League Cup: Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 Arsenal

[funster]

Belatedly, I get 'round to writing the match report. Possibly, probably, almost certainly the most satisfying one I will have written so far! This was an amazing result. I was confident before the game that we'd win, but not even I would've believed it would end in that scoreline!

At least a couple of times at work leading up the game people had been on instant messaging to me talking about the game. I've included a couple of snippets below, just for fun!

This one was with an Arsehole fan.....
3:37:40 PM: Gooner: so waht do you reckon to tonights score
3:37:55 PM: funster: I won't predict the score. But I will - obviously - go for a Spurs win.
3:38:05 PM: Gooner: so no betting then
3:38:08 PM: funster: Nah.
3:38:18 PM: Gooner: i think you will win
3:38:26 PM: funster: I think you said that last year as well.

This one with my Mackem mate.....
4:14:56 PM: Mackem: I assume you're going to the game this evening>
4:14:58 PM: Mackem: ?
4:15:01 PM: funster: Oh yeah.
4:15:07 PM: Mackem: You confident?
4:15:19 PM: Mackem: Is this finally the night!!
4:15:22 PM: funster: Yeap.
4:15:24 PM: funster: I reckon so,
4:15:38 PM: funster: But I could be leaving disappointed yet again. I think we will win.
4:15:59 PM: Mackem: Good luck mate!
4:16:43 PM: funster: Ta.

Finally, an exchange with a couch Arsehole fan..... I said it all half-jokingly. Who'd have thought I'd be walking into work today telling him I was right?!
12:29:16 PM: Couch: ok, just finished with him
12:29:17 PM: Couch: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...up/7201183.stm
12:29:27 PM: Couch: 'desperate' spurs
12:29:38 PM: Couch: nine-year winless run
12:29:47 PM: funster: We will smash them tonight,
12:29:55 PM: Couch: come on, £5
12:29:57 PM: Couch: on it
12:29:58 PM: funster: Truly smash them.
12:30:08 PM: funster: I don't bet on footie any more.
12:30:10 PM: funster: Ever.
12:30:15 PM: Couch: fair enough

So, I was confident. Sat at home ahead of the game my sister was still not quite on the same level. I had to drum it into her that we needed to be confident. Confident we could do it. Confident that we could beat them. Sadly, the confidence of finding a parking space when we arrived soon evaporated with the new parking restrictions in place and all the car parks full! At least we were there in plenty of time to get back to somewhere we could park and still make it to the ground in time for kick-off.

We got in as the teams were being read out. Interesting move to put Tainio in the centre alongside Jenas. Bit of solidity. Probably a good idea. Gallas turning out for the Arsehole. Injuries and African Nations Cup taking their toll. Who'd have thought that that would actually lead to you playing a stronger team?!

The anticipation was there from the off. There were very few recognisable faces around me. None of the usual season ticket holders. None of that mattered though. We were all there for the same reason.

As the game got underway there wasn't much to hint at the fact that we were going to take such an early lead. Just like Sunderland at the weekend though we scored in the first couple of minutes. That's the way to set the pace of the game!

Jenas picked the ball up from a layoff and did what he's been doing for the last few weeks - ran, and ran, and ran. He kept the ball, and, surrounded by Arsehole defenders - four or five at least - progressed to the edge of the box right of centre and hit one across the face of goal. Bang! In off the inside of the far post. One-ni! Come on!

The place went nuts! All of a sudden we were in the driving seat much earlier than I think anybody could have expected and it was Jenas again who had scored.

We were playing well as the half wore on. As in the first leg, and indeed as in the second half against Sunderland, they were playing the prettier, snappier one touch football in the centre of the pitch, but we were the ones making the incisive moves.

The Arsehole were strengthened with another substitution - Fabregas coming on for the injured Denilson. Would've rather he hadn't come on, but stuff it. If you've got to win, you may as well win regardless of who the opposition puts out.

Just before the half hour mark we won a free kick probably forty or so yards out to the left of the box and threw the big guns forward. It looked a soft free kick, but we weren't going to complain. Jokingly, my sister said we should have a dig at it! Jenas stepped up and delivered a tremendous ball, flighted beautifully, right into the heart of the Arsehole box. Dawson got up and all we saw was the ball hitting the back of the net! Two-nil! Yeeeeeeeesssssss!

If it had been going mad after the first, it was even more manic after the second! Two-nil up, less than half an hour played, and the chants of "Spurs are on their way to Wembley!" were reverberating around the ground.

The replay showed it had been an own goal, but who cares? Had Dawson got there first the result would've been the same. Had Bendtner missed it, Chimbonda was running in just behind to bury it. Probably!

I reminded myself that too often in recent times we've led against the Arsehole. Too often we've failed to convert. It was only last year that we found ourselves in the same position. Last night, though, the circumstances were different. Berbatov didn't get injured, and there looked (and sounded) to be a belief in the team and the crowd. It took me a split second to banish any thoughts of giving away this lead!

The Arsehole had a couple of chances to hit back. At one-nil the ball was laid back only for Bendtner (I think) to fire over from about twelve yards. They had at least one other chance in the first half, but just like against Reading and Sunderland, and indeed just like in the first leg, we were the ones creating the best chances.

We could've gone in four up. Certainly three. Berbatov beat the offside trap to race through for a one-on-one. He hit his shot early, beat Fabianski, but it came back off the outside of the post. Jenas made another terrific run, this time down the left, beat the defenders, but touched the ball just that little bit too far ahead to square it, just that little bit too far ahead to lift it, and Fabianski had the near post covered when the ball hit the side netting.

It didn't matter. Two-nil up at half-time and White Hart Lane was rejoicing. The Gooners found their voices - during half-time! They gave us one or two renditions of "Have you ever seen Tottenham win the League?", but we all knew it was just because they were suffering from going in two goals down!

During the first half I'd notice that the blokes sitting in front of me were well and truly hammered. I mean, not just hammered. Well and truly hammered! They obviously weren't regulars. You can just tell after a while. But they were enjoying it just as much as everybody else. They kept me amused too. Words were slurred as we sang, and at one stage one of them decided to start a "Spurs are on their way to Wembley" song. Unfortunately, he was probably suffering from the effects of too much alcohol because it actually came out as "Spurs are on their way to Tottenham"! Either that, or its been so long we've forgotten what its actually like to go to Wembley!

As the teams came out for the second half the slight niggle was there. We'd dominated utterly the games against Reading and Sunderland, yet eased off in the second, adopted a much deeper line and allowed the opposition to come onto us. We needed to be more solid, but in the opening minutes we weren't.

The Arsehole came at us, just as Reading and Sunderland had and we were put under concerted pressure at the back for a good few minutes. It seemed difficult to win the ball back and keep possession. It was only for a few minutes though!

As an Arsehole attack broke down the ball bounced to Berbatov midway in our own half nearer the right touchline than the centre of the pitch, and he hit the most exquisite pass with the outside of his boot you could wish to see. Keane ran onto it, and holding off the defender, struck it and as we watched from behind the goal it angled away from Fabianksi and into the back of the net!

Three-nil!!! Three-nil!!! Unbelievable! Less than five minutes into the second half and we were three-nil up!

Fabianski should have done better. The ball angled away, but he still should have got to it. Who cares though? The pass from Berbatov was world class and White Hart Lane was, for the third time on the night, going mental!

It was probably at this point that the Gooners started to slowly drift away. With half an hour left it started to become more of an exodus as, incredibly, we scored a fourth!

Another move that started with an Arsehole attack breaking down saw Lennon pick the ball up deep inside own half on the right and push it on to Jenas. He made another terrific run through the middle and knocked the ball off the Keane on the edge of the box. Keane reversed it first time and Lennon picked it up on the right corner of the box, slid it under Fabianski..... Four-nil!

Now this really was the realm of fantasy! Four-nil, in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, against the Arsehole..... and half an hour still to play!

The crowd was ecstatic, the scoreline was fantastic, and we were well on our way to Wembley.

Unsurprisingly, Berbatov and Keane were withdrawn, probably with one eye on Sunday's trip to OT. Wenger threw on Eduardo and Adebayor and took off the - once again - ineffective Walcott. There was little doubt with our two starting front men taken off we wouldn't quite have the threat right up the pitch that we did, and with the Arsehole playing three up front they were likely to come at us more.

As it turned out, Adebayor did pull one back. A decent goal that he really worked himself. The shortest, quietest cheer of the night from the diminishing ranks of Gooners!

They did have one other really good chance in the second half when Bendtner hit the bar with a very acrobatic overhead. They did come at at a lot more too. But they couldn't break us down. We held firm at the back, and for all their slick, one touch passing, with options provided to the man in possession, when they got to the edge of our box they just couldn't do it.

After a slight hush from the White Hart Lane faithful, we found our voices again and as we entered the last ten, the last five, the last few minutes the singing of "Kay Sa Ra Ra" started. And then it kept going..... and kept going..... and kept going..... and kept going..... and kept going!

The only interruption? The final, massive cheer of the game when Malbranque made it a dizzying five-one! Another really well worked goal with Jenas contributing again, running through on the diagonal from the right to beat the Arsehole defence, sliding it across for Malbranque to tuck in from two yards out!

Five-one! Who could have believed it?! We had well and truly smashed the Arsehole and booked our place in the League Cup Final at Wembley.

On the final celebration the vast majority of Spurs fans stayed on to cheer the team. It was clear how much it meant to them too. King, Dawson, Keane all with their shirts off. A lap around the pitch and the Gooners clearing out, the players trudging off. A resounding victory.

We could have had more. Steed was through one-on-one but Fabianski saved and how Defoe missed when sidefooting wide when he should've smashed it..... but who cares? It could've been six? Seven? Eight? Maybe even nine? I'll settle for five!

Oh yeah, Adebayor should've been sent off, but you can't win 'em all!

It was an amazing result. Incredible. The atmosphere was sensational. The result..... oh the result! There was absolutely no doubt we were going to be leaving happy! When we did leave, because we did stick around for quite a while!

The excuses will be there from the Gooners, I'm sure. We don't care about the League Cup. We played a youth team. We've got bigger fish to fry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They had at least a couple of regulars turn out. At the same stage last year we failed to beat them. And..... and..... when was the last time you saw the Arsehole - even their youth team - not just beaten, not just beaten, DEMOLISHED! Because that's what happened last night. We demolished them!

Plaudits to every player on the pitch last night, they all played their part. Defensively we were good. Very, very good. Even though the Arsehole played lots of neat football through the middle they just couldn't break us down well enough when they got to the edge of our box. King and Dawson were fabulous, and Chimbonda, though looking disinterested at times did what was required. Lee too.

In the middle Tainio gave us the solidity we needed. Malbranque and particularly Lennon got up and down the wing. We profited many times down the right. Jenas, though, was exceptional. A top class performance, running aggresively with and without the ball, scoring, creating. Just a great performance.

Up front Berbatov was superb. He held the ball, he could, he should, have scored, and the ball he played through to Keane - exquisite! As for Keane himself - on the scoresheet and got through the kind of running you probably wouldn't believe. At least a couple of times he was at the heart of the defence on the left side of the pitch picking the ball up and playing us out. Fantastic.

Even the subs contributed! Defoe should've scored. Huddlestone added another body to the midfield and Boateng, despite having been pretty useless for the last few weeks, even got going when he was down the right late on. Still not great, but it'll do, and on a night where we well and truly demolished them, it mattered not!

It was terrific. I went to bed happy. I slept happy. I woke up happy. I've been happy all day! Its the sort of result that'll make even ManUre sit up and pay a little bit more notice. Still a tough, tough game at OT, but we'll go into it confident. Nowhere near favourites, but who knows?

Of course, now that we've overcome the Arsehole the real match needs to be played. The League Cup Final against either Everton or Chelsea for a piece of silverware and a place in Europe. That's the final. Let's be under no illusions. Last night was just to get to the final. The glory glory match is still to come. I'm sure of one thing - whoever we play, they'll be a much tougher proposition than the Arsehole were. The opportunity's there though. We just need to take it!

Come on you Spurs!

[yidno1]

Excellent report mate, summed up the night perfectly from start to finish!

Ive never witnessed such an atmosphere as last night and i think along with the score it will stay with me for life.

[Beats]

Great report as always funster :10:

[funster]

.....it will stay with me for life.

You are absolutely right. Everything about that night will live long in our memories! Results, and experiences like that, are all the sweeter when you've been through the s$£t we have over the last..... well, a long time anyway!

Its the hard times that make you appreciate what the good times are all about. Just gotta cap it off by beating Chelsea in the Final now!