Top of the Table!!
Yes, we are top after 2 wins out of 2 games and 4 goals none concealed...Good start....Enjoy while it last.
Tottenham 2-0 Middlesbrough
Jermain Defoe gave watching England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson another reminder of his clinical finishing skills as Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the new Barclays Premiership campaign with a 2-0 win.
Defoe's sensational 48th minute strike - his second of the season - lit up a gritty encounter at White Hart Lane.
Spurs, who have yet to concede a goal in two games, completed their victory when Mark Schwarzer allowed Mido's tame shot to squeeze under his body and into the net in the 75th minute.
It marked another satisfactory day at the office for boss Martin Jol, who had watched his side move swiftly into an attacking mode with debutant Edgar Davids forcibly making his mark.
The `Pitbull', as he is affectionately known within the game, was at his tigerish best in the first few minutes as Spurs looked for a quick opener.
It took Jol's side just three minutes to earn their first corner kick of the game, but they failed to capitalise on their advantage.
In the 10th minute Spurs defender Michael Dawson required treatment at the side of the pitch for a nosebleed which required a change of shirt before he could return to the action.
Middlesbrough had offered little in terms of attack, but in the 12th minute Stewart Downing left Paul Stalteri flagging as he progressed down the left flank and delivered a fine cross from the byline.
Sadly for the visitors, they were unable to find the necessary finish to compliment his handy work and Spurs cleared easily.
In the 17th minute Aiyegbeni Yakubu earned Boro a corner with a fine break from the halfway line which had Spurs under real pressure for the first time in the match.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink just failed to supply the finishing touch from the resultant corner as Spurs lived dangerously.
In the 20th minute a delightful through ball from Michael Carrick put Mido in the clear down the right flank and the Egyptian's cross was met by Davids, whose mistimed, yet spectacular, overhead kick fell into the grateful arms of Schwarzer.
In the 26th minute Spurs were unlucky not to take the lead when a well-worked move involving Davids and Teemu Tainio gave Carrick the chance to unleash a 30-yard shot which flew inches over the bar.
But it was a rare moment of quality in a first half that became bogged down in midfield mediocrity.
Defoe, largely anonymous in the opening half-hour, finally announced his intentions with a shot that was charged down by the Boro defence before it could trouble Schwarzer.
Davids, who was involved in most of Tottenham's early attempts, fired in a left-foot volley that Schwarzer took two attempts to hold on to as Spurs picked up the pace once again.
But Defoe made up for his lacklustre opening half by giving Tottenham the lead with a sensational strike three minutes after the break.
Defoe collected the ball midway inside Middlesbrough's half and as Boro captain Gareth Southgate continued to back-pedal, Defoe moved forward to leave Schwarzer helpless with a powerful 25-yard drive into the roof of the net.
The goal was the perfect booster for Spurs, who had struggled to impose themselves on their visitors in the opening period.
It was also a timely reminder to the watching Eriksson, who substituted the Spurs striker at half-time during their friendly defeat by Denmark in midweek.
Eriksson looked on impassively as Defoe turned to celebrate his goal - his second of the season - with his team-mates.
Five minutes later, though, Spurs had England goalkeeper and captain Paul Robinson to thank for preserving their lead when he dived to his left to tip a Downing free-kick around the post.
Boro had introduced Mark Viduka in place of Yakubu at the break, but it was Hasselbaink who again squandered a chance to level matters when he got clear of the Spurs defence in the 56th minute.
In the 66th minute one-time Tottenham target Downing had the chance to equalise, but after a clever one-two with Viduka, he burst into the area and fired his shot over the crossbar with just Robinson to beat.
To add insult to Boro's increasing frustration, Hasselbaink was yellow-carded for a foul on Erik Edman a minute later.
Tottenham were gifted a second goal in the 75th minute when Schwarzer allowed Mido's tame shot from the edge of the area to roll underneath his body and into the net.
Defoe was then replaced by Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keane for the remaining 12 minutes.
Routledge injury blow
Martin Jol revealed that Wayne Routledge had been ruled out of action for up to two months after Tottenham hit the top of the Premiership for the first time in three years with a 2-0 win
over Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane.
Jol, refusing to get carried away by Spurs' flying start, was more concerned at losing Routledge's services.
'Our league position is not that important at this stage of the season,' he said. 'Why should you go mad after only two games?
'Getting a settled team is very important to us but now Wayne is going to be out for months, not weeks as we first thought.
'He has a stress fracture of the foot and the doctor has since spoken with us to confirm that it was worse than we first thought. He is out for up to two months now.'
However, Jol was more than pleased with striker Jermain Defoe and believes England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to substitute him at half-time against Denmark in midweek, worked in Tottenham's favour.
Jol said: 'We needed something special and Jermain gave us that something special. That's why he is the dangerman.
'Maybe it was not bad for us that he played only 45 minutes for England.'
The Dutch coach also paid tribute to Edgar Davids who played a pivotal midfield role in Tottenham's victory - secured with a soft second when Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer allowed Mido's soft shot to roll underneath his body.
'It was Edgar's first game for months and he was a hero,' said Jol. 'He was exactly what I had in mind. We will be better both mentally and physically because of him.
'In the second half we dropped off and they played well. We needed that second goal because they had two clear cut chances and in the end it could have been a draw.'
Jol's assessment was echoed by Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren who felt aggrieved that his side had not earned anything from the game.
McClaren fumed: 'I feel aggrieved and angry with the result. But football is about what happens in each penalty area.
'Mark Schwarzer made a mistake for their second goal but people were just as guilty at the other end. Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson pulled off two magnificent saves and I was pleased with the game as a whole.
'We have got to take that forward but I don't think there was much between both teams today and I expect both teams to be up at there at the end of the season.'
McClaren also felt that both Tottenham's England players, Robinson and Defoe, bounced back in style from the international defeat to the Danes - England's biggest setback under Sven-Goran Eriksson.
He added: 'I think you saw two England players who bounced back from the other night in Denmark. it was a case for us of getting to half-time without conceding and then taking it from there.
'I felt Mark Viduka came on at half-time and made a big difference but the second goal came at the wrong time for us. Mark (Schwarzer) made a mistake and he knows it but we had enough chances at the other end to have got something from the game.'
Tottenham 2-0 Middlesbrough
Jermain Defoe gave watching England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson another reminder of his clinical finishing skills as Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the new Barclays Premiership campaign with a 2-0 win.
Defoe's sensational 48th minute strike - his second of the season - lit up a gritty encounter at White Hart Lane.
Spurs, who have yet to concede a goal in two games, completed their victory when Mark Schwarzer allowed Mido's tame shot to squeeze under his body and into the net in the 75th minute.
It marked another satisfactory day at the office for boss Martin Jol, who had watched his side move swiftly into an attacking mode with debutant Edgar Davids forcibly making his mark.
The `Pitbull', as he is affectionately known within the game, was at his tigerish best in the first few minutes as Spurs looked for a quick opener.
It took Jol's side just three minutes to earn their first corner kick of the game, but they failed to capitalise on their advantage.
In the 10th minute Spurs defender Michael Dawson required treatment at the side of the pitch for a nosebleed which required a change of shirt before he could return to the action.
Middlesbrough had offered little in terms of attack, but in the 12th minute Stewart Downing left Paul Stalteri flagging as he progressed down the left flank and delivered a fine cross from the byline.
Sadly for the visitors, they were unable to find the necessary finish to compliment his handy work and Spurs cleared easily.
In the 17th minute Aiyegbeni Yakubu earned Boro a corner with a fine break from the halfway line which had Spurs under real pressure for the first time in the match.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink just failed to supply the finishing touch from the resultant corner as Spurs lived dangerously.
In the 20th minute a delightful through ball from Michael Carrick put Mido in the clear down the right flank and the Egyptian's cross was met by Davids, whose mistimed, yet spectacular, overhead kick fell into the grateful arms of Schwarzer.
In the 26th minute Spurs were unlucky not to take the lead when a well-worked move involving Davids and Teemu Tainio gave Carrick the chance to unleash a 30-yard shot which flew inches over the bar.
But it was a rare moment of quality in a first half that became bogged down in midfield mediocrity.
Defoe, largely anonymous in the opening half-hour, finally announced his intentions with a shot that was charged down by the Boro defence before it could trouble Schwarzer.
Davids, who was involved in most of Tottenham's early attempts, fired in a left-foot volley that Schwarzer took two attempts to hold on to as Spurs picked up the pace once again.
But Defoe made up for his lacklustre opening half by giving Tottenham the lead with a sensational strike three minutes after the break.
Defoe collected the ball midway inside Middlesbrough's half and as Boro captain Gareth Southgate continued to back-pedal, Defoe moved forward to leave Schwarzer helpless with a powerful 25-yard drive into the roof of the net.
The goal was the perfect booster for Spurs, who had struggled to impose themselves on their visitors in the opening period.
It was also a timely reminder to the watching Eriksson, who substituted the Spurs striker at half-time during their friendly defeat by Denmark in midweek.
Eriksson looked on impassively as Defoe turned to celebrate his goal - his second of the season - with his team-mates.
Five minutes later, though, Spurs had England goalkeeper and captain Paul Robinson to thank for preserving their lead when he dived to his left to tip a Downing free-kick around the post.
Boro had introduced Mark Viduka in place of Yakubu at the break, but it was Hasselbaink who again squandered a chance to level matters when he got clear of the Spurs defence in the 56th minute.
In the 66th minute one-time Tottenham target Downing had the chance to equalise, but after a clever one-two with Viduka, he burst into the area and fired his shot over the crossbar with just Robinson to beat.
To add insult to Boro's increasing frustration, Hasselbaink was yellow-carded for a foul on Erik Edman a minute later.
Tottenham were gifted a second goal in the 75th minute when Schwarzer allowed Mido's tame shot from the edge of the area to roll underneath his body and into the net.
Defoe was then replaced by Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keane for the remaining 12 minutes.
Routledge injury blow
Martin Jol revealed that Wayne Routledge had been ruled out of action for up to two months after Tottenham hit the top of the Premiership for the first time in three years with a 2-0 win
over Middlesbrough at White Hart Lane.
Jol, refusing to get carried away by Spurs' flying start, was more concerned at losing Routledge's services.
'Our league position is not that important at this stage of the season,' he said. 'Why should you go mad after only two games?
'Getting a settled team is very important to us but now Wayne is going to be out for months, not weeks as we first thought.
'He has a stress fracture of the foot and the doctor has since spoken with us to confirm that it was worse than we first thought. He is out for up to two months now.'
However, Jol was more than pleased with striker Jermain Defoe and believes England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to substitute him at half-time against Denmark in midweek, worked in Tottenham's favour.
Jol said: 'We needed something special and Jermain gave us that something special. That's why he is the dangerman.
'Maybe it was not bad for us that he played only 45 minutes for England.'
The Dutch coach also paid tribute to Edgar Davids who played a pivotal midfield role in Tottenham's victory - secured with a soft second when Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer allowed Mido's soft shot to roll underneath his body.
'It was Edgar's first game for months and he was a hero,' said Jol. 'He was exactly what I had in mind. We will be better both mentally and physically because of him.
'In the second half we dropped off and they played well. We needed that second goal because they had two clear cut chances and in the end it could have been a draw.'
Jol's assessment was echoed by Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren who felt aggrieved that his side had not earned anything from the game.
McClaren fumed: 'I feel aggrieved and angry with the result. But football is about what happens in each penalty area.
'Mark Schwarzer made a mistake for their second goal but people were just as guilty at the other end. Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson pulled off two magnificent saves and I was pleased with the game as a whole.
'We have got to take that forward but I don't think there was much between both teams today and I expect both teams to be up at there at the end of the season.'
McClaren also felt that both Tottenham's England players, Robinson and Defoe, bounced back in style from the international defeat to the Danes - England's biggest setback under Sven-Goran Eriksson.
He added: 'I think you saw two England players who bounced back from the other night in Denmark. it was a case for us of getting to half-time without conceding and then taking it from there.
'I felt Mark Viduka came on at half-time and made a big difference but the second goal came at the wrong time for us. Mark (Schwarzer) made a mistake and he knows it but we had enough chances at the other end to have got something from the game.'
posted by dgarden at 8:30 am
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