Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal

[Karl]

Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal

(Spurs win 6-2 on aggregate)
By Mandeep Sanghera





Spurs celebrate after Robbie Keane put them 3-0 up against Arsenal

A pulsating Tottenham performance saw them run riot against Arsenal to book a place in the Carling Cup final.

Spurs got off to the perfect start when Jermaine Jenas angled in a shot to put them 2-1 ahead on aggregate.

Arsenal's Nicolas Bendtner then headed into his own net before Robbie Keane's 18-yard shot put Spurs 3-0 up.

Aaron Lennon sidefooted in for Spurs before Emmanuel Adebayor grabbed a consolation for Arsenal but Steed Malbranque's strike completed the rout.

Interview: Tottenham assistant coach Gus Poyet
Interview: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger



Tottenham had been left rueing a late Arsenal equaliser in the first leg and they also had the psychological baggage of not having beaten their arch rivals since November 1999.

But with home advantage and Arsenal's penchant for fielding fringe players in the Carling Cup, Spurs scented victory and they grabbed an early lead.

Jenas was allowed time and space to drive a shot across goal and the ball went in off the post after three minutes.



Spurs gave Arsenal's defence no respite with their fluent and attacking football as they took a stranglehold on the match.

The Gunners were also starved of possession in attack and they rarely looked like levelling, due to a mixture of poor play and a determined White Hart Lane side.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had kept faith with most of his second string for the game but drafted in a handful of first-team regulars in centre-back William Gallas, right-back Bacary Sagna and playmaker Alexander Hleb.

But the trio struggled to help their side break Spurs's grip and even the introduction of Cesc Fabregas for the injured Denilson did not help the visitors.

Instead, Bendtner's own goal added to the home side's lead after he headed in as he went up with Michael Dawson to meet a Jenas free-kick.

Arsenal were rattled and on the backfoot and Dimitar Berbatov should have inflicted another bodyblow to the visitors when he was clean through, only to hit the post with his shot.


Arsenal's Bendtner (left) and Gallas had a row near the end of the game


Jenas poked into the side-netting just before the break but Spurs did not have long to wait for a third.

Lennon's delightful ball with the outside of his right foot sent Keane through to score with a shot which appeared to catch Fabianski by surprise and one he should have saved.
Almost immediately, Bendtner looked set to give Arsenal a lifeline, only to see his strike bounce the wrong side of the goal-line after hitting the underside of the crossbar.

It got worse for Arsenal when Lennon slotted in on the hour mark as Spurs threatened to run riot.

Adebayor's 20-yard strike was too late to give Arsenal a way back into the game and their frustration boiled over when Bendtner had an argument with his team-mate and goalscorer before exchanging angry words with Gallas.

Malbranque compounded Arsenal's misery as Juande Ramos secured a place in the Carling Cup final on 24 February in his first season in charge.
Tottenham: Cerny, Chimbonda, Dawson, King, Lee, Lennon (Huddlestone 74), Jenas, Tainio, Malbranque, Keane (Boateng 64), Berbatov (Defoe 64).

Subs Not Used: Robinson, O'Hara.


Booked: Malbranque, Jenas.

Goals: Jenas 3, Bendtner 27 og, Keane 48, Lennon 60, Malbranque 90.

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Justin Hoyte, Gallas, Traore (Eduardo 65), Hleb, Denilson (Fabregas 18), Silva, Diaby, Walcott (Adebayor 65), Bendtner.
Subs Not Used: Mannone, Flamini.

Booked: Justin Hoyte, Adebayor.

Goals: Adebayor 70.

Att: 35,979

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

[Karl]

Gunners destroyed!

Soooo what happens from here on out?

Here is the problem - A beating such as this shakes belief. Ooooh some will say it was not the Big SiDEEE...but, oh yes...it had many of the Big SiDEEE taking part in the match. yes, some came on when things where on the downward spiral...but, they were in the match (matters no for how long)...and, they did not...could not stem the tide! ...and, that is a big thing!

I think it shall carry over to the next match...the dent to confidence...that is!

At this stage my fingers are crossed - I am living in hope! Who would have thunked-it at this stage of the season?!

[Lazie]

ummm ... no chants of Rack Emm ... no chants bout big side? I wonder why?

That picture of Gallas and Bendtner says alot. When certain side win dem huddle inna the middle a the field, trying to give some false impression .. when dem tie or lose ... that guh out the window.

Rack Em!!!! 5 inna the side pocket!

[Karl]

ummm ... no chants of Rack Emm ...

Rack Emm?
Wah name suh?

That picture of Gallas and Bendtner says alot.

You are oooooh so right!

[Karl]

Just saw the 'dust-up' on Sky Sports News. Before I thought it was bad...but it was worse than I thought.

Actually was an Adebayor and Bendtner fracas...and Gallas intervened to quell the matter. It was nasty!

[Karl]

Stylish Spurs Wembley-bound

(AFP) Tuesday 22 January 2008

Tottenham finally got the better of Arsenal as they booked a place in the League Cup final with a 5-1 rout of their north London rivals in Tuesday's semi-final second leg.

Juande Ramos's side had endured a miserable nine-year sequence of 21 matches without a victory over the Gunners, but they swept away those bitter memories in style at White Hart Lane.

Jermaine Jenas gave them the perfect start with a sublime individual effort and Nicklas Bendtner's own goal was followed by second-half strikes from Robbie Keane, Aaron Lennon and Steed Malbranque to clinch a 6-2 aggregate success. Emmanuel Adebayor's strike was no consolation for Arsenal.

It was sweet revenge for Spurs, who lost against Arsenal at this stage of the competition last season, and clinched a first cup final appearance for six years against Everton or Chelsea, who meet in their second leg on Wednesday.

While a trip to Wembley is tangible proof of the progress Ramos has made since taking over in October, it was the eye-catching manner of Tottenham's performance that impressed most.

Arsenal, as usual in the League Cup, had started with a below-strength team but Spurs took full advantage to record their biggest win over the old enemy for 25 years.

They had left the Emirates Stadium two weeks ago convinced they should have won after being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
And the frenzied atmosphere before kick-off served notice of the Spurs fans' all-consuming desire to get it right at last. The ear-splitting din made it clear to the players what was expected and they responded in style in the third three minute.

When Jenas collected Dimitar Berbatov's pass 30 yards out and surged towards goal it seemed impossible to get through the massed ranks of red shirted defenders.

Jenas's acceleration and control took him past four players and into the penalty area, where he lashed a low drive past Lukasz Fabianksi off the far post.

Spurs were playing with the kind of fluid movement that is normally Arsenal's trademark. They went close to a second goal when Keane powered past William Gallas before Justin Hoyte hooked clear.

Denilson's injury midway through the first half forced Arsene Wenger to send on Cesc Fabregas earlier than he would have liked. But not even the Spanish dynamo could halt Tottenham's momentum.

When the second goal came in the 27th minute it was laced with a large dose of good fortune but it was no more than Ramos's side deserved.
Jenas whipped in a teasing free-kick from wide on the left and Bendtner, rising above Michael Dawson to try to clear, succeeded only in heading into his own net.

No answer from Arsenal
Wenger's side were shell-shocked. Berbatov should have added a third when he took Jenas's clever chested pass and sprinted away, but the Bulgarian's shot hit the post.

That near-miss briefly brought Wenger's side to life. Bacary Sagna forced Radek Cerny into action for the first time with a header that the Spurs keeper tipped over.

It wasn't enough to change the pattern of the game though as Spurs struck with a classic counter-attack in the 48th minute.
Lennon's lofted pass took Hoyte out of the game and gave Keane the chance to drive in a low shot that Fabianski let slip through his grasp into the far corner.

There was still more to savour for Spurs. In the 60th minute Pascal Chimbonda fed Keane and his first-time pass found Lennon who slid a perfect shot under Fabianski.

Adebayor reduced the deficit with a superb strike in the 70th minute. But Arsenal's frustrations were clear when the Togo striker clashed heads with Bendtner after becoming involved in a spat with his own team-mate.
Spurs poured on the agony in stoppage time when Malbranque tapped-in to cap a magnificent night for Ramos's team.