Pantomime thrills and spills down the Lane

HEROES and villains, subplots left, right and centre, and drama from start to finish — no it is not the pantomime season starting early, but another instalment of the greatest show on earth — AKA the Premier League.

Karren Brady, West Ham’s vice chairman, was part of England’s failed bid to stage the 2018 World Cup, but made the point that English fans have the consolation of watching fantastic football for 40 weeks of the year.

And her point was illustrated perfectly in another game of thrills and spills at White Hart Lane, where there is rarely a dull moment these days. A draw was a better result for Chelsea than Tottenham, given the dominance the men from north London have had over their west London rivals in recent years.