Blackburn 1 Tottenham 1
Veteran Blackburn playmaker Tugay endured the highs and lows of football as his side had to settle for a point at home to Tottenham today.
He made the breakthrough with a stunning 25-yard volley only to be sent off in an incident which led to Spurs' equaliser.
Tugay was adjudged to have hauled back Hossam Ghaly, and Jermain Defoe scored from the penalty spot.
Ghaly was later sent off in this Barclays Premiership match between the UEFA Cup contenders.
Shabani Nonda found the net for Blackburn after only seven minutes following a through ball from David Bentley - but his effort was ruled out for offside. p>• Gray slams Tugay dismissal
Tottenham responded two minutes later, and Young-Pyo Lee swung in a deep cross from the right - forcing Brett Emerton to head over his own bar.
Then Edgar Davids tried his luck from 25 yards, only to see his effort whistle past the post.
A poor clearance from Andre Ooijer was picked up by Mido, who snatched at the half-chance in the 14th minute and failed to test goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
Blackburn took the lead in the 22nd minute with a stunning 25-yard volley from Tugay which gave England number one Paul Robinson no chance at all.
The former Turkey player, 36, latched on to a clearance from Ledley King to fire an unstoppable shot into the corner.
It was only Tugay's second goal of the season, and the other was something special as well - an instinctive strike from distance in the UEFA Cup victory against Basle.
Tottenham were rattled, and Mido was booked in the 26th minute after a tussle with Stephane Henchoz.
Defoe then got away from Henchoz and fired in a shot which Friedel did well to parry in the 33rd minute.
Blackburn were again on the back foot three minutes later when Defoe made space for himself on the edge of the area, but his effort cleared the bar.
Defoe was looking lively up front, but Tottenham were struggling to get their game together in the winter chill.
Blackburn carved out a good opening in the 43rd minute when Emerton delivered a cross from the right. Morten Gamst Pedersen came in at the back post but was marginally off target with his header.
Mido twice found room in stoppage time, but on each occasion his finish was wasteful.
The Egyptian glanced a header into the net in the 47th minute, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
However, it was a warning shot to Blackburn and emphasised just how slim their advantage was.
Tottenham were beginning to knock the ball around, and Defoe was putting in a hard shift.
They drew level in the 61st minute when Defoe scored from the penalty spot, after Tugay was ruled to have brought down Ghaly.
Referee Phil Dowd made the decision after speaking to his assistant.
To make matter worse for the home side Tugay was sent off - leaving them with ten men.
Blackburn then had loud appeals for a penalty waved away when Mido appeared to handle in the penalty area.
Manager Mark Hughes was enraged at what he saw was a clear injustice.
With a man to the good, Tottenham continued to press forward in a difficult spell for Blackburn.
Benni McCarthy almost regained the lead for Blackburn in the 78th minute after a cross from Michael Gray.
He back-heeled the ball from six yards out, but Robinson was alert and made the save.
Defoe came off with eight minutes to go and was replaced by Dimitar Berbatov.
Ghaly was dismissed in stoppage time for elbowing Gray.
Spurs boss Martin Jol was incensed at losing Ghaly - and was sent off himself for his protests.
• Gray slams Tugay dismissal Man of the match Michael Gray claimed the sending off of Blackburn team-mate Tugay was a key moment.
Gray told Sky Sports: 'Tugay is an honest guy - he was just running back and slipped. It certainly changes the game and it was farcical to send him off
'The linesman was trying to tell him he was last man. I can't see how he could see it anyway.'
On the Ghaly dismissal, he added: 'There was a few (elbows) flying around actually. If you are swinging your arm it can get dangerous. Maybe he got his just desserts, but I don't think we did as a team.
'We showed what we are all about today, the passion we showed was first class and if we had 11 men the result might have been different.
'We have been playing really well lately but everyone looks at the results. But we will get it right and be in the right half of the table at the end of the season.'
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes believes referee Phil Dowd was all that prevented his Rovers side from winning the game.
On the penalty conceded by Tugay, which also saw the player dismissed, he said: 'I'm incensed, it was genuine attempt to get across the guy, no intent whatsoever.
'We tried to get the assistant to change his mind but he decided to send him off. Mido clearly handballed soon afterwards and these are big decisions.
'This is three or four occasions this season when referees have not got these big decisions right.
He added: 'It has taken the edge off the game for Tugay. Everybody was very disappointed he was sent off because you want to see people like him play.'
And Hughes believes Rovers would have taken all three points but for the referee's intervention.
'It's a game we should have won comfortably,' he said. 'We were by far the most strong and powerful team and, with an even wicket, we would have won comfortably
'Mr Dowd did not have the best of games to say the least, I'm sure he would admit he has had a shocker.'
Tottenham manager Martin Jol claimed he did not deserve to be sent off for protesting after the dismissal of Ghaly for leading with his arm in an aerial challenge on Gray.
'It is an emotional game and I thing the referee was a bit emotional,' Jol said. 'All I wanted to do was protect my player. I said 'you are totally wrong' and he said `you can go as well'.
'Hopefully he will rethink the situation.'
On Ghaly's red card, he added: 'He never did something intentionally, so I think it was harsh.'
Jol also admitted his side found it difficult to break down 10-man Rovers when they reorganised after Tugay's dismissal on the hour.
'It is difficult,' he said. 'They were full of energy and tried to break us.
'It was an eventful last five minutes so we couldn't make it (the one-man advantage) count.
'If they had carried on playing with two strikers it would have been different, but their changes made it more difficult for us.'
He made the breakthrough with a stunning 25-yard volley only to be sent off in an incident which led to Spurs' equaliser.
Tugay was adjudged to have hauled back Hossam Ghaly, and Jermain Defoe scored from the penalty spot.
Ghaly was later sent off in this Barclays Premiership match between the UEFA Cup contenders.
Shabani Nonda found the net for Blackburn after only seven minutes following a through ball from David Bentley - but his effort was ruled out for offside. p>• Gray slams Tugay dismissal
Tottenham responded two minutes later, and Young-Pyo Lee swung in a deep cross from the right - forcing Brett Emerton to head over his own bar.
Then Edgar Davids tried his luck from 25 yards, only to see his effort whistle past the post.
A poor clearance from Andre Ooijer was picked up by Mido, who snatched at the half-chance in the 14th minute and failed to test goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
Blackburn took the lead in the 22nd minute with a stunning 25-yard volley from Tugay which gave England number one Paul Robinson no chance at all.
The former Turkey player, 36, latched on to a clearance from Ledley King to fire an unstoppable shot into the corner.
It was only Tugay's second goal of the season, and the other was something special as well - an instinctive strike from distance in the UEFA Cup victory against Basle.
Tottenham were rattled, and Mido was booked in the 26th minute after a tussle with Stephane Henchoz.
Defoe then got away from Henchoz and fired in a shot which Friedel did well to parry in the 33rd minute.
Blackburn were again on the back foot three minutes later when Defoe made space for himself on the edge of the area, but his effort cleared the bar.
Defoe was looking lively up front, but Tottenham were struggling to get their game together in the winter chill.
Blackburn carved out a good opening in the 43rd minute when Emerton delivered a cross from the right. Morten Gamst Pedersen came in at the back post but was marginally off target with his header.
Mido twice found room in stoppage time, but on each occasion his finish was wasteful.
The Egyptian glanced a header into the net in the 47th minute, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
However, it was a warning shot to Blackburn and emphasised just how slim their advantage was.
Tottenham were beginning to knock the ball around, and Defoe was putting in a hard shift.
They drew level in the 61st minute when Defoe scored from the penalty spot, after Tugay was ruled to have brought down Ghaly.
Referee Phil Dowd made the decision after speaking to his assistant.
To make matter worse for the home side Tugay was sent off - leaving them with ten men.
Blackburn then had loud appeals for a penalty waved away when Mido appeared to handle in the penalty area.
Manager Mark Hughes was enraged at what he saw was a clear injustice.
With a man to the good, Tottenham continued to press forward in a difficult spell for Blackburn.
Benni McCarthy almost regained the lead for Blackburn in the 78th minute after a cross from Michael Gray.
He back-heeled the ball from six yards out, but Robinson was alert and made the save.
Defoe came off with eight minutes to go and was replaced by Dimitar Berbatov.
Ghaly was dismissed in stoppage time for elbowing Gray.
Spurs boss Martin Jol was incensed at losing Ghaly - and was sent off himself for his protests.
• Gray slams Tugay dismissal Man of the match Michael Gray claimed the sending off of Blackburn team-mate Tugay was a key moment.
Gray told Sky Sports: 'Tugay is an honest guy - he was just running back and slipped. It certainly changes the game and it was farcical to send him off
'The linesman was trying to tell him he was last man. I can't see how he could see it anyway.'
On the Ghaly dismissal, he added: 'There was a few (elbows) flying around actually. If you are swinging your arm it can get dangerous. Maybe he got his just desserts, but I don't think we did as a team.
'We showed what we are all about today, the passion we showed was first class and if we had 11 men the result might have been different.
'We have been playing really well lately but everyone looks at the results. But we will get it right and be in the right half of the table at the end of the season.'
Blackburn manager Mark Hughes believes referee Phil Dowd was all that prevented his Rovers side from winning the game.
On the penalty conceded by Tugay, which also saw the player dismissed, he said: 'I'm incensed, it was genuine attempt to get across the guy, no intent whatsoever.
'We tried to get the assistant to change his mind but he decided to send him off. Mido clearly handballed soon afterwards and these are big decisions.
'This is three or four occasions this season when referees have not got these big decisions right.
He added: 'It has taken the edge off the game for Tugay. Everybody was very disappointed he was sent off because you want to see people like him play.'
And Hughes believes Rovers would have taken all three points but for the referee's intervention.
'It's a game we should have won comfortably,' he said. 'We were by far the most strong and powerful team and, with an even wicket, we would have won comfortably
'Mr Dowd did not have the best of games to say the least, I'm sure he would admit he has had a shocker.'
Tottenham manager Martin Jol claimed he did not deserve to be sent off for protesting after the dismissal of Ghaly for leading with his arm in an aerial challenge on Gray.
'It is an emotional game and I thing the referee was a bit emotional,' Jol said. 'All I wanted to do was protect my player. I said 'you are totally wrong' and he said `you can go as well'.
'Hopefully he will rethink the situation.'
On Ghaly's red card, he added: 'He never did something intentionally, so I think it was harsh.'
Jol also admitted his side found it difficult to break down 10-man Rovers when they reorganised after Tugay's dismissal on the hour.
'It is difficult,' he said. 'They were full of energy and tried to break us.
'It was an eventful last five minutes so we couldn't make it (the one-man advantage) count.
'If they had carried on playing with two strikers it would have been different, but their changes made it more difficult for us.'
posted by dgarden at 11:38 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home