Tottenham Score Nine Against Keflavik in UEFA Cup
By Logan Holmes
Cyril Knowles
Tottenham set the record for their biggest win in Europe by scoring nine goals against Keflavik of Iceland at White Hart Lane and their highest aggregate win in this UEFA Cup 1st Round tie played on 28th September, 1971.
28th September, 1971
Tottenham Hotspur 9 Keflavik 0
Scorers: Knowles, Coates, Perryman, Chivers (3), Holder, Gilzean (2)
The second leg of this UEFA Cup 1st Round game was a formality as Tottenham were five goals ahead from the 6-1 victory in Iceland. This was Spurs first time in the UEFA Cup, all their previous European experience having been in the European Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup. Even though they were well ahead in the contest, it was still a full strength team which appeared at White Hart Lane. That they didn’t beat the record British aggregate win in Europe (16 at the time held by Leeds) was down to the fact that the forwards squandered a number of good scoring opportunities. The goals came at regular intervals through the game – they were four ahead at half-time, the goals scored by Martin Chivers (2), Steve Perryman and Ralph Coates. In the second half Chivers completed his hat-trick while Cyril Knowles, Alan Gilzean (2) and substitute Phil Holder scored the others to give Spurs an aggregate win of 15 – 1.
Team: Jennings; Evans, Knowles; Mullery (Pearce), England, Beal; Coates, Perryman, Chivers, Peters (Holder), Gilzean.
Graeme Souness
The away leg, a fortnight earlier, was notable for the only appearance of a young Tottenham player by the name of Graeme Souness, his only senior appearance for Tottenham. Anxious for first team football he became impatient at White Hart Lane and having sorely tried Bill Nicholson’s patience, frequently telling him that he was ‘the best player at the club’ the manager reluctantly allowed him to join Middlesbrough in January, 1973 for £32,000. After six years on Teeside he went on to bigger and greater achievements with Liverpool and Scotland. He attended to the same school as Tottenham’s legendary Dave Mackay and was often referred to as the ‘next Dave Mackay’. It was Tottenham’s sad loss to miss out on the hard-tackling, creative midfielder who became such an influential player – just the type of midfield general that Spurs so often lacked.
It was also the first occasion when a Tottenham player scored a hat-trick in the away leg in a European competition. That honour fell to Alan Gilzean. The other goal scorers were Alan Mullery (2) and Ralph Coates – his first goal for Tottenham.
#knowyourtottenhamhistory 27th September, 1967 Spurs and Hajduk Split Share Seven Goals at White Hart Lane