Spurs vs. Twente - Champions League Game 2

Rafael van der Vaart accomplished about as much as any player could in 60 minutes of action. His last 15 minutes were particularly eventful. He went from low, to lower, to high, to "I can't believe I just picked up my second yellow card this early in the second half."
Van der Vaart started the match on the right side of the midfield in place of the ineffective Aaron Lennon. While more accustomed to playing in the center of the field, the combination of van der Vaart and Bale on the wings proved to be incredibly effective, and at this point, gives Spurs the best chance to win. Both van der Vaart and Bale dominated the first half with their play.
While Spurs controlled almost 60 percent of the possession in the first half, they weren't able to create a scoring opportunity for the majority of the first 45 minutes.
It wasn't until the 40th minute when Peter Crouch was tackled to the ground by Peter Wisgerhof in the box. Fresh off a yellow card for delaying the penalty kick, Twente goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov made a brilliant diving save to deny van der Vaart.
The missed opportunity was a major blow for the home side that fought off an early game surge from Twente to take control of the first half, but still headed to the locker room with a scoreless draw.
Determined to make up for his miss, van der Vaart gave Spurs the lead less than two minutes into the second half.
Spurs would double their lead shortly after when Roman Pavlyuchenko put home a penalty kick given after Bale was tackled inside the box.
Normally a 2-0 lead seems comfortable, but that was far from the case in this match. Substitute Nacer Chadli cut the lead in half shortly after Pavyluchenko's goal after a surprising series of offensive surges from Twente. Minutes later, van der Vaart was sent off after picking up his second yellow.
With an extra man and down only a goal, it seemed like the momentum was starting to swing in the visitor's favor. But Spurs were able to hold it together. Faced with the disadvantage, they took care of the ball better and made crisper passes.
They were so crisp, they scored two shorthanded goals. Pavyluchenko scored his second penalty kick of the game, awarded for a controversial handball, and Bale made a fantastic run to put the game out of reach in the 85th minute.
Wednesday's match also marked the return of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. His impact was felt immediately, as he made a brilliant one handed save while running forward. The save came early in the first half. Had he allowed a goal, it could have changed the dynamic of the match.
With the win, Tottenham joined Inter Milan atop Group A with four points each. They will face an uphill challenge when they meet Inter on the road without van der Vaart a month from now.
Regardless, starting group play with four points, Spurs have put themselves in an excellent position to advance to the knockout stages. 

EPL Week 5 - Spurs vs. Wolves

Friday afternoon, I was sitting in the car waiting to pick up my girlfriend from work. I was parked in a restaurant lot. A blue minivan pulled up and parked in the spot in front and to the left of me. The side door flew open and out jumped an 8-10 year old kid wearing a Spurs jersey.
I got excited in the same way I used to when I saw someone wearing a Bears or Cubs hat in Wisconsin. This marks the first time I'd ever seen someone wearing Tottenham gear.
I wanted to yell to the kid, "Hey little man! Love the shirt. Go Spurs!"
I thought twice about trying to get his attention though. If I know anything about suburban parents, it's that they don't appreciate you calling out to their kid if:
A) They don't know you.
B) You're more than 2 years older than their child.
C) You call their child "Little Man."
D) You're blasting some ignorant rap music and wearing oversized sunglasses, sitting in the same parking spot for the past 15 minutes.
Needless to say, I didn't complement the kid on his jersey. But I did think it was a good omen for Saturday's match. Why did I think it was a good omen? I suppose I don't have a good reason for that.
Spurs were trying to avoid the same Champions League hangover that plagued them in their 1-0 home loss to Wigan two weeks ago. They were also looking for their first home goal and win, if that wasn't enough.
Wolves have acquired the reputation as a dirty team to start the season. They earned three yellows in this game as they aggressively pursued the ball the entire first half. Their defensive tenacity gave Spurs fits and started to frustrate them as they weren't able to push a goal across despite dominating the time of possession.
In typical Spurs fashion, they gave up a late first half goal to Steven Fletcher, nullifying their hard work in the first half.
From that point on, it seemed to be a reincarnation of the Wigan loss. Spurs were held goalless up until the 76th minute when Stephen Ward took down replacement Alan Hutton inside the box. Van der Vaart calmly struck the penalty into the lower left hand side of the net to tie the game.
Pavlyuchenko, another Spurs substitute, came up with the rebound from a Huddlestone shot and scored in the 87th minute. To celebrate, Pavlyuchenko took off his shirt, placed it on the corner flag and held it in the air. Hands down one of the best celebrations I've ever seen, on par with anything TO or Ochocinco has done. In the NFL, that would have been a 15 yard penalty and 50 thousand dollar fine. In the EPL, a yellow card.
Spurs would add one more goal when Hutton cut through two surprised defenders and lofted the ball over goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann to put the game out of reach.
Each player's goal was their first this year during Premier League play.
Next up is the Carling Cup showdown with Arsenal at White Hart Lane. I like to think that I can officially hate Arsenal after this match. Should be a good one. I can't wait to witness the atmosphere. That is, if the online steam cooperates.