There is change in the air ! First Obama now Spurs

[Scaly Spurs]

We haven't tied Arsenal in a while and we did today and at the Emirates to. I feel a Change coming ! Change !!! You Can Do it !!
Change we can believe in !

btw We could have buried them and there goal to tie the game was a straight lucky buck up.

Big Sam is an Idiot, u have Martins pon bench an a play a unfit, out of form Owen plus u a try long ball play wid man who nuh use to that ??

[Lazie]

We haven't tied Arsenal in a while and we did today and at the Emirates to. I feel a Change coming ! Change !!! You Can Do it !!
Change we can believe in !

btw We could have buried them and there goal to tie the game was a straight lucky buck up.

Big Sam is an Idiot, u have Martins pon bench an a play a unfit, out of form Owen plus u a try long ball play wid man who nuh use to that ??

Yuh notice Spurs used their first team? Yuh notice Arsenal used their second team?

[Gamma]

your side tie wid our B side and yuh suh euphoric? what yuh smelling is not change....what yuh smelling is that someone needs to be changed!

[OJ]

we know we can cut you **************** at weak heart lane...

[Karl]

We haven't tied Arsenal in a while and we did today and at the Emirates to. I feel a Change coming ! Change !!! You Can Do it !!
Change we can believe in !

btw We could have buried them and there goal to tie the game was a straight lucky buck up.

Big Sam is an Idiot, u have Martins pon bench an a play a unfit, out of form Owen plus u a try long ball play wid man who nuh use to that ??

Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham

By Paul Fletcher


There was more than a hint of fortune about Walcott's goal


Theo Walcott scored a lucky equaliser as Arsenal held Tottenham in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final.


The ball rebounded off Walcott's body following Young-Pyo Lee's tackle and looped over Spurs keeper Radek Cerny.

Jermaine Jenas had put Tottenham in front, slotting home into virtually an empty net after Robbie Keane selflessly played him in with a square ball.

Spurs were the better side and Lukasz Fabianski made several good saves while Steed Malbranque missed from 14 yards.

Interview: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger
Interview: Tottenham assistant boss Gus Poyet
News conference: Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas



It was a tough break for Spurs when Walcott equalised after the visiting team had created most of the decent openings.
Even so, Spurs might still have won the tie but substitute Jermain Defoe smashed the ball wide after Aaron Lennon played him in.

The result means that Tottenham's long wait for a victory over their north London rivals continues - their last came in November 1999 - but it leaves them well placed in the tie with the next leg at White Hart Lane.







In truth, it was a below-par performance by an Arsenal team comprised of a sprinkling of first-team regulars and talented youngsters.

The smooth, incisive football for which Arsene Wenger's team are so often heralded was largely absent on an evening when Tottenham seemed more fluid and dangerous in possession.

But the Gunners demonstrated the resilience that has ensured they have remained unbeaten at home all season by finding what appeared to be an unlikely equaliser.

Arsenal had fashioned the first real opening, with Radek Cerny, preferred in goal to Paul Robinson, making an athletic save to parry a header from Nicklas Bendtner.

But Tottenham had shown early signs that they could unlock the Arsenal defence and created several good chances before taking the lead.

Jamie O'Hara struck a free-kick narrowly wide, Malbranque shot wide from 14 yards and then missed the target with a header while the sublime Dimitar Berbatov, at the heart of so many impressive moves, forced Fabianski into a decent stop with a low-range strike.

Malbranque's first chance in particular was an excellent opportunity from which he should have scored.
The ball broke to him after Keane was dispossessed and the French midfielder had time to pick his spot but instead drilled the ball wide.

Tottenham scored the goal that their superiority deserved after 37 minutes when Berbatov played Keane through down the left and the striker passed for Jenas to tap home.

Keane (right) passed for Jenas to put Tottenham in front

Jenas had another strike on target before a half-time break that must have been more welcome for the home team than Tottenham.

The visitors continued to hold a good shape after the interval and might have been gifted a second goal when Fabianski spilled a corner but thankfully for him the ball fell to one of his team-mates.

Keane drilled a shot wide as Tottenham pushed for a second.
The midfield became increasingly congested as Arsenal came back into the match and, after a relatively open first hour, decent openings were at a premium.

But Walcott scored his team's goal in front of watching England coach Fabio Capello after collecting Eduardo's though ball.

Replays suggested the ball hit Walcott on the hand but it all happened so quickly it would have been harsh to penalise the Arsenal forward.
Arsenal: Fabianski, Justin Hoyte, Djourou (Sagna 46), Senderos, Traore, Walcott (Randall 90), Denilson, Silva, Diaby, Van Persie (Eduardo 46), Bendtner.

Subs Not Used: Mannone, Gavin Hoyte.


Goals: Walcott 79.
Tottenham: Cerny, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Lee, Lennon, Jenas, O'Hara, Malbranque (Boateng 77), Berbatov, Keane (Defoe 83).

Subs Not Used: Robinson, Stalteri, Taarabt.


Goals: Jenas 37.

Att: 53,136

Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral). BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov 8.02 (on 90 minutes).

[Karl]

Wenger to stand by young players

Your Spurs will meet the 2nd X1 once more! You most likely will not be fortunate to see then play as badly as they did today!

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Wenger to stand by young players

Walcott's fortunate goal rescued below-par Arsenal

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will keep faith with his young players despite a fortunate 1-1 draw with Spurs in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg.


Theo Walcott bundled home late on after Tottenham had dominated the game.

But Wenger said he was not tempted to restore his senior players for the second leg at White Hart Lane, adding: "We suffered tonight but we came back.

"We have made decisions that will stand for the second leg. I'm convinced we can do it."

Jermaine Jenas gave Tottenham the lead after 37 minutes and the visitors looked set to record their first win over their north London rivals since 1999 until Walcott's late 79th-minute goal - which rebounded off his body after Lee Young-Pyo's tackle.


"We had to give a lot on Sunday at Burnley and had not recovered completely," explained Wenger.

"But we still came back under difficult circumstances, which gives us confidence.

"They had more chances than we had, but when they scored we had a mental blow and struggled to recover from that.
"But for me it's a positive result."

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Juande Ramos said that nothing should be read into his decision to leave goalkeeper Paul Robinson out of the side in the club's biggest game of the season so far.


Robinson has been guilty of several high-profile errors this season and was left on the bench at the Emirates Stadium, but Ramos said he had simply wanted to give some first-team action to Radek Cerny.

"There are 24 or 25 players in the squad and they all have to play at some point," said Ramos.

"Paul Robinson is a good goalkeeper, which he has demonstrated. We all know what a good goalkeeper he is."
Nevertheless, Ramos refused to guarantee that Robinson would return to the starting line-up when Spurs take on Chelsea on Saturday.

Tottenham assistant boss Gus Poyet agreed that Arsenal would go away happier with a draw ahead of the second leg at White Hart Lane on 22 January.

"We were the better team. We deserved to win but it's a 180-minute game and there are still 90 to go," he said. "The hardest part to take is the goal. If they score in the top corner you can take it but when it takes a deflection, it hits him twice..."