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GREAT GAMES 2008 - Spurs 5 Arsenal 1

Archibald&Crooks

Aegina Expat
Admin
Feb 1, 2005
55,533
204,721
Carling Cup Semi-Final 2nd leg
Spurs win 6-2 on aggregate :dance:

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 Nicklas 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.

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.

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 appeared to argue 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).

You can see the goals by clicking here

Get a taste of our magnificent rendition of Que Sera Sera

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos hailed his side's 5-1 thrashing of Arsenal as they secured a Carling Cup final place.

Spurs won 6-2 on aggregate as they beat their arch rivals for the first time since November 1999.
"In order to beat a team like Arsenal, you have to play well," said Ramos. "We didn't make mistakes and were perfect in all areas of the team.

"The effort that the players have put in to reach this final means they are the architects of this victory."

"It makes me tremendously happy that the fans are happy with my work and with the team - but the architects of this were the footballers themselves," he said.


"They're the people putting in the effort on the pitch. In the time that I've been here, there's recognition of what we're doing and that's very pleasing.
"To get to a final in such a short period of time since I came here is a fantastic achievement. More so for the fans, who are tremendously happy.

"It's been a long time since they've had a flavour of a final.
"It's tremendously satisfying, more so because they are a direct rival from the same city and, add to that the fact that we hadn't beaten them for so long... and add to that the scoreline. It's all the more satisfying."

:dance: :dance: :dance:

A memorable night at the Lane on the way to adding the Carling Cup to our list of honours, please add your memories below.
 

TheChosenOne

A dislike or neg rep = fat fingers
Dec 13, 2005
47,870
49,700
Superb post Chas.

Seeing the goals again still make my arm hairs stand on end.
 

DC_Boy

New Member
May 20, 2005
17,608
5
That game avenged forty years of hurt for me - since the 68/69 semi defeat v AFC

I'm so glad I stayed alive long enough to see that game and to be there at the Lane was very heaven :)
 

PT

North Stand behind Pat's goal.
Admin
May 21, 2004
25,468
2,408
That dvd and the Cup Final will be my mission to obtain next time in the shop at the Lane.
 

DEFchenkOE

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2006
10,527
8,052
What a ball that was from Lennon for the 3rd goal. Just watched the highlights again from the 4-4 v Chelsea. That was an incredible game.
 

LadieK

Yiddess
Staff
Sep 25, 2004
24,185
45
If my memory servies me correctly, this would be the game before which A&C, I met you for a drink and you told me that we would lose! I told you to stay positive :dance:

What a night! The best game I've ever been too - unreal, surreal, yet very real :-D
 

Stoof

THERE IS A PIGEON IN MY BANK ACCOUNT
Staff
Jun 5, 2004
32,219
64,273
I had to sit down at the full time whistle 'cos I couldn't actually believe what I had just seen. Especially after the way we capitulated to Arsenal in the League earlier in the season, this time I saw them crumble before my very eyes.

I said to Mr talkshowhost and Mr jimbo before kick-off that "the worst thing that could happen would be to get an early goal then watch us sit back and throw it away at the end". But that thought couldn't be further from my mind after JJ hit that first one in. There was a magical feel about the Lane that night, an extra layer of sound from the WHL choir. People watching on TV said to me in the following days that they'd never heard English fans so loud.

The second goal as we were singing "marching in" too. Sends shivers down the body just thinking about it. We also must have sang "we're going to Wem-ber-ley" for about half an hour. Going back to the match though, when Berbatov hit the post at 2-0 I think everyone thought it was curtains despite being 2-0 up! Then when Arsenal had all the ball at the start of the second half, it had repeat written all over it. But that breakaway Keano goal - 101 - settled it for me. Then when Lennon added the 4th it just turned into fantasy. However, I dare say a few around us thought that Adebayor had given them a lifeline with his ferocious hit - bastard - but Steed finished it off and we drank to the wee hours.

My finest Lane adventure of many last season, and I hope I can top it this coming season.

Simply incredible.

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Cast in order of appearance:

talkshowhost86
jimbo
Stoof


:dance:
 

theburtonshelf

Pessimist
Jun 30, 2005
3,034
68
I sat down close to tears(ok there were tears) as lennon put the fourth in, it dawned on me that this was one of those momentous, "I was there" moments and that at that point any1 with any kind of feeling for the club would have given their right and left arms to swap places with me.

quite simply astonishing performance and atmosphere. had i died on the way home im not sure I would have cared i was that happy, didnt get back to my car till about half 11 which was fortunate since i would have been in no fit state to drive. even the drive home which is normally a chore was a dream, chas and dave piped through the stereo full blast on the way to the m25, random hooting of horns from every1 on the road, january 22 should be a bank holiday!
 

trevo

(ex?)EU Member
Oct 23, 2007
3,025
3,439
The night of many to come. Atmosphere was superb and Adeboyar head butting Bentner was class too!
 

Blotto

New Member
Jan 13, 2008
822
0
The night of many to come. Atmosphere was superb and Adeboyar head butting Bentner was class too!

:grin:

*slyly motions towards sig*

The fun never stops with ole' Bendnter. He had a night I can tell you.

My memories are of near fatal slips on the Midwestern ice while sprinting across the Uni campus, waving to a couple of students and telling them to stop by my office in a couple of hours and the bemused look of our department secretary (a lovely young woman) that the scream and shouting was all down to a football..ehh...that is: "soccer" match. Myself and my fellow ex-pat Yiddo colleague/friend (a psychoanalyst with a wicked sense of humour) might have felt a bit childish under any other circumstances, but this was different.
 
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