UEAF CUP: Tottenham 1 Slavia 0

Robbie Keane earned Spurs a place in the group stages of the UEFA Cup with a second-half winner at White Hart Lane.

Keane struck his first of the season 10 minutes from time to end Slavia Prague's stubborn resistance.

The Republic of Ireland international drilled a low shot into the bottom corner after Pascal Chimbonda's cross had been chested into his path by substitute Hossam Ghaly.

But coach Martin Jol now has three weeks to find the right midfield blend or face the realistic prospect of an exit from the UEFA Cup in the group phase.

Tottenham's European aspirations will certainly face more testing examinations than that provided by Prague and the inability of Jol's side to make light work of their inexperienced opponents hardly bodes well for the rest of their campaign.

Prague, just as they had done in the opening leg, were content to stifle the life out of the English club and the game.

Admittedly Spurs were hampered by a lengthy injury list but there was little to suggest the north London side are ready to overcome the best the UEFA Cup has to offer in the group phase.

The home side, without a goal in the Barclays Premiership for seven hours and 13 minutes, started brightly but their initial optimism was soon stifled by the resolute Czech defence.

Indeed, Prague soon demonstrated they were in London to make a fight of it when Tomas Hrdlicka fired a shot just wide Paul Robinson's left-hand post in the fifth minute.

Spurs, with Swiss international Reto Ziegler providing some much needed width on the left flank, gave the Czech side plenty to do inside the opening 10 minutes.

In the 27th minute Robbie Keane hit the side netting with a header after a Jenas corner had found him unmarked at the far post.

But it was an isolated chance for Spurs although they did manage to conjure on opening for Mido in the 36th minute only for the Egyptian striker to turn Chimbonda's cross wide of the post.

Five minutes before the break Pavel Fort forced Paul Robinson into his first real save of the game with a clever header.

It was yet another indication that Prague were still in the tie and in the 41st minute Keane made matters worse for Spurs with a glaring miss.

Murphy's cross eluded the Prague defence and fell kindly to the feet of the Republic of Ireland striker eight yards out.

But the Irishman's shot was pushed to safety by Prague goalkeeper Matus Kozacik.

Three minutes after the restart Prague almost concocted an equaliser when Matej Krajcik sent his angled 20-yard drive just inches over Robinson's crossbar.

It was another wake-up call for Jol's side and one they failed to heed as moments later Krajcik sent another drive just beyond the crossbar from a similar range.

In the 61st minute Jol replaced Ziegler with Teemu Tainio and seconds later Spurs almost went ahead on the night but Martin Latka headed the ball clear under pressure from Davenport when Chimbonda's cross looked to have undone the Czech defence.

Tainio's first contribution to the game was to receive a yellow card for dissent after kicking the ball away in the 69th minute following a foul on Krajcik.

But Tottenham's relief was overwhelming in the 80th minute when Keane finally found the net.

It was hardly a convincing performance but Spurs will take their place in the draw for the group stage and Jol will be hoping the treatment room will have become less congested than it currently is.

Keane's goal gave Spurs a 2-0 aggregate lead and, given Prague's limited attacking options, it was always going to be sufficient for the north London side.

Two minutes from time Prague substitute Stanislav Vlcek sent a volley just wide of Robinson's left-hand post to underline their frailties once more.

It was not the last of the action though as Tottenham's Mido contrived to head the ball wide of the post with the goal at his mercy in the final seconds.

Martin Jol admitted Slavia Prague gave them some anxious moments as Tottenham progressed to the group stages of the UEFA Cup.

Spurs were pushed hard all the way by the Czech side and it required a goal 10 minutes from time Robbie Keane to settle their nerves and give them a 2-0 aggregate win.

Jol's side were ravaged by injuries but they still had just enough quality to make it through to Tuesday's draw for the next phase of the competition.

'It was important to get through to the next round. We started off well and had a couple of chances,' said the Spurs manager.

'But then you felt it might be one of those games again only we were leading from the first leg.

'They played better in the second half than they did in Prague but we had five or six good opportunities before Robbie did what we know he can.

'Robbie can score goals out of nothing but they made it very difficult and we made it difficult for ourselves.

'Robbie was telling us how he used to have nightmares about not scoring when he was younger but he's an experienced and gifted player.

'We were waiting for him to score and it wasn't easy for him. Prague made us pretty nervous.

'If we hadn't gone through it would have been a disaster and you cannot say that we did a lot for our confidence. We are still not there yet.'

Slavia coach Karel Jarolim felt his side still gave Spurs a touch too much respect but was satisfied with his team's display.

Jarolim said: 'We wanted to try and keep the scores level for as long as we could and make Spurs nervous.

'In the second half we played more attacking and we had more chances. We could have taken the lead and 1-0 would have made the end more dramatic.

'Tottenham had chances but the golden ones came near the end. In the first half maybe some of our players were influenced by the atmosphere in the stadium.

'But I still think we gave their players too much respect and played the ball wide when we could have pushed it through the defence.

'But overall I am very satisfied with the performance of my team.'

Jol was without captain and centre-half Ledley King but the Dutchman is hopeful he will be back to face Portsmouth in the Barclays Premiership on Sunday.

'He will try to be back. Hopefully he can make it and the same applies to Dimitar Berbatov and Jermain Defoe,' said Jol.

'There is an international game and it would be helpful if they could play. But if they are not fit for us, then they won't play for their countries.

'If they cannot play for us then they are not fit. We cannot stop them being assessed by their country's medical people but Berbatov has not played for us for four weeks so I don't see how he can play two games for his country.'

每 一 天

( 不知道創作者是誰, 但寫得太好了 ! )

我用心祈禱
神終於感動了
神問我的願望是什麼
我說要我所有的朋友們, 一生幸福平安

神說行 但只能七天
我說好
星期一到星期七

神說不行 只能四天
我說好
春天 夏天 秋天 冬天

神說不行 只能三天
我說好
昨天 今天 明天

神說不行 只能兩天
我說好
白天 黑天

神又說不行 只能一天
我說好
在我活著的每一天

最後神哭了
我 笑 了

Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham

Two excellent victories in four days have put Liverpool's season firmly back on course.

Second-half goals from Mark Gonzalez, Dirk Kuyt and John Arne Riise secured a comfortable win for Rafael Benitez's side but for Tottenham these are worrying times.

Spurs spent heavily in the summer but have lost four of their first six league games and must wonder just what has gone wrong for a side who so nearly qualified for the Champions League last season.

Liverpool will not be bothered by the Londoners' woe, however. They go into their Champions League clash with Galatasaray in fine form.

They toiled somewhat in the first period as Benitez maintained his rotation policy - no doubt with Wednesday in mind - by leaving out Jamie Carragher, Luis Garcia and Fabio Aurelio from the side that beat Newcastle in midweek.

Riise returned after an ankle injury. Also recalled were Sami Hyypia and Mark Gonzalez. The Liverpool manager has now made 19 changes in six Premiership games this term.

Spurs, with their worst start to a league campaign in 14 years and 13 of those since they last won at Anfield, fielded an unchanged side from the one that drew with Fulham last time out in the league.

They found out that Hyypia does not like being left on the bench much, if his first two tackles were anything to go by. His first took out fellow Finn, Teemu Tainio and earned him a warning from referee Howard Webb, while the second was perfectly legal but pole-axed Jermain Defoe.

Liverpool attempted to take the initiative. Craig Bellamy with a 20-yard shot over the top, and then a bouncing effort from Xabi Alonso - who the crowd begged to shoot from any range after his midweek stunner - also just missing the target.

Spurs were intent on deep defence, at times all 10 outfield players were less than 30 yards from Paul Robinson, while trying to set Defoe free with long balls from the back.

Robbie Keane was almost put through by one pass from Danny Murphy, Hyypia getting a toe in the way, but the onus was on Liverpool to open up the Londoners.

Ledley King got a touch on a Murphy free-kick, the ball bouncing just wide before Liverpool felt they should have had a penalty when the ball hit King on the arm.

Then Pascal Chimbonda forced a Gonzalez corner away before Mohamed Sissoko saw a shot blocked. The tempo was quicker but Spurs were getting more possession as well as extra men forward.

King and Michael Dawson worked to contain Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt, with Steven Gerrard belatedly getting into the game with surges from the right flank.

There was more urgency about Liverpool after the break but anxiety crept in when Bellamy got in the way of Kuyt as the Dutchman sent a header over the bar, with the Welshman also just failing to get on the end of a low cross from his strike partner.

Gonzalez, too, was more involved and the supply of crosses from both flanks increased.

On 55 minutes, a Gonzalez corner found Alonso racing in on the edge of the box but this time his effort sailed high into the Kop.

Spurs sent on Edgar Davids for Tainio on the hour as it seemed the visitors might get something from the game so frequently were Liverpool conceding possession in midfield, Alonso frequently at fault.

The turning point came on 61 minutes. Davids got away on the left and set up Jenas two yards out, the midfielder somehow missing the far post.

And as he lay in the six-yard box in sheer disbelief, Liverpool broke away and took the lead.

Gerrard crossed from the right and Bellamy hit the post from close range, the ball breaking for Gonzalez to fire his first league goal for the club into the bottom corner.

Hyypia was booked for a foul on Didier Zokora, with Luis Garcia coming on for Bellamy.

Then Kuyt struck a classic strikers' goal on 73 minutes. Luis Garcia's pass threaded into the box and Kuyt latched on to it, cracking a fine shot high into the net.

Gerrard was in an offside position to his right, but as Spurs momentarily stopped, the Dutchman had eyes only for the back of the net.

Four minutes later, Liverpool sent on Aurelio for Gonzalez, with Spurs replacing Murphy with Mido on 79 minutes, but surely now the extra striker was too late to save the Londoners.

Liverpool sent on Carragher for Alonso with six minutes left, Benitez not a man to take even the slightest risk with points seemingly in the bag.

But that did not stop Riise from rubbing salt in Spurs' wounds with a stunning drive from 30 yards in the 89th minute.

Liverpool goalscorer Dirk Kuyt admits a glaring miss by Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas was the turning point in the Reds' 3-0 victory at Anfield.

The hosts made it two league victories in four days while Spurs slumped to yet another defeat.

Rafael Benitez's side have clearly got their season back on track with second-half goals from Mark Gonzalez, Kuyt and John Arne Riise, but after spending heavily in the summer, Spurs have now lost four of their first six league games.

They should have been ahead through Jenas - who somehow missed from two yards - before Liverpool punished them with two strikes in 10 minutes and Riise finished the job in the final seconds.

'We had a difficult day, we had to work really hard for the 3-0,' Kuyt told Sky Sports.

'Spurs are a very good team and they played well first half. In the second we did well, created chances and got the goals. That's the main thing.

'The game changed when they missed the open goal and we scored straight after. It was not so funny for them.

'My goal today was a great goal but I still have to play better for the team. I have a lot more confidence now and hope to move on and make more goals.'

Tottenham 0 Fulham 0

Tottenham's desire to kick-start their season after a successful midweek excursion into Europe backfired on them in a goalless draw against stubborn Fulham at White Hart Lane.

One victory, over Barclays Premiership whipping boys Sheffield United, is all Martin Jol's side have to show for their efforts and, despite success over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup, they have now failed to find the net in the league for 270 minutes.

Indeed, only injured striker Dimitar Berbatov and midfielder Jermaine Jenas can lay claim to having scored for the club during their worst start to a Premiership season for 11 years.

It is certainly far from the start which Jol envisaged after last season's exploits and while injuries have robbed him of the services of England winger Aaron Lennon and Berbatov, there are much deeper concerns for the Dutchman.

The sale of Michael Carrick to Manchester United this summer may have brought the club a healthy financial windfall but the failure to adequately replace his clever passing ability is already beginning to expose Tottenham's midfield weaknesses.

Jol admits he is yet to find the right blend in that department but the inclusion of Danny Murphy against Fulham would have offered him no further clues as to the solution.

Fulham were clearly in no mood to make life any easier for Jol's side and pushed the ball around confidently in the opening exchanges.

Their early intent was underlined by Collins John in the sixth minute. He robbed Didier Zokora and, after running unchallenged into the Spurs half, left fly from 20 yards with a shot that forced Paul Robinson into a save.

Spurs dominated the opening half for long periods but the forwards were starved of the kind of service which Carrick's passing skills would have provided.

In the 21st minute Robbie Keane's touch let him down and it allowed Fulham keeper Antti Niemi to collect the ball off the Irishman's toes after he had been put in the clear by Jenas.

In the 29th minute Spurs should really have taken the lead when Jenas' cross found Teemu Tainio on the edge of the penalty area.

However, the Finland international sent his left-foot shot wide of the target .

But it was the spark the home side had been searching for and seconds later a Pascal Chimbonda header caused panic in the Fulham defence as Spurs attempted to capitalise on their new-found initiative.

But Fulham were content to soak up the pressure and Zat Knight and Ian Pearce dealt with most of Tottenham's endeavours more than comfortably.

Five minutes before the interval though, Spurs almost broke the stalemate when Liam Rosenior failed to deal with a cross from Jenas and Benoit Assou-Ekotto brought a fine save from Niemi with a right-foot drive.

Fulham, with just one defeat from their opening four matches, took the game to Spurs after the interval and Moritz Volz sent an 18-yard shot wide of the target in the 47th minute.

The Cottagers clearly felt the game was theirs for the taking and continued to cause the home side problems on the counter attack.

Mido's booking for handball in the 49th minute seemed to sum-up Tottenham's growing frustration. The Egyptian striker attempted to use his arm to divert Ledley King's cross into the net and referee Mark Clattenburg showed him little sympathy.

In the 57th minute Spurs hit the woodwork through Mido after powerful run by Didier Zokora had given the Egyptian striker the opportunity to beat Niemi from a tight angle.

However, the former Roma striker sent his shot against the crossbar as the Fulham defence waited for a cross.

Fulham replaced the ineffective Brian McBride with Heidar Helguson in the 65th minute while Jol sent on Jermain Defoe in place of Tainio four minutes later.

The change almost brought instant rewards for Spurs when, in the 75th minute, a combination of Luis Boa Morte and Helguson kept Chimbonda's header out of the net.

Boa Morte hurt his cheekbone in a collision with his team-mate as he cleared Chimbonda's header off the line and was substituted by Tomasz Radzinksi.

Two minutes from time Fulham almost stole all three points when Volz brought a fine save from Paul Robinson with a powerful 20-yard drive.

But Tottenham's poor start to the season continued unchecked with Jol still searching for the answer to Carrick's departure.

UEFA CUP Round One 1st Leg Slavia Prague 0 Tottenham 1

A first-half goal from Jermaine Jenas gave lacklustre Tottenham the advantage over a poor Slavia Prague side on the north London club's return to the European stage.

Spurs produced a performance that mirrored their rather inauspicious start to the Premiership campaign in tonight's UEFA Cup first round first leg clash.

Without the services of England winger Aaron Lennon - sidelined once more with a knee injury which would appear to need surgery to cure - Martin Jol's men were strangely lacking in passion against their inexperienced opponents.

Spurs have failed to find the net in three of their four Premiership games this season and even with England's Jermain Defoe restored to the starting line-up alongside Mido, they again looked distinctly short of a cutting edge.

It was Tottenham's first European game since they were knocked of the UEFA Cup by German side Kaiserslautern seven years ago - but they found it difficult to find any kind of rhythm in the opening exchanges.

Slavia may not have possessed the same kind of quality as their illustrious opponents but they matched the Premiership side for effort and endeavour in all departments in the opening 20 minutes.

Paul Robinson who was first forced into action when Dusan Svento's promising run and cross forced the England goalkeeper to punch the ball clear.

On the half-hour Spurs forced Prague's substitute goalkeeper Matus Kozacik into action just moments after he'd replaced injured Michal Vorel.

Kozacik dived to his right to ensure Pascal Chimbonda's header did not find its way into the corner after the Spurs right-back had met Jenas' corner at the far post.

Spurs finally took the lead with their first clever move of the game in the 38th minute - and it was made entirely by the powerful run of fellow midfielder Didier Zokora.

The Ivorian ran fully 50 yards unchallenged before laying the ball off to the waiting Jenas, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner for his second goal of the season.

It was Tottenham's first away goal in Europe since Gordon Durie netted against SC Stockerau in a European Cup Winners' Cup preliminary round 15 years ago.

The powerful Zokora produced another 60-yard run in the 47th minute before delivering a clever cross onto the head of Defoe.

The England man brought a save from Kozacik with a deft header which lacked the power to beat him.

But Zokora's contribution to the midfield was the main plus point for Spurs as he began to produce the kind of form which prompted the club to spend £8.2million.

Slavia then enjoyed their best spell of the game and almost got back on level terms in the 61st minute when Tomas Hrdlicka sent a left-foot effort just wide of Robinson's right-hand post.

The home side were now causing Spurs some real problems and in the 67th minute Robinson pulled off a double save to preserve Tottenham's lead, beating away a Svento free-kick before denying Stanislav Vlcek.

Tottenham were now beginning struggle in midfield and in the 71st minute Jol opted to replace Tom Huddlestone with the experience of Dutch veteran Edgar Davids.

In the 72nd minute Robinson had to be nimble to clear the ball from the onrushing Vlcek as the home side continued to push for an equaliser.

Tottenham coach Jol replaced Defoe with Robbie Keane in the 79th minute and the Republic of Ireland striker immediately began to provide the visitors with more guile in attack.

Keane almost added to Tottenham's lead in the 87th minute when he raced on to a through-ball from Jenas - only to see his shot beaten away by the onrushing Kozacik.

But Spurs had done enough to take a crucial away goal lead back to White Hart Lane for the return leg on September 28 - even though the performance was hardly the stuff on which their European traditions had been founded.

Man Utd 1 Tottenham 0

Ryan Giggs' instinctive header preserved Manchester United's 100% start to the season, but the Red Devils were forced to survive some nervy moments before claiming their 1-0 win over Tottenham.

The evergreen Welshman reacted fastest when Paul Robinson failed to hold Cristiano Ronaldo's brutal free-kick and his header proved the difference between the two sides, allowing United to return to the top of the table, leapfrogging Everton and Portsmouth, who had both taken their place earlier in the day.

Giggs was by some distance United's most dangerous attacking threat, although his second goal in successive matches owed much to Ronaldo's ninth-minute free-kick.

When Edgar Davids flattened Saha 40 yards out, it appeared to be a good free-kick to concede, but England keeper Paul Robinson could only parry it straight at Giggs, who headed in off the underside of the bar.

However, from the point Giggs briefly departed for treatment to a nose left bloodied by an accidental forearm from Didier Zokora, Tottenham slowly began to gain control and United were indebted to the agility of Edwin van der Sar either side of the break.

The giant Dutchman made a superb double point-blank save to defy Michael Dawson and Ledley King, who was making a long-awaited return to action following a knee injury.

Van der Sar then backpedalled impressively to claw over a looping rebound from a duel between Ronaldo and Pascal Chimbonda.

The introduction of Jermain Defoe for a clearly unhappy Robbie Keane offered the visitors another attacking dimension and it took the last of a trio of excellent blocks from Wes Brown to deny the England man an equaliser.

However, United fans in another record 75,433 crowd would have had their nerves settled if Louis Saha had not wasted two glorious chances near the end.

Sir Alex Ferguson hailed evergreen Ryan Giggs as 'one of the greatest players of all time' after the Welshman helped preserve Manchester United's best start to a Premiership campaign.

The first half effort, his second goal in as many United games, just added weight to the argument Giggs is producing the most consistent form of his career at the age of 32.

Ferguson does not believe the theory to be true, but the United boss is of the opinion that Giggs' greater experience is helping him to make a telling impact on a regular basis.

'Ryan is showing experience and maturity,' said Ferguson.

'The ability has always been there. He has been a fantastic player at this club, there is no question about that.

'He will go down as one of the greatest players of all time and he is using his experience to get the best from himself.'

After seeing first Arsenal, then Chelsea strike early in previous title-winning campaigns over the past three seasons, now Ferguson feels it is United's turn.

Eleven points in front of the Gunners - who visit Old Trafford next week - eight head of Liverpool and three clear of Chelsea, Ferguson is now calling on his team to make their early ascendancy count.

'We have said in the past few years how teams have got off to a good start and never stopped,' observed Ferguson.

'The Premiership title is about sometimes playing great football, sometimes having a bit of luck, sometimes gritting your teeth and sometimes getting through by sheer determination to get over the line.

'Now, we hope to get on the type of roll which would leave our players feeling we can to it this season.'

Having lost Aaron Lennon to a worrying knee injury in training yesterday, Tottenham boss Martin Jol was proud of the way his side performed.

But he lamented the missed chances which cost Tottenham the chance to record a third successive draw at Old Trafford.

However, he apportioned no blame to Robinson, who was deceived by the flight of Ronaldo's free-kick.

'It was a terrific shot, if a stupid goal,' he said.

'At half-time I asked Paul if he felt he should have punched it but I had a look at it again on the video and the shot swerved a lot to his left, so he could not do anything about it.'

England star Aaron Lennon could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in training yesterday.

The 19-year-old winger, a second-half substitute in the Euro 2008 qualifying win over Macedonia in Skopje on Wednesday, was expected to be in the Tottenham side to face Manchester United at Old Trafford this evening.

Instead, Lennon missed the 1-0 defeat, with Tottenham boss Martin Jol confirming he is awaiting the results of tests on the knee.

With important UEFA Cup and Barclays Premiership assignments to come over the next month, Jol will be desperate to have one of his key men fit, as will England boss Steve McClaren as Lennon would be an automatic choice in the squad for next month's double-header with Macedonia and Croatia.

'Aaron was injured in training yesterday so he could not be considered for today's game,' said Jol, who appeared particularly downbeat.

'There could be a problem with the cartilage in his knee.

'We will make an assessment on him tomorrow, when we will probably know the extent of the damage for sure.'

Macedonia 0 England 1 : Crouch rescues England

Peter Crouch just keeps on scoring, and goal number 11 secured three crucial points for England in Macedonia.

Steve McClaren's England were made to work extremely hard by the team ranked 67th in the world. But they stuck at their task and left Skopje with the win thanks to a volley from Crouch which rattled the bar and bounced just over the line.

McClaren had warned his players this would be tough against an erratic team capable of pulling off shock results.

Macedonia drew twice with Holland in the qualifiers for the World Cup and they looked as if they fancied their chances of embarrassing England.

Srecko Katanec's team caused their share of problems for McClaren's back four, who must have been relieved when the final whistle sounded.

Macedonia produced a strong finish and Ashley Cole was forced to scramble the ball off the line in the closing moments.

In the end, England passed the first real test under the new regime thanks to another Crouch goal. His incredible international scoring record is now 11 goals from 14 appearances.

All of them have come in six months since March, when he opened his account in a friendly against Uruguay at Anfield.

Wayne Rooney will be back from suspension for the next game against Macedonia at Old Trafford - but Crouch looks impossible to drop.

England struggled to find the rhythm they had enjoyed in the friendly against Greece and the win against Andorra.

Fussy French referee Bertrand Layec did not help the flow with his constant whistling.

Ilco Naumoski was lucky to stay on the pitch, however, in the ninth minute.

Naumoski collected a stupid booking after only 26 seconds for trying to obstruct Paul Robinson as he took a kick. Then the Macedonia striker, chasing a ball down his team's left, used his elbow to poke it past Phil Neville.

Layec must have seen it because he gave a free-kick but he opted not to show a second yellow card for deliberate handball.

England were slow to find their passing range on a dry and difficult surface but they carved out three good first-half chances thanks to long-throws from Phil Neville.

It may have been crude but it proved effective with beanpole Crouch causing problems for defenders.

First, Crouch forced goalkeeper Jane Nikoloski to make his first save in the 25th minute when he got his head to one.

Then a Neville throw was allowed to bounce in the penalty area and Jermain Defoe tried his luck with an overhead kick.

He was off-target and missed another sharp chance before the break when Crouch flicked a Neville throw to him and the Spurs striker fired over.

England took control as half-time approached but needed a brave block from Terry to stay level, three minutes before the break.

Terry hurled himself in front of a fierce shot from Velice Sumulikoski.

The England skipper was then on the spot to clear the danger when Macedonia's Lazio striker Goran Pandev beat Rio Ferdinand in the air.

Ferdinand, in for Wes Brown, was the only change to the team who started against Andorra on Saturday.

Frank Lampard, subdued against Andorra, started to impose himself on the midfield as the game went on.

The Chelsea midfielder caught a 25-yarder sweetly in the final minute of the first half and forced Nikoloski into a full-length save.

Seconds after the break, Macedonia's keeper was beaten by Crouch and England had the breathing space they wanted.

Lampard was at the heart of the move, chasing into the penalty box on the right to force a mistake.

He picked up the loose ball and turned it back across the face of goal, where Crouch adjusted well to produce a volley with his right foot.

The shot hit the underside of the bar and bounced down, the whole of the ball crossing the line.

Macedonia scrambled it away but the linesman was alert and referee Layec signalled a goal.

The goal eased English nerves which were starting to jangle a little. Crouch went close again in the 59th minute when he unleashed a drive from just inside the box.

The Liverpool hitman struck it well but his effort was narrowly off-target.

Gerrard forced Nikoloski to make another diving save and Terry was wide with a snapshot from Lampard's corner.

The England captain also remained rock-solid in defence, twice making vital interceptions in his own penalty area.

Robinson was forced to make a rare save, 17 minutes from time, to deny Pandev.

Artim Sakiri shaved the post with a low shot after coming on as a sub and Cole was forced to clear off the line from Darko Tasevski in a breathless finish.

Steve McClaren paid tribute to the spirit and resilience of his England team as the new manager maintained his 100% record.

Peter Crouch volleyed the only goal of the game in the 46th minute against Macedonia but England needed a late goal-line clearance from Ashley Cole to cling on.

It is three wins out of three for McClaren, who missed Crouch's winner because he was still in the dressing room after giving his half-time instructions.

McClaren said: 'We knew Macedonia were a good team. We expected them to be strong at home and they were.

'It was a test for the team and the team came through.

'Teams win games away from home in Europe and we won because we played as a team.

'We defended magnificently throughout and deprived Macedonia of any clear-cut chances.

'We knew we would have to defend very well. We needed the second goal but it didn't happen and we knew we would come under pressure.'

Crouch's goal, which hit the bar and bounced over the line, takes his international tally to 11 in 14 games.

McClaren said: 'It is phenomenal. He is a threat. He leads the line well and a took a lot of stick.

'I thought he was unfortunate with a lot of the decisions from the referee tonight but he stuck at his task.

'He is an opportunist and he took his opportunity well - even though I missed.

'I had finished my half-time team-talk and the players went out but I was having a bit of a think about the second half.

'It's something I've done in the past and it's worked and it worked again.

'I saw it on a TV monitor as I came down the tunnel. It was a pretty good goal.'

England came under pressure in the closing stages as Macedonia, roared on by their noisy fans, pressed for an equaliser.

McClaren said: 'Macedonia threw a lot of balls into the box and anything can happen.

'We defended well. That's why we put people on the line. They did their jobs and we did ours. That's the most important thing.

'The back-four and the goalkeeper were fantastic. John Terry was phenomenal. He leads by example and I'm delighted for him. It's his first away game as captain and we've won.'

2 soccer England quotes reopens

Macedonia boss Srecko Katanec claimed his team had 'gifted' the game with England with a defensive mistake which led to Crouch's goal, just seconds after the half-time break.

Katanec said: 'It was a gift victory for England because we made a big mistake in front of goal to make it 1-0.

'I hope England will be generous hosts in the next game and gift us a goal like we gave to them.'

England's next game is against Macedonia at Old Trafford, next month.

England 5 Andorra 0

Steve McClaren is making things look easy, with his first two games in charge yielding two wins and nine goals.

Clearly there are far tougher tests ahead for the new boss - but his team followed up the 4-0 defeat of Greece by going one better against an awful Andorra team at Old Trafford.

And, as his sports psychologist would say, you can only beat what is in front of you.

Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch scored two goals each and Steven Gerrard blasted the other as McClaren's team started their European Championship qualifying campaign with a bang.

It is six years since England really spanked one of Europe's minnows in a qualification game - with Luxembourg losing 6-0 win at Wembley under Kevin Keegan.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's philosophy seemed to be that 2-0 was as good as five or six but McClaren claims to be different and, to be fair, Andorra deserved a good hiding.

They came to defend but were a goal down after five minutes.

When they tried to bolster their defence to avoid embarrassment, England showed no mercy.

There were even glimpses of the dirty tricks McClaren had warned his players about before the game.

The Andorrans over-reacted to the slightest touch and their tackling became nastier as the game wore on - but England survived without serious injuries or red cards.

Once Crouch had struck, early in the game, it was downhill all the way for the little nation of 70,000 best known as a ski resort on the border of France and Spain.

Defoe received the ball with his back to goal, turned a tucked a neat pass into the path of Ashley Cole.

The left-back's first touch poked the ball to Crouch and he supplied a measured left-foot finish.

Andorra were reeling from England's high-tempo opening.

Defoe dragged a great chance wide, Frank Lampard forced a save from Jesus Luis Alvarez and John Terry smashed over from close-range.

That was all inside the first ten minutes and there were 13 on the clock when Gerrard made it 2-0 with an unstoppable drive.

Cole charged down the left again and this time was found by his new Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard.

The full-back clipped a cross to the back-post where it was missed by Javier Sanchez, leaving Gerrard to control it on his chest and rifle it into the top corner.

Andorra went into damage-limitation mode, dropping everyone back behind the ball.

England may have faced two banks of four on previous occasions but here they had to break down two banks of five.

The visitors left no-one up front and sometimes just hoofed the ball into the empty spaces behind the England back-four for Terry or Wes Brown to retrieve.

Owen Hargreaves snapped around in midfield winning the ball on the odd occasions when Andorra managed a touch.

Hargreaves also came within inches of his first England goal, rattling the woodwork once in each half.

Gerrard, who terrorised Sanchez throughout the first half, skipped past the defender again to set up the third.

He dashed down the England right and his cross was met with a left-foot volley from Defoe.

Andorra boss took pity on Sanchez at half-time and replaced him with his namesake Julia Sanchez.

It was a first England goal in nearly two years for Defoe.

He was denied a second by a reflex save from Alvarez before the break but made it 4-0 at the start of the second half.

Defoe crept in behind the Andorra centre-halves when they failed to clear a long looping header from Phil Neville and, this time, he gave the keeper no chance.

Hargreaves rattled the post again with a right foot drive from distance.

McClaren sent on subs Aaron Lennon and Kieran Richardson and used the last 25 minutes to experiment with three at the back - Cole, Terry and Brown.

Straight away Crouch made it five, finishing a Lennon cross with a good header.

It was his 10th in his last 10 England games, 10 in 13 overall, and he has developed a habit of cashing in against the minnows.

The Liverpool hitman scored a hat-trick against Jamaica before the World Cup and broke the deadlock against Trinidad and Tobago in Germany.

Andrew Johnson came on for Defoe and set-up a hat-trick chance for Crouch, 10 minutes from time, but he slid it wide.

The only disappointment for McClaren will have been an unnecessary booking for Brown, for a high challenge on Oscar Sonejee in the last minute of the first half.