Tottenham 4 Bolton 1

Robbie Keane scored twice and set up another against Bolton before getting sent off and watching Tottenham complete a 4-1 victory from the sidelines at White Hart Lane.

Spurs' stand-in captain took centre stage for 36 minutes, scoring either side of Jermaine Jenas' strike before being given a red card for handling on the line.

Gary Speed tucked away the penalty but the visitors, who missed their chance to go fourth in the Premiership, could not find another goal against 10-man Spurs.

Aaron Lennon added a fourth in stoppage time to complete a miserable day for Bolton.

Keane's cameo enhanced Spurs' chances of qualifying for Europe through the league, while Bolton's hopes of breaking into the Champions League were dented.

Keane's first goal had the hallmarks of his opener against Fulham in the FA Cup last week, with Paul Robinson's long clearance again setting up his opportunity.

Dimitar Berbatov took advantage of a Abdoulaye Meite slip to trap the ball and feed his strike partner, who lashed in with a volley off Jussi Jaaskelainen's near post for an 11th-minute lead.

Keane then tormented Bolton, but not before Robinson produced a reflex save to deny Stelios Giannakopoulos with a close-range header, the England goalkeeper maintaining his impressive recent form after being criticised earlier in the campaign.

With the lead still intact, Keane then set up Spurs' second in the 19th minute. Fed again by Berbatov, he approached the Bolton penalty area as defenders backed away. His shot was saved by Jaaskelainen but Jenas scuffed in for his fourth strike on five games.

Spurs were rampant, using the speed of Lennon and breaking with pace.

The third was started by the England winger, who spread the ball out to Pascal Chimbonda. After exchanging passes with Teemu Tainio, he found Keane at the near post who stabbed in.

Abdoulaye Faye was injured in the build-up to Keane's second goal and his afternoon was completed when he was replaced by Andranik Teimourian before heading down the tunnel for treatment.

Keane was in the hunt take advantage of Bolton's defensive reshuffle and he volleyed wide from the edge of the area after Berbatov's cushion.

Bolton, however, continued to attack despite the perilous position they found themselves in.

El-Hadji Diouf, who had been booked earlier in the half, put in a dangerous cross to the back post which was cleared by Young-Pyo Lee.

But from the corner, Keane was judged to have handled Ivan Campo's header on the line and was given a straight red card. Speed tucked the penalty away to give the visitors hope.

With Spurs down to 10 men and Bolton sensing a way back, the game opened up and both sides had chances.

Speed and Tainio had chances at both ends before the break but had their efforts deflected wide.

Spurs anticipated Bolton pressure in the second period but Berbatov gave a masterclass in the role of lone striker as the hosts looked to restore their three-goal advantage.

The Bulgaria striker controlled the ball from all angles, forcing a save from Jaaskelainen after controlling a high ball and embarrassing Campo early in the second half.

The tension between the teams intensified when Teimourian chose to shoot in the 53rd minute rather than put the ball out of play for Didier Zokora to receive treatment for a knock.

In turn, Berbatov forced a foul from Meite, who earned a yellow card, and then Ricardo Gardner. From the second free-kick he headed over from close range.

Gardner was booked on the hour mark for a foul on Chimbonda, and the Bolton full-back was then replaced by Henrik Pedersen.

Robinson saved from Nicolas Anelka twice as the visitors continued to pose a threat, while Ricardo Vaz Te came off the bench and headed over from close range.

Jaaskelainen produced a double save to deny Jenas and Steed Malbranque, and Spurs extended their lead when Lennon stabbed in from close range.

• Jol to wait on Keane appeal

Tottenham boss Martin Jol will look at a replay of Robbie Keane's handball against Bolton before deciding whether to appeal against the striker's dismissal in the 4-1 win.

Keane scored twice in the first half at White Hart Lane before being sent off by Graham Poll for handling on the line from Ivan Campo's header.

'If you win games it is not a problem, so I'll have a look at it tomorrow,' said Jol.

'He said he chested it.'

Keane scored his second brace in a week - following his double against Fulham in the FA Cup - and also set up Jermaine Jenas as Spurs stormed into a first-half lead.

Bolton, who could have gone fourth in the Barclays Premiership with victory, pulled one back when Keane was dismissed and Gary Speed scored from the spot, but they could not make another breakthrough and Aaron Lennon extended the lead in added time.

It sent Spurs into ninth, within sight of the European places and, after 10 goals in a week.

Dutchman Jol said: 'It's our third win in a week, something we have to cherish - Fulham and Everton had great records at home.

'After the sending off it was a worry because we knew they were capable of scoring.

'I would love to have seen us play with 11 men. There was one advantage of playing three games which was our rhythm but they are a team playing with conviction.'

Keane opened the scoring in the 11th minute, lashing in a volley off Jussi Jaaskelainen's near post to reach double figures for the season.

Paul Robinson then kept Spurs ahead with a magnificent reflex save from Stelios Giannakopoulos' close-range header, with Keane then helping the hosts double the lead.

The stand-in captain was fed again by Dimitar Berbatov then approached the penalty area as defenders backed away. His shot was saved by Jaaskelainen but Jenas scuffed in the rebound.

Keane extended the lead midway through the opening period, stabbing in at the near post from Pascal Chimbonda's low cross, but the action did not stop there for the Republic of Ireland striker.

He handled on the line from Campo's header from a corner and received his marching orders, with Speed tucking away the penalty.

'It was a clear handball but nobody likes to see anyone sent off,' said Bolton boss Sam Allardyce.

'You can't blame Graham Poll because that's what he's told to do.'

In Keane's absence, Bolton were given a masterclass by Berbatov in how to play as a lone striker.

The Bulgaria striker, who signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, showed his class by plucking balls out of the air and setting up attack after attack.

The only thing missing from his man-of-the-match performance was a goal.

Jol added: 'It was probably the best performance I've seen from a striker on his own from any team.

'He can play in any team in Europe, he's a top-class player.'

But it was Lennon, not Berbatov, who added a fourth in added time when he finished from Steed Malbranque's cross.

Allardyce now feels Bolton have little chance of finishing in the Champions League places.

'It was the difference between still having a chance of Champions League or not, and I think we blew any chance of trying to catch Arsenal or Liverpool by at least getting a point,' he said.

'But Tottenham, in the form they are in, was always going to be a difficult task. That was the case, more than I expected.'

Allardyce blamed defensive errors for the defeat, describing the performance of his back line as 'inept'.

'In 21 minutes there were three goals and it was game over,' he added.

'Even though we had a bit of a lifeline, we never looked like breaking Spurs down.

'We didn't move the ball quick enough and got what we deserved, which was a good thrashing.'

Everton 1 Spurs 2

Tottenham gave Everton a lesson in attacking football to win only their second away match in the league this season.

The hosts upset their fans with a cautious approach after getting back on level terms with a stunning Mikel Arteta free-kick.

Earlier Dimitar Berbatov had put the Londoners ahead with his 15th goal of the season.

And, with just two minutes left, Jermaine Jenas struck a cracking winner while Everton looked like they were trying to protect a point.

Everton boss David Moyes took a lot of stick from the fans for his failure to go for victory.

On a night when their neighbours Liverpool produced an amazing victory in Barcelona, the home side's European ambitions took a hammer blow, while Spurs have two major cups and maybe even a league placing and a chance to return to the UEFA Cup.

Everton were without striker Andrew Johnson, who failed a fitness test on his injured ankle, but Leon Osman returned following suspension.

Tim Cahill served a one-match ban while James Beattie and Victor Anichebe were teamed up front.

Tottenham had Jenas back from suspension, and played neat, controlled football early on.

With Everton utilising two big front men, there was going to be plenty of ball in the air, but the equally big Anthony Gardner handled the pressure well for Spurs.

The opening spell was memorable only for yellow cards for Anichebe and Phil Neville, the latter for clattering Dimitar Berbatov, the result of some wayward arm flaying by the Bulgarian that had clearly upset the Everton skipper.

Tim Howard had to be very quick from his line to take the ball from Robbie Keane's toes as he chased a Berbatov nod down, while at the other Paul Robinson was equally alert to touch wide an Osman shot from the edge of the box.

Joleon Lescott found himself the wrong side of Spurs winger Aaron Lennon on 34 minutes.

Leon Osman was caught in possession by Didier Zokora, in the act of playing a pass wide to the big defender.

The ball instead found its way into the path of Lennon, some 10 yards behind Lescott, who had no chance of catching the England man from that position.

Lennon surged away before laying the ball into the path of Berbatov, who scored with a crisp half-volley.

Everton hit back when Arteta curled a stunning 25-yard free-kick in off the foot of a post for the equaliser on 42 minutes amid Spurs anger.

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson was booked for a foul on Anichebe but linesman had clearly signalled for a Spurs free-kick for the Everton youngster's initial foul.

Referee Uriah Rennie, however, insisted on awarding the set-piece to Everton for a later tug by Dawson, with Arteta taking full advantage with his spectacular effort.

Everton took off Anichebe at the break, sending on Gary Naysmith to play on the left of midfield in front of Lescott, an attempt to halt Lennon's high-speed runs.

Beattie was left on his own up front, but Everton had greater parity in midfield.

The game was far more open and Berbatov took advantage of an Alan Stubbs slip to test Howard with a low drive from the edge of the box.

Everton responded with another Arteta free-kick, this time out on the right, which saw Osman flick a header across goal and just wide of the far post.

Manuel Fernandes had an increasing influence in midfield for Everton, with the hosts trying to get Naysmith and Osman forward from midfield to aid Beattie.

Spurs persisted with two strikers and sent on Steed Malbranque for the increasingly ineffective Lennon.

Berbatov should have done better with a volley from 15 yards while Robbie Keane got through on the left only to lift his shot over the Everton bar.

With only youngster James Vaughan as a striker on the bench, Everton opted to send on Tony Hibbert with five minutes left to play at right-back with Neville moving into midfield.

The change annoyed the Everton fans who wanted an extra attacking player to try to win the match.

But it was Spurs who drove forward and, with two minutes left, Jenas collected possession from Malbranque 20 yards out, looked up and guided a fine shot into the bottom corner.

Only now did Everton resort to Vaughan in place of Naysmith. The home fans were far from pleased at the lateness of such a change.

Moyes said: 'Sometimes you make decisions that work, sometimes they don't. We felt we had to take off Manuel Fernandes towards the end, even though he had been a threat, because he was tiring.

'We also took off striker Victor Anichebe at the break and sent on Gary Naysmith in midfield because we had been outplayed in that first-half.

'We had to take a brave decision and in many ways it worked. We were the better side after the break and created chances, so it was a real blow to lose it like that.

'I understand the fans' frustrations, no one is more frustrated that me. But I felt we were more likely to win it in the closing minutes than them.'

Spurs boss Martin Jol admitted he 'felt for' Moyes with the string of injuries he had to contend with. Jol said: 'Everton were without their best attacking players in Andy Johnson and Tim Cahill.

'When you lose that quality it can become very difficult. But I felt that overall we deserved it. In the first-half we were excellent, we took control of the game.

'It was not quite the same after the break, but they only worried us with the long ball and long throws.

'They changed tactics in the second-half and were much better, but it was a fine winning goal and good that we have finally won a second away league game this season.'

And Jol revealed a desire to go for broke in the final stages.

He said: 'We have the players that can do that. We decided to go for it, to put on attacking players and I was very pleased that it was us, the away side, going for the victory in those closing stages rather than what you would expect from a home team.'

FA Cup: Fulham 0 Spurs 4

Two stunning volleys from Robbie Keane sent Tottenham into the quarter-final of the FA Cup and eased any pressure that was on boss Martin Jol.

Keane struck early on to stun Fulham, then doubled the lead with 22 minutes remaining, profiting both times from flick-ons by strike partner Mido.

Dimitar Berbatov then came off the bench to seal Spurs' first win at Craven Cottage for nearly five years with two late strikes.

It ended a run of three consecutive defeats but also was their first win over a top-flight team since Boxing Day, a sequence which had fans questioning Jol's tactics and selections.

However, they are also in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup and, with their rich history in the FA Cup, fans were singing about a return to Wembley this season.

Fulham's misery was compounded in stoppage-time when substitute Vincenzo Montella was dismissed for a clash with Keane.

The clash had all the intensity expected of a London derby, with Papa Bouba Diop and Didier Zokora renewing an African rivalry by throwing themselves into challenges in central midfield.

But the game had not established a pattern when Spurs stormed ahead in the sixth minute.

For all of their footballing traditions, Keane's strike was route-one simplicity.

There was a hint of offside when Paul Robinson punted the ball out of defence and Mido flicked on, but Keane timed his own run to perfection and raced beyond Zat Knight to smash his volley beyond Jan Lastuvka.

It was Keane's eighth of the season for Spurs, two of which came in the previous two rounds.

The early strike paved the way for classic cup football, with wholehearted challenges dominating the midfield.

Diop, though, crossed the line and was cautioned for sending Aaron Lennon into the advertising hoardings.

Fulham have an unhappy history with Mark Halsey but there were no complaints with the referee's decision on this occasion.

Lennon looked threatening with his pace, chasing one lost cause the width of the pitch. He danced around Franck Queudrue on the half-hour mark and the French full-back earned a yellow card for tripping the winger.

But the hosts were building pressure of their own and Robinson was forced to palm over from Brian McBride's shot on the turn, a save even more impressive as the effort took a touch off Anthony Gardner.

Gardner himself was the next to get cautioned, hauling down Heidar Helguson to stop a counter-attack from the hosts.

Chris Coleman's men were almost given a helping hand in the 37th minute as they searched for an equaliser.

Mido had given Robinson a tricky backpass, which was sliced into the stands, then the striker nearly headed into his own goal only for the England goalkeeper to palm away his team-mate's bizarre attempt at a clearance.

Robinson, under a little pressure with his form this season, predictably told Mido what he thought.

The Egypt striker, restored to the starting line-up at the expense of Berbatov, has recently discussed his confidence in scoring in every game he plays in, but this was not what he had in mind.

At the other end, he then flashed wide from a tight angle and held up kick-off in the second half by encroaching.

Robinson was forced into saves early in the second half, from McBride and Helguson, but neither were difficult compared to his earlier stop.

Fulham had a tame penalty shout when Gardner challenged McBride in the area, but Halsey waved play on, then Robinson saved from a long-range Diop effort in the 59th minute.

Montella and Collins John were brought on for the final 28 minutes, with Coleman taking off Helguson and McBride, the two strikers he started with. Clint Dempsey was then brought on for Tomasz Radzinski.

Robinson produced a superb save to deny Moritz Volz with a drive, while John, in his first appearance since New Year's Day, volleyed over after racing through on goal.

But Berbatov was brought off the bench for Mido and sealed the win in the 77th minute, firing against the post before slotting in the rebound.

The Bulgaria striker then lobbed in with a minute remaining after Keane had flicked the ball through to him.

A miserable day for the hosts was complete in injury-time when Montella was given a red card after clashing with Keane.

Jol evokes Spurs sprit of '91 Martin Jol wants Tottenham to follow in the footsteps of the club's 1991 heroes by winning the FA Cup - even if their league form dips.

'It will be very important for us to do something special this year,' he said. 'They had a similar year in 1991 under Terry Venables, they only had three wins in the last 25 games but they won the FA Cup. If we can do that it would be a dream.'

He added: 'At Spurs it is different. If you go out at the semi-final (stage) of an FA Cup or UEFA Cup they will be disappointed but it is important for us to compete in these competitions.'

Keane opened the scoring in the sixth minute, latching on to a Mido flick before firing a volley past Jan Lastuvka.

He doubled the lead with 22 minutes left with a carbon copy of his first, maintaining his record of scoring in every round of the competition.

'A bit simple but that is how you can score goals as well,' said Jol.

Jol was delighted with his team matching Fulham physically, adding: 'They have very physical players but we did very well and defended well.

'We lost the initiative in the second half but luckily enough we got the second goal.'

He added: 'You can have all the qualities in the world but you have to compete against these types of sides.'

However, Fulham also had their chances and Paul Robinson was forced to save spectacularly from Brian McBride and Moritz Volz as well as when Mido almost put through his own goal.

'He tells the other players all the time that he wants a clean sheet,' Jol added. 'Everyone saw he is a very good goalkeeper.'

Fulham boss Chris Coleman described the defeat as 'unacceptable'.

Despite previous controversy with referee Mark Halsey, Coleman had no complaints with Vincenzo Montella's sending off for a clash with Keane in the dying moments of the match.

'Vincenzo raised his elbow and swung out, you can't raise your elbow,' said Coleman. 'He's caught Robbie Keane in the mush. It was frustration.'

Coleman added: 'We lost it through poor defending, it wasn't like we didn't create a chance.

'You can't defend like that against a team like Spurs with Keane, Mido and Berbatov.

'With the first goal our positioning was terrible, the second was identical. We were naove and nervous.'

Fulham are in position to challenge for a top-half finish but could also be dragged into a relegation battle, which Coleman is aware of.

He added: 'Luckily we've got 32 points, 12 away from the bottom three but if we defend like that there'll be a relegation battle.'

Sheff Utd 2 Tottenham 1

Sheffield United skipper Phil Jagielka thundered home a penalty to lift the Blades 10 points clear of the relegation zone and pile on the away-day agony for Spurs, who went down 2-1.

Manager Neil Warnock's side produced a superb come-from-behind win after Jermaine Jenas had delightfully lobbed Tottenham in front in the second minute at Bramall Lane.

Striker Rob Hulse first hauled United level 25 minutes later, before Jagielka clinched the points with a match-winning spot-kick just after the hour.

``That's why we're staying up,'' chanted the Blades fans at the final whistle, and why Spurs are unlikely to return to Europe next season.

Despite away wins in the UEFA Cup this season at Slavia Prague, Besiktas and Bayer Leverkusen - all without conceding a goal - Martin Jol's side have still only won once on their travels in the league.

Yet they started so brightly, with Jenas getting them off to a flier on his return to the side after missing last week's 4-0 defeat to Manchester United with an ankle injury.

It was simply executed and badly defended as a throw from Pascal Chimbonda from just inside his own half was flicked on by captain Robbie Keane for Jenas to lob Paddy Kenny from 16 yards.

Yet United could have taken the lead themselves 45 seconds before that as a scuffed shot from Nick Montgomery was picked up on the edge of the area by Jon Stead.

But just as Stead was about to shoot, right-back Chimbonda made a crucial challenge, with the ball running through to Paul Robinson.

After Jenas' strike, Spurs then looked comfortable and they should have doubled their lead in the 10th minute, instigated by Teemu Tainio robbing left-back Chris Armstrong of the ball.

The Finn ran on and played in Keane behind the United defence, but after running wide and from a tight angle, the striker flashed his shot across the face of Republic of Ireland team-mate Kenny's goal.

Hulse had come within a whisker of the equaliser five minutes earlier, heading past Robinson but hitting the underside of the crossbar, before Jenas hacked clear.

Hulse, though, was not to be denied as he eventually equalised 80 seconds later. In meeting a Kazim-Richards corner at the far post, Hulse outjumped Michael Dawson and Ricardo Rocha - the latter making his Premiership debut.

The ball took a remarkable bounce off the turf inside the six-yard box as it skipped over Robinson's outstretched grasp and another three Spurs players as they tried to clear, before dropping into the net.

Stead rifled in two drives soon after, the first of which flashed past the right-hand post and the second forcing Robinson into a fine low save.

Emerging from their shell, Spurs finally replied when Dimitar Berbatov and Steed Malbranque played their part in setting up Jenas.

After a one-two with Malbranque on the edge of the area, Jenas thumped his eventual shot into the ground from 15 yards, with the ball bouncing wide of the right-hand post.

What followed in the second half may have lacked the entertainment of the first in terms of the quality of football, but it was no less incident-packed.

The Kazim-Richards/Hulse combination almost proved Spurs undoing again just before the hour, with the striker again clipping the bar with a point-blank header in meeting the winger's corner.

That served to lift United again as they pushed Spurs back and in the 61st minute a poor Tainio challenge on Quinn on the edge of the area led to referee Martin Atkinson pointing to the spot.

United had missed three of their previous four penalties, but Jagielka made no mistake as he blasted the ball past Robinson.

Atkinson, who had started the half with a booking for Rocha for going through the back of Hulse, then became the busiest person on the pitch.

Further cautions followed for Chimbonda, Jenas, Tonge, Keane and Jermain Defoe, the latter two minutes after his arrival as a sub and for his involvement in a tussle with Montgomery, who was also booked.

Jol ended the match with four strikers on the pitch as he also brought on Mido, but despite such strength in attack, Spurs failed to create a single chance in the closing 20 minutes.

Jol denies he is under pressure

Tottenham boss Martin Jol is adamant he is under no pressure but conceded he is concerned about his side's lack of form.

Jol saw Spurs throw away an early lead against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, losing 2-1 to the Blades who are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Spurs are now on a rocky run of six Premiership matches without a victory, while they cannot seem to find a winning formula away.

Despite victories in the UEFA Cup this season at Sparta Prague, Besiktas and Bayer Leverkusen - all without conceding a goal - Spurs have only managed one win away from White Hart Lane in the Premiership this season.

Their current run is such that they are now only three points above 16th-placed United.

Jol said: 'We are very concerned. We have to get it right. It's not hopeless but we are not as strong a team as we were last season.'

'Asked whether he was under any pressure, Jol replied: 'No. The only pressure I put myself under is to win, but we have to be a lot stronger than we are.'

Instead, it was United who were left celebrating, with manger Neil Warnock claiming victory had left him as proud as he has felt all season.

'The win over Arsenal in December was a special night for us, but this was a great result and so well deserved,' insisted Warnock.

'We suffered a massive blow last week when we conceded a 94th-minute goal at Blackburn to lose that game.

'Then to concede inside two minutes against a team that has not been doing so well recently put us under the cosh yet again.

'It was not a good goal from our point of view, but we then produced a very good all-round performance against a very good team.'

Warnock's side hold such a big gap over the bottom three, and the finishing line in sight, but the Blades' boss knows he cannot look too far ahead.

'I think we are playing as well as anybody at the moment, but we cannot look any further than the next game,' he added.

'We might have 30 points, but to be honest I'm disappointed we've not got 40 right now.

'We've thrown a lot of points away this season, in particular when I think of the two penalties we missed against Blackburn early on in the campaign.

'But Phil scored a very important one for us today - one I wouldn't have had the bottle to take. But he has done well to give us a great victory.'

Tottenham 0 Man Utd 4

Manchester United restored their six-point lead at the top of the Premiership but victory at Tottenham was tinged with controversy as Cristiano Ronaldo won, and scored, a disputed penalty.

Ronaldo scored the opener at White Hart Lane on the stroke of half time but it was hard to tell the extent of the contact as Steed Malbranque and Lee Young-Pyo tried to stop his run.

But the incident did not affect the Portugal winger who turned in another dazzling display on the flanks and set up Paul Scholes for United's third after Nemanja Vidic had doubled the lead.

Ryan Giggs ran through to add to Spurs' embarrassment late on and John O'Shea finished in goal as Edwin van der Sar broke his nose and United had used all their substitutes.

United had lost in the capital to Arsenal and West Ham this season but held their nerve after Chelsea's victory on Saturday had closed the gap, and their glut of goals either side of the break underlined their potential to seal a first title since 2003.

As for Spurs, they remain as far from the Champions League places as they are from the relegation zone. Despite controversy for the opener and a penalty claim of their own, they were swept aside and did not look like recording their first win over United since 2001 when Willem Korsten scored twice.

The closest they had come in that period was two years ago when referee Mark Clattenburg famously failed to spot Pedro Mendes' apparent 'goal'.

He was in charge again and in the thick of the action - by awarding Ronaldo his penalty - but initially to calm a frantic opening.

Scholes had already mis-timed a challenge on Aaron Lennon and Didier Zokora had tripped Gary Neville, but it was Vidic who picked up the first booking when he went through the back of Jermain Defoe after nine minutes.

The first real chance of the game fell to Ronaldo but the Portugal winger blazed over after collecting the rebound when Michael Carrick's header from a corner had been saved by Paul Robinson.

Predictably, Carrick was jeered by home supporters on his return to White Hart Lane following his departure from the club in the summer for £18.6million. Carrick had an early shot fly over and was typically effective protecting his back four, while Tom Huddlestone did the same for the hosts.

Huddlestone, billed as Carrick's natural heir, set up Spurs' first chance but Dimitar Berbatov, after taking a touch around Rio Ferdinand, saw his finish tipped around the post by Edwin van der Sar.

United already had a penalty appeal turned down in the 29th minute when Anthony Gardner appeared to trip Henrik Larsson in the area, but Clattenburg waved away the protests that lasted minutes after the incident.

But they were not denied a spot-kick on the stroke of half-time, with Ronaldo causing plenty of problems for the home defence.

The winger has not seemed affected by abuse since his role in Wayne Rooney's dismissal at the World Cup, and he blocked out the jeers again to slam his penalty past Robinson.

Spurs had their own penalty shout when Pascal Chimbonda appeared to be held by Neville, marking a busy first half for Clattenburg.

Rooney had been living on the edge and earned a yellow card for a challenge on Lee after he had lost the ball, and Chimbonda was also booked before the break.

Robinson tipped over from Vidic and Carrick after the break but was beaten in the 48th minute when Vidic met Carrick's corner with a thumping header.

The lead was extended in the 53rd minute when Ronaldo surged down the right and crossed for Scholes to bundle in. Spurs thought they should have had a penalty on the hour mark when Berbatov was challenged by Ferdinand, but Clattenburg waved play on.

Van der Sar had to tip over from Berbatov but United extended their lead with 14 minutes left when substitute Louis Saha played Giggs through to finish.

Berbatov could have pulled one back when he got behind the United defence but Van der Sar saved his effort. The Dutch goalkeeper could not finish the game after a clash with Robbie Keane, and John O'Shea played the remaining five minutes in goal.

Carling Cup Semi-Final 2ng Leg - Arsenal 3 Tottenham 1

Arsenal's youngsters proved age is no barrier as they dug deep to see off north London rivals Tottenham 3-1 - 5-3 on aggregate after extra-time - at the Emirates Stadium and book a place in next month's final against Chelsea.

Only three of the Gunners' starting XI were over 25, proving the future is indeed bright for Wenger's squad.

However, this was no easy ride against a determined Spurs side - but one which ultimately did not have the technical ability or resilience to make the most of their chances, having blown a 2-0 lead in last week's first leg.

Emmanuel Adebayor's clinical finish after 77 minutes looked to have put the hosts through - only for substitute Mido to breathe life back into the tie with a late header and force extra-time.

However, Jeremie Aliadiere then punished a terrible mistake by Ricardo Rocha at the end of the first period and an own goal by Pascal Chimbonda secured the Gunners safe passage to Cardiff.

With some 5,000 Spurs fans making the short trip across north London to Arsenal's impressive new home, the atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium was electric.

It was the visitors who had created the first chance in the 10th minute.

A long ball from Michael Dawson caught the Gunners defence cold appealing for offside.

Robbie Keane made the most of their hesitation, scampering clear down the left and into the area.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, however, was out quickly to close the Republic of Ireland striker down and make an important block before hacking the ball into touch.

At the other end, Denilson - the Brazil Under-19 captain - played a neat one-two with Kolo Toure on the edge of the penalty area.

His low strike was fumbled by Paul Robinson - and Toure bundled the follow-up just wide of the England keeper's right-hand post.

Seven minutes before half-time, the ball was worked out to the Spurs left and Hossam Ghaly.

The Egyptian whipped over a decent cross - which Steed Malbranque met with a diving header, but his acrobatic effort flew wide of the far post.

In stoppage-time, Adebayor sent a snap shot just over the bar from the edge of the area following more positive build-up by the hosts.

As Spurs were unable to field youngster Charlie Lee as a replacement substitute for the ill Aaron Lennon, who was named on the original team-sheet, the visitors had to make do with only four on the bench following the restart.

At the start of the second half, Theo Walcott cut in on the angle from the right and his 18-yard chip flew just over.

Tempers then threatened to boil over when Ghaly went down under the challenge of Armand Traore in the Arsenal box.

Appeals for a penalty were waved away, with the Spurs man then tussling with first Philippe Senderos - who was sporting a bandage to a head wound - and then squaring up to Abou Diaby.

A brief melee ensued before calm was restored, with both Ghaly and Diaby cautioned.

As the hour mark passed, Spurs were enjoying their best spell - but still looked vulnerable on the counter-attack.

The goal eventually came on 78 minutes.

Denilson fed substitute Tomas Rosicky - and he unleashed a stinging drive from just outside the box, which Robinson parried away.

Spurs, however, failed to clear the danger. The loose ball was moved back into the Czech Republic midfielder, who slipped Adebayor away on the overlap down the left.

The Togo striker drew the keeper before stroking his shot back into the far corner.

Adebayor immediately dashed towards the Arsenal technical area for his now customary jig with rested captain Thierry Henry, the Gunners seemingly en route to the final against Chelsea.

Those celebrations, though, proved somewhat premature.

With just five minutes remaining, a free-kick from the left by Jermaine Jenas found its way through to substitute Mido, who got up above Toure to head in from six yards - much to the delight of the travelling contingent behind the goal.

The Egyptian then almost won it in stoppage-time when he beat two men to curl the ball just wide of Almunia's right-hand post.

There was still more action to come before the tie went into extra-time as Robinson saved well from Denilson and then Toure.

The first period produced little goalmouth action until the final minute, when Rocha made a complete hash of his attempted clearance with a diving header in the six-yard box.

The ball broke to Aliadiere - who made no mistake to turn the tie in Arsenal's favour once more.

Their trip to Cardiff was sealed four minutes from time when Rosicky's close-range shot came off the inside of the post - and full-back Pascal Chimbonda could only help it over the line.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is preparing to field his youngsters in the Carling Cup final after they helped defeat Tottenham in extra-time at the Emirates Stadium.

The Frenchman is not planning to recall senior players to the starting XI who have not featured in the competition so far, unless his squad is hit by injury.

It means players such as Thierry Henry could be on the sidelines or the bench for the Cardiff showdown against Chelsea in just over three weeks.

'I will try to find the right mixture of young and experienced players again,' said Wenger after his side had beaten Spurs 5-3 on aggregate.

'There was not one boring game with this team, from West Brom to tonight.

'They play with mental strength and resilience, I'm proud of them and they deserve to be in the final.'

Two extra-time goals saw Arsenal home after Mido had come off the bench to force another 30 minutes.

Emmanuel Adebayor had put Arsenal ahead with 13 minutes left before the Egypt striker headed in.

The Spurs forward then curled just wide but that was the last glimpse of victory the visitors had, with Jeremie Aliadiere taking advantage of a Ricardo Rocha mistake to fire the Gunners back ahead.

Tomas Rosicky helped seal the win when his shot cannoned off the post and went in off Pascal Chimbonda.

Wenger fielded youngsters Denilson, Theo Walcott and Armand Traore and revealed it took five years of planning for his youngsters to be ready for action.

'It's fantastic to see that at such a young age people can cope with the pressure, they showed great heart,' added Wenger.

'They say life is too easy for young boys but they showed they are highly motivated, quality players who want to win and are ready to fight.

'It's a sensational feeling to work with them and go through with them. You know they wouldn't give up as they have heart.'

Spurs were without Aaron Lennon reportedly through illness and Wenger admitted: 'He would have been a threat but (Hossam) Ghaly was a different type.'

However, despite the period after Mido levelled the tie, Arsenal looked in control.

'They bombarded us and played long balls after they scored and we were a bit wobbly,' admitted Wenger.

'But it was all us in extra-time and we didn't feel under threat.'

Martin Jol revealed Lennon was ill after dinner on the day of the match, stirring memories of when some of the Spurs side were struck by a mystery illness on the final day of last season when Arsenal pipped them to fourth place in the Premiership.

The Dutchman said: 'Aaron was in the starting line-up and he felt sick after dinner.

'He came back later and felt fine but just before kick-off he felt sick again.

'Just before we started he said he could be on the bench.'

He added: 'It can happen - the only thing with Lennon is he is on fire and could have given us a spark.'

Mido had been linked with a deadline day move but Jol said: 'There was an opportunity for Mido to leave but I want him to stay so that is the end of it.'