Tottenham kicked off the latest chapter in the club's history with fireworks and an opera singer before 2-0 win over Palace last night
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR finally opened their new stadium for a Premier League match last night, 690 days after moving out of White Hart Lane.
Fans for the clash against Crystal Palace flocked to the club's new £1billion, 62,062-seater home to watch their stars in action - albeit eight months later than initially expected.
Spurs held two test events - an Under-18s clash against Southampton and a legends game against Inter Milan - which passed with flying colours.
It meant Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Co could put on a show as they began a new era in the club's history.
But first, fans were treated to a marching band belting out famous Spurs chants of years gone by and an official opening ceremony.
Supporters headed to their seats as early as 5pm, almost three hours prior to kick-off, to soak in the building atmosphere and drink up one of those self-pouring pints.
While Spurs were desperate that Palace would not rain on their parade, the heavens opened and down came the hailstones as supporteres piled in.
The players and coaches arrived just before 6pm to get fully prepared for what was - lest we forget - a must-win game for Mauricio Pochettino's side, who had picked up one point from a possible 15.
Incredibly the arena was not full as 59,215 supporters turned up, some 2,847 less than the official capacity.
And as Daniel Levy and others took their seats, they were then treated to the emotional opening ceremony.
A video showing everything from the farewell to White Hart Lane to the new stadium's importance in the community, from the construction of the stadium to the promise of being "one of Europe's top clubs" started it off.
"Welcome home," the video finished, before a stunning 45-minute musical performance by a choir from Gladesmore Community School.
The marching band then returned to welcome the players out of the tunnel to the chorus of "When The Spurs Go Marching In".
And Lucianno Pavarotti lookalike, otherwise known as Go Compare advert star Wynne Evans, performed a rendition of "Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur".
Finally, the spectacle was capped off by a rapid firework display - the creme de la creme of the whole show.
It's a monumental stadium, absolutely incredible. I'd love to get my boots on, I've got them with me just in case!
Robbie Keane
But, most importantly, Tottenham rounded off their house-warming party with a victory over Palace.
Heung-Min Son will go down Spurs history as the first ever goalscorer at the new Lane.
At least he hopes he will, as Luka Milivojevic played a part in the big opener by diverting Son's effort past Eagles keeper Vicente Guaita.
If some mean-spirited jobsworth in the Dubious Goals Committee ends up taking Sonny’s goal away from him, they have a heart of stone.
Spurs midfield maestro Christian Eriksen then sealed the win and made sure the top four race this season is the fiercest it has ever been.
Former striker Robbie Keane, who had scored in the legends match on Saturday, could not hide his excitement.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: "To be honest I think this is the most impressive stadium I've ever seen.
"The attention to detail, the way everything is structured, it's a fantastic stadium for any player walking out here tonight, it is absolutely magnificent.
"When you walk out of the tunnel and see the grass in front of you, it's very similar to White Hart Lane and then you see this huge stadium.
"It has the spirit of White Hart Lane, the atmosphere was electric and I'm sure tonight it will be the same. The massive wall - 17,000 people - and the pitch are magnificent.
"After all this waiting around I'm sure these players are desperate just to get out and play.
"I've played in massive stadiums where they have the track and the crowd is too far away.
"But if you ask any player who played at White Hart Lane, Everton, Liverpool, they will say the fans are right on top of you. This is actually closer than at White Hart Lane so you get that real connection.
"It's a monumental stadium, absolutely incredible. I'd love to get my boots on, I've got them with me just in case!
"The amount of work that they put into this, Daniel Levy needs to take credit, he has been massive behind the scenes.
"He wants to leave a legacy. The training ground is out of this world and the stadium is the same."
Former Spurs player and manager Ossie Ardiles was also in awe of the new ground - but did have a word of warning for Poch and his players.
Ardiles said: "It is absolutely fantastic and it has a very good sound as well. You can hear everything.
"It's an extraordinary transformation [from when he arrived at White Hart Lane in 1978], it was a small stadium then they renovated White Hart Lane and now we needed a new stadium to compete with the very best.
"It will inspire us definitely, but the only problem is it will inspire the other teams as well."
As well as past players, Spurs-supporting celebrities were also in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the grand unveiling.
Comedian Michael McIntyre took his sons along for the momentous occasion.
Spurs supporter Bernie also told Sky Sports News: "It's absolutely stunning, fifty years ago was my first time but this is amazing. I've enjoyed Wembley but this is something special."
Fellow fan Matt added: "It's amazing. It's on a different level. This is Champions League standard and we need to get into that now."
