Robinson (he could have pulled the trigger earlier).
That set up an absolutely fabulous final 7 minutes of the half, with both teams having a go. The Black Cats had the better of the exchanges, Dickson Etuhu heading wide following a good left wing cross from Ross Wallace.
Paul McShane had kept Dimitar Berbatov on a very short leash, whilst Dean Whitehead made his impression on the midfield, and Ross Wallace and Carlos Edwards both having done well as Sunderland almost looked the better team as the half ended. With some clinical finishing, they would well have had a shock lead. However, Roy Keane will still be happy with a solid 1st 45 minutes of the season, one that made so lots of promises.
For Tottenham, Steed Malbranque and Pascal Chimbonda looked good, however Jol had some half time talk on his hands.
The visitors expectedly came out stronger after the break, with Robbie Keane in particular looking charged up. A few neat passes and a header that found nobody at the far post to tap in, sent all the right signals, and when they won a free kick right on the edge of the box, one sensed something. Berbatov got it over the wall, however not back down again.
Martin Jol decided to add some more bite to the attack, and brought on Darren Bent, the 16 million signing from Charlton. However, Sunderland continued to hold their own, and enjoy their share of the half chances as Kieran Richardson started to show some of his abilities. Both sides were giving the ball away a little too much, however Sunderland were clearly the better.
Bent's pace was proving useful for Spurs on the break, though, as his push to run behind defenders was leaving more spaces open for Keane and Berbatov to operate in. Yet, their 1st Premier League goal of the season was proving elusive.
It became clear that Jenas and Zokora were struggling, which meant that Spurs were only winning the ball and kicking it to Bent in the other half in hope of something happening.
Roy Keane sensed the dominaton and brought on Michael Chopra for Anthony Stokes, however little changed in terms of clear chances.
Martin Jol had also seen enough of Berbatov, and decided to bring on Jermaine Defoe. The Bulgarian was not too impressed, and gestured with his hands before dragging himself off with much effort. It became very clear at that moment that Jol could have a tough time keeping 4 top forwards happy.
Coming back to the game, Spurs now threw everything forward as the game went into its final fifteen minutes.
It was getting tense as the game headed into the final minutes, and it was Sunderland who had the best chance of the match with hardly a minute remaining on the clock. However, there is never enough pace on the ball as it hit Etuhu's leg 4 yards out (rather than the player hitting it), giving Robinson only enough time to make a diving save. That should were 1-0 for Sunderland, and a triumph that would certainly not have flattered them.
Time was running out. The 3 minutes of injury time seemed to be failing to produce the 1st Premier League goal of the season, however that was until Michael Chopra latched onto a through ball and beat Robinson in the final move of the match, making Roy Keane jump with delight, and the tall Naill Quinn jump even higher.
A perfect start for Sunderland, a nightmare for Tottenham. You cannot put a ceiling on the amount of confidence the Black Cats will take from this. They will have good reason to think they belong in the Premier League. As for Tottenham, games like these must be won in order to challenge for a top 4 finish,
