Ex-Tottenham star Rafael van der Vaart has revealed how Harry Redknapp’s three-word speech inspired a famous north London derby comeback.
Van der Vaart was central to an incredible turnaround against their bitter rivals and landed their first ever win at the Emirates Stadium.
The win had extra significance as three points for the Gunners would have seen them leapfrog Chelsea and Manchester United into top spot.
Spurs had gone 17 years without a win at Arsenal and a disastrous start to the game saw Redknapp’s men slip to a 2-0 deficit at the interval thanks to goals from Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh.
With Spurs on the ropes and fans fearing an embarrassing scoreline, Redknapp took a measured approach to his teamtalk, to the surprise of the Dutch maestro.
Van der Vaart lifted the lid on the famous victory in November 2010 and Redknapp’s composed nature at half time.
“Of course, the first win after so many years at the Emirates, I remember,” he told SunSport.
“It was 2-0 down. It was a terrible game. We were so so bad, and I was also really bad.
“We came in the dressing room and I thought Harry would kill us. And he only said the following, “Let it out”. I think it was, “Let it out”. And that’s it.”
Redknapp’s simple message clearly worked wonders for the former Ajax man who set up Gareth Bale to reduce the arrears five-minutes into the second half before stepping up to level from the penalty spot in the 67th minute.
And it was Van der Vaart’s free-kick into the box that made all the difference as Younes Kaboul headed what turned out to be the winner five minutes from time.
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The turnaround was complete, but Van der Vaart says it would never have been the case if it was not for Redknapp’s speech prior to the second half.
“We went on the pitch, I scored the penalty, I give an assist [and] in the last minute, assist again. And we won that game.
“And after the game, we went to the city. And all the people asked, ‘What did Harry say in the half-time?’ And, you know, everybody was like, ‘What a good speech’.
“And we really felt what to do. That was, I think, amazing, what he did there.
It remains the last time Tottenham claimed a victory at Arsenal but also a stark reminder that form counts for little in the north London derby.
The two side will go toe-to-toe in the north London derby once again this Sunday.
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