Tottenham Hotspur 6-4 Reading

[funster]

I'd said after the Fulham game that Reading would be a far different proposition. Fulham were, after all, not the toughest test we've had to face in recent weeks.

I was right about it being a different proposition..... but I defy anybody to have even got close to hinting at the final scoreline!

With King playing his second game in a row and the only change from Boxing Day being Jenas coming back into the side for O'Hara, things looked fairly stable. Indeed, having taken an early lead through Berbatov we set ourselves up for a very good result. The goal itself was sheer class. What you'll probably not see on any of the highlights is just how high quality the build-up was. It actually started deep in our own half on the left with Malbranque. He played a pivotal role in the move, starting it, picking up again on the left, before switching to the right side to play Keane through to cross. The cross was brilliant and Berbatov's run to break past the two Reading defenders and side foot into an empty net was a worthy finish for a high class move.

Sadly, while we have scored goals aplenty, we have also conceded them. A Reading free kick just inside our half on the left wing led to the equaliser. It was a shabby goal to concede. We had an age to get ourselves set as Reading delayed taking the free kick. Robbo went for it, and contrary to what's been reported, didn't actually get anything on it as Kaboul won the header, only for the ball to drop at the feet of Sonko. He struck it goalward and a stricken Robbo could do nothing as the ball nestled in the back of an empty net. So, not only did we fail to organise ourselves even when given time, but Robbo misjudged the situation and really had no need to come for the ball. Seen it all before this season.

Even then we could, and really should, have gone in at the end of the first half a goal to the good. This time it was Berbatov providing the cross from the right after the Reading defender fell over. How Keane contrived to fail in connecting still puzzles me. Almost like the Gazza slide against Germany in the Euro '96 semi-final. It looked almost as though he put his foot over rather than through the ball. Not was you expect from your top scorer.

What was striking in the first half was how badly exposed our two full backs were. Lee in particular struggled. The reason was really quite simple. Reading put three men down the right wing and launched most of their attacks down that side. With Malbranque playing in a pretty advanced position, Lee had little or no cover and Reading looked very threatening. A couple of times Reading did the same thing down the left and with Lennon advanced as much as Malbranque, Chimbonda too struggled to cope. With better possession up the field this ploy will work for us. But against a side as well structured as Reading in the first half the two wingers really needed to get back to help cover more than they did.

A goal apiece at half time then in a game we had utterly dominated without necessarily creating a hatful of chances. Reading's only real attack had led to their equaliser largely due to our defensive blunders, but none of this could hint at the chaos that was to follow in the second half!

Reading came out marginally the stronger and took the lead from another set piece, a corner this time. It had seemed that we were getting at least a little better at these, but this game would suggest otherwise. Poor marking from Huddlestone led to Reading scoring, and they then created the far better chances for the next ten minutes. I think it was in this phase of play that Robbo made two good saves at the feet of Dave Kitson. Had Reading gone two ahead the game could've been up.

As it turned out about ten minutes after Reading had taken the lead we got back into the game with Berbatov picking up a very poor clearance to lash into the roof of the net (off a deflection). And that's when it went totally and utterly nuts.

It was around this time that King was withdrawn and we switched to three at the back. My God. We were awful. With Chimbonda, Kaboul and Lee playing as the three defensive men we really looked likely to concede at every opportunity. Five minutes or so later Reading went 3-2 ahead with Kitson heading in brilliantly from another Reading corner. The replays showed that he lost Berbatov at the near post but redemption followed swiftly with a second Spurs equaliser. This time a Spurs corner, the ball falling on the edge of the six yard box, Berbatov shrugged off the Reading challenges, turned and flicked into the net for his hat-trick. Sheer class!

Yet Reading came straight back at us, Kitson scoring again a minute after our equaliser to put Reading 4-3 up. A high quality finish, but suspect cover in both midfield and the heart of defence. Not to worry though because the equaliser came minutes later, 4-4. Malbranque picked up the ball inside the Reading box, side-stepped a Reading challenge and planted a curling shot into the left side of the Reading net. Another high quality finish.

With a good fifteen minutes still left there was little doubt that there were goals still left in this game and now we took the lead for the first time in the bonkers passage of the game. The ball once again came into the Reading box, a lovely through ball from Huddlestone, and as Keane nudged towards goal he was tripped and the penalty, rightly, awarded. Keane himself stepped-up to take it and for the second week in a row had it saved. Fortunately Defoe was on hand to head in the rebound. It was a quality bit of work from Defoe. As he bore down on the rebound it looked very much like he was concentrating hard, thinking to himself that he didn't need to rush it, just make sure he got his head to the ball and got it on target. The replay, of course, clearly showed he had encroached, but it would've mattered little I suspect. Jenas was going to be next to the ball a mile ahead of any Reading challenge and he had certainly not run into the box prior to Keane hitting the penalty. Steve Coppell admitted as much after the match.

Worryingly though Keane's last two penalties have been poor ones by his standards. His customary high and hard, wide of the keeper spot kicks which have been so utterly successful in the past have been nowhere in evidence in the last week. I hope he reverts to them!

At 5-4 Tainio was thrown on at right back, Chimbonda switched to centre-half, and we were far more assured at the back. With Boateng having come on earlier we were far better balanced in midfield as well and went on to score a sixth, a remarkable fourth for Berbatov! A long ball from Kaboul, Berbatov once again shrugging off the Reading challenge and hammering the ball past Hahnemann to make it 6-4. The Reading keeper got a touch, but couldn't divert the ball wide.

And that's the way the game ended. Totally and utterly nuts. Our attacking prowess was once again there for all to see. Leaving aside the fact that the wingers were maybe a bit too advanced in the first half, we were so strong going forward that we are now the top scorers in the Premier League! If only we could defend even half as well.

There were a lot of high quality performances. No surprises that none really came from our back four or indeed Robbo - even though he did make a couple of good saves from Kitson in the second half. Malbranque was superb and the central pairing of Huddlestone and Jenas did well. But it was at the front that the really remarkable performance from Berbatov lit up the game. Four goals was a terrific return, but his general play was of the highest quality, pulling balls out of the air, holding the ball..... I read today though that Ramos is now saying he can't guarantee whether Berbatov will be at Spurs after January's transfer window. I will keep my fingers crossed that its more garbage paper talk. In a side that's playing well I'm sure he wants to play a pivotal part, and we are now beginning to play well again.

Reading, of course, played their part. Kitson was superb for them in the second half but when Berbatov scores four the limelight really can only fall on one person. For the second time this season Reading have scored four away from home. Sadly for them the goals conceded column in those two games has read seven and six. Oh dear!

This game was utterly nuts. The closest we've ever come to this was Martin Jol's first game in charge against the Arsehole when we lost 5-4. That day we had to chase a two goal deficit for much of the game. Yesterday we managed to keep it to within one.

I don't think I've seen anything quite like it before, and I dare say I may never see anything quite like it again. Ask a Reading fan, though, and you may get a different answer!

[RiverWire]

Yeah another high scoring game and with us now top scores in the premier what can stop us now *cough* on a serious note i thought we deserved the win and again ramos must be looking at a keeper and a couple of defenders for the transfer window,i dont mean to keep picking on robbo but 2 corners 2 goals !! the man needs to learn how to control his area, then again he made some lovely saves, im not saying he's rubbish i think we just need him to have some strong competition for that No.1 spot.

Arsenal coming midweek and then we'll really see what our defence is really like although we always seem to solid up a bit for the big games.

All in all after a couple of small heart attacks yesterday it was a good day, funster you cant say you didnt get value for money on that ticket :10:

[funster]

.....funster you cant say you didnt get value for money on that ticket :10:

Certainly value for money watching Spurs this season mate! Four at home to Derby, six against Famagusta, five against Fulham, and six more yesterday. Bit nuts though. Bet next week ends nil-nil!

Robbo was only really to blame for the first one. I've read a couple of reports suggesting he was also at fault for the second, but the header was from inside the six yard box so not a lot of reaction time. He really didn't need to come out for their opener though. It was well enough covered and by failing to make contact, since we had nobody on the line, the net was left totally unguarded.

[spurs4eva]

.....funster you cant say you didnt get value for money on that ticket :10:

Certainly value for money watching Spurs this season mate! Four at home to Derby, six against Famagusta, five against Fulham, and six more yesterday. Bit nuts though. Bet next week ends nil-nil!

Robbo was only really to blame for the first one. I've read a couple of reports suggesting he was also at fault for the second, but the header was from inside the six yard box so not a lot of reaction time. He really didn't need to come out for their opener though. It was well enough covered and by failing to make contact, since we had nobody on the line, the net was left totally unguarded.

That's what i said to my dad that robbo didn't need to come out to try and punch it away