2002 semi-final heroes recall a night to remember - 20 years on

Spurs fans needing inspiration ahead of our Carabao Cup semi-final, second leg against Chelsea on Wednesday evening can turn the clock back 20 years and start to dream...

On 23 January, 2002, we took on the Blues at exactly the same point of the competition. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg of the semi-final at Stamford Bridge, we turned the tie around with one of those famous 'glory, glory' nights at the Lane, winning 5-1 to take our place in the final.

With the second leg this time around quickly approaching, and with us 2-0 down from the first leg, we spoke to some of the players who made it happen 20 years ago, not only overturning the semi-final, but overturning history - the spectacular 5-1 victory ended a run of 27 matches without a win against Chelsea.

And ahead of our second leg, here are some positive words from Teddy Sheringham, skipper and goalscorer that night 20 years ago...

“The vibe in a football match can change very quickly, from one leg to another, from one half to another," he said. "We just need to get out there and give it everything, get ourselves back in the game and go from there. But also, there’s no need to panic. If it’s late in the game and we’re still in it, then we’ve still got a chance because as I said, football changes quickly. Good luck to the guys. Hopefully we’ll put in a big performance and create another memorable night.”

Here's what the class of 2002 had to say, 20 years on...

Teddy Sheringham

Captain, scored on the night - 277 appearances/124 goals, 1992-2003

"We were right up for it. There was always a lot of friction in those games, as there still is now. We hated losing to them, loved beating them, so when we beat them so convincingly that night, it was certainly one of the highlights of my career. We got off to a flying start, Steffen Iversen giving us an early lead, then Tim Sherwood scored from a corner. It was the set-piece routine which Shaggy (Darren Anderton) and I used to do, we’d worked on it in training but I said to Tim to make sure he was in behind me because if they knew what we were doing and tried to block me off, I’ll leave the ball and it will come through to you. That’s exactly what happened and he hit a great strike and we were on our way. I scored the third with a lovely volley and we just pushed on from there, scored twice more and achieved a great result. It was just a fantastic performance and one I look back on with real fondness because it was a semi-final against Chelsea and the atmosphere was amazing that night. They beat us enough times so it was great to get one over on them, finally."

Darren Anderton

Two assists on the night - 358 appearances/48 goals, 1992-2004

“We knew we had to start well. Chelsea were coming to White Hart Lane, where they kept beating us, and everything else that built up… and I remember the first tackle, Teddy on Zenden, I think, and that just set the tone. We then got the early goal, and the atmosphere was unreal, confidence just soared from those two early moments, the tackle, the goal. It was my best night at White Hart Lane, the best atmosphere I played in there. Incredible. Obviously, a semi-final, I’d lost a few before, Chelsea, at the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘oh no, another semi-final, we might get done again here’, and it all added up. Tim scored the second goal and I’ll always remember the third, such a beautiful goal, I crossed it, Gus chested it down to Teddy and his technique… we knew then, ‘we’re in here’ and we could start thinking about a Wembley final. Earlier in the season, we’d famously lost that 3-0 lead to United (3-0 up at half-time, lost 5-3) but this wasn’t like that, the attitude was very much, ‘let’s get the third goal, let’s get another’, and once Digger scored (4-0 on the night, 5-2 aggregate), we could just enjoy the night. What I’d say for this second leg, people will think, ‘if they score, we’ve got to get three, or four’, but it’s a home game, we’re 2-0 down, everyone probably thinks it’s done and dusted… but score an early goal, and it completely changes it. The crowd will be up right for it, and you’ve just got to get that first goal, sooner the better, then it’s game on.”

Simon Davies

Scored on the night - 147 appearances/18 goals, 2000-2005

“I always remember it as being the best atmosphere I ever played in at White Hart Lane. We hadn’t won for so many years against them and to do it in that fashion in a semi-final… the stadium was absolutely buzzing. It was a special, special night. We were really unlucky to lose the first leg. We were right in it all the way through. We had a meeting with Glenn (Hoddle) at the hotel before the game and it was all about believing in ourselves a bit more. We knew we were good enough to beat them, but we had to get over that mental barrier. I remember Teddy Sheringham saying the same. He’d come back from United, used to winning, and he said it wasn’t about talent., the squad was good enough, it was about going out there and delivering, having that mentality, back ourselves, basically. We scored the early goal and that got us cooking. I remember at half-time that the message was the same, ‘don’t sit back, go again, get another goal’ and when Teddy scored, we ran away with it. They then had a man sent off, I scored the fourth and we ran all over them. My goal was the clincher. I remember Tim Sherwood coming over and saying, ‘it’s done now’ and Gus, when he was substituted, he was doing pirouettes, jumping up and spinning around. It was a brilliant night.”

Ledley King

Future captain and 2008 League Cup winner - 323 appearances/14 goals, 1999-2012

“It’s right up there, for sure, and whenever people ask me for the special games I played in, that was one of them. I’m lucky enough to have beaten Arsenal 5-1 in similar circumstances in 2008 as well. We were 2-1 down from the first leg and coming back home, we all thought we were in with a chance. It was one of those nights where everything we did worked out. The atmosphere was electric and from minute one we were at them, and they couldn’t live with us. As a home team, you want to make the visiting team as uncomfortable as possible and that comes from the noise the fans generate and the team starting the game at a high tempo, getting a foot in, winning second balls, doing all the things that make a difference. On top of all that, scoring early really puts a team on the back foot, and we were able to take full advantage. This was special, a semi-final against one of our biggest rivals and I was well aware of what it meant to everyone. It was my first magical night under the lights at the Lane and even at such an early age, I knew what it meant. It was incredible.”

Gus Poyet

One assist on the night, ex-Chelsea - 98 appearances/23 goals, 2001-2004

For me, there were two situations, and I’m sure people will understand. First, that record of winning against Chelsea. It was 20-plus games. I planned in my head, the way I am, to try to change things pre-match, make it a bit different to a normal match. It was my first season at Spurs and in the first match against Chelsea that season, I was suspended, and we lost, then in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, I played, and we lost. So, I said in my mind, ‘we need to change things’. I was a little, er, crazy before the game, a little over-the-top. We had to change things, whatever we felt was necessary, we had to make things happen. Then, you need the players, a little bit of luck, and then the start is the key, the first two or three minutes when we scored. That put everyone at another level mentally. I have to say, I wasn’t completely done until the third goal, Teddy’s. After that, I said, ‘yes, it’s tonight’, and you feel it’s over. We wanted to get to Wembley, that was the main thing, but after the first leg, we had to win, so we also knew we had to beat Chelsea for the first time in over 20 games. We were very experienced. We went into the game with the attitude, ‘it’s up to us, now’, and, as players, we took responsibility.”