Source: Telegraph
Tottenham v Arsenal: Danny Rose makes himself an instant cult hero at Spurs
For Danny Rose, a 19 year-old former graduate of the Leeds United academy, it is possible that Wednesday night ticked both those boxes. [LNB]To make your first senior start for a winning Tottenham team in a north London derby would be the stuff of dreams. To do that and score the sort of breathtaking goal that will be talked about for decades to come would have been beyond the imagination of anyone inside White Hart Lane. [LNB] Related ArticlesTottenham 2 Arsenal 1Arsenal title dream endsTottenham v Arsenal: as it happenedSpurs warn fans over Campbell abuseTottenham fret over Lennon's fitnessSport on televisionTo simply make your first senior start for a winning Tottenham team in a north London derby would normally be the stuff of dreams. Yet to do that and score the sort of breathtaking goal that will be talked about for decades to come was almost beyond comprehension. Arsene Wenger simply described it as 'a goal in a million'. [LNB]Most teenagers would not have even dared to shoot from such an unlikely position. Rose was stood some 30 yards from goal as Manuel Almunia's punch appeared to be sailing harmlessly clear of danger. The expected response was an attempt to bring the ball under control and then loft it hopefully back into the penalty area. [LNB]Instead, Rose simply set himself and unleashed a fierce left-footed volley that flew over both sets of players and dipped into the Arsenal goal. For a split-second, there was open-mouthed silence among the 36,000 people inside White Hart Lane. Uncontrolled ecstasy then broke out. [LNB]Goal of the month? Definitely. Goal of the season? Quite possibly. By half-time, some Tottenham fans were offering the view that it was goal of the century. [LNB]Perhaps not, but that did not stop the stadium announcer revelling in the moment throughout the interval when a replay must have been shown at least eight times. Tottenham supporters cheered every viewing with equal relish. [LNB]'A wonder goal - amazing,' said Harry Redknapp. 'He has a great left foot and is full of running. He will never forget that although we think he has tweaked some ligaments. Danny's a good little player but I wouldn't like to say too much more.' [LNB]So just who is this good little player? Before Wednesday night, Rose was best known for being among those Leeds academy players who Chelsea so controversially tried to sign during the summer of 2006. Rose actually remained at Elland Road but, to the disgust of Leeds chairman Ken Bates, joined Tottenham a year later. 'He disappeared into the obscurity of the Spurs training ground,' wrote Bates in March 2009. That assessment suddenly looks premature as well as unnecessarily harsh. [LNB]Indeed, on a night when the booing of Sol Campbell and abuse of Arsene Wenger was predictably forthcoming, Tottenham's newest cult hero helped ensure the occasion would be remembered for football rather than hatred.[LNB]
