Those Tottenham Hotpsur fans whose first thought yesterday morning was to check that they had not just awoken from a particularly vivid dream may be alarmed to discover that many of their heroes were feeling something similar. In beating Arsenal 5-1 on Tuesday night, Juande Ramos’s side surprised even themselves.

Dimitar Berbatov yesterday described the thrashing as beyond his wildest dreams and, to judge from the way they celebrated at White Hart Lane after the final whistle, many of his teammates felt exactly the same. “It was unbelievable,” Berbatov said. “We played like a great team against a great football team. We deserved the win and now we’re going to the final.

“To win like this is beyond all our dreams. We have not beaten Arsenal for so long, but we did it with style. No one imagined before the game that we could score five goals. Maybe one or two, but five? That was unbelievable. We played magnificent football, with great combinations and great goals and fully deserved it.”

Tottenham were well worth their comprehensive win over the two legs, with their three impressive performances against Arsenal since Ramos took over in October suggesting they have what it takes at least to compete with the Champions League elite. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Tuesday’s annihilation was that it succeeded in bringing a smile to the face of the previously sulky Berbatov, who indicated that he may reconsider his plans to leave in the summer if the club continue to progress.

“I look happy, don’t I?” the Bulgaria striker said. “We showed against a very good Arsenal team, with great players, that we were above them and wanted the win more than they did and we achieved it. I know we can achieve a lot. Sometimes we underestimate our ability to do great things, but this is an example of what we can do against a great opponent. It shows what you can achieve if you believe in your quality and play like we did.

“We’ve shown that this club can challenge for trophies. If we believe in our quality, it doesn’t matter who we play – Arsenal, Man U or some other team. We have great players and we have a coach who can achieve a lot with us. Let’s all believe in Tottenham and we won’t disappoint anyone.”

With Tottenham fans looking forward to booking tickets for their first cup final in six years, Berbatov is eagerly awaiting his debut at Wembley. “I have never played at Wembley and everybody is excited,” he said. “Wembley is a legendary stadium. I have always wanted to go there and watch a game, but it’s another thing to go there and play.

“There are no words to describe the noise and the atmosphere at White Hart Lane. In the end, we did it for them, for every fan of Tottenham. Now let’s hope we can do it again for them at Wembley.”