Monday, April 30, 2007

Middlesbrough 2 Tottenham 3



Dimitar Berbatov produced a performance worthy of the game's biggest stage to keep Tottenham in with a shout of qualification for next season's UEFA Cup with a 3-2 win at Middlesbrough.

The brilliant Bulgarian fired home a sensational 47th-minute volley and set up the first of strike partner Robbie Keane's double as Martin Jol's men produced a performance oozing class.

Only a late rally from Boro kept them in with a shout, with Mark Viduka briefly narrowing the deficit and Emanuel Pogatetz shredding Spurs nerves with an 89th-minute consolation.

But anything other than three points would have been especially harsh on the visitors, who were a cut above throughout a windy afternoon at the Riverside Stadium.

Berbatov proved a handful for a Boro rearguard featuring their new permanent signing Jonathan Woodgate from the start as Spurs grabbed the initiative.

Woodgate agreed a new four-year deal with Boro in midweek but will hope to avoid opponents of the likes of Berbatov, as the Bulgarian stretched him to the limit.

Berbatov twisted past Lee Cattermole to fire a low effort which almost deceived Mark Schwarzer and then flashed another effort just past the goalkeeper's right-hand post.

It was almost a one-man show as Berbatov was at the centre of every early move and it was entirely predictable that he should be heavily involved in the visitors' opener.

Berbatov squeezed past Pogatetz in the left side of the Boro box before knocking the ball across to Keane, who slid home his 20th goal of the season.

Boro, reliant as ever on Stewart Downing's wing play in the early stages, fashioned their first real chance just before the half-hour when George Boateng's drive was deflected narrowly wide.

But they could do little with their increased possession and Cattermole risked the ire of the frustrated home fans when he blazed a 34th-minute cross high and wide of target.

It was back to Berbatov, who launched another swift counter-attack which ended in a low cross towards Keane, who missed the ball in front of goal by inches.

Boro came close to a barely-deserved equaliser in the 43rd minute when Viduka turned in a crowded box and struck a low shot inches wide of target.

But any hope the home side had of pressing at the start of the second half were undone by a moment of pure brilliance by Berbatov in the 47th minute.

Hossam Ghaly found space down the right flank and timed his cross to perfection, dropping it onto the right boot of Berbatov, who volleyed past a helpless Schwarzer from 25 yards.

Spurs came agonisingly close to a third in the 56th minute when Steed Malbranque sent Keane clean through, but the Irishman knocked his shot inches wide under pressure from Schwarzer.

Incredibly, the visitors were almost made to pay for their miss as the home side roused themselves for a final flurry, beginning with Viduka's shot over the crossbar in the 63rd minute.

The Australian headed home Downing's cross in the 66th minute and almost put Boro level within a minute with a point-blank effort which was brilliantly saved by Paul Robinson.

But the visitors were not to be denied and struck back to effectively seal the points when sub Aaron Lennon cut the ball back from the goal-line and Keane powered the ball past Schwarzer.

Pogatetz pulled a further goal back for Boro, but Spurs got the points they deserved.

Tottenham boss Martin Jol singled out Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Robinson for special praise after his side kept on track for a UEFA Cup place with a 3-2 victory at Middlesbrough.

The three points were enough to take Spurs up to eighth place and behind Portsmouth - who currently hold the final European slot - on goal difference alone.

Jol admitted: 'We needed Paul to keep us on a positive note because with other results it was a must-win game for us and we knew it was going to be difficult.

'Every time we scored we lost a bit of initiative both at 2-0 and 3-1, we looked OK but we needed Paul to keep us ahead with that save.'

Jol shrugged: '(Berbatov) has excellent quality and he has shown that by scoring 14 goals in 12 matches. He had a good first half and scored an excellent second goal but he is always capable of that.'

Boro boss Gareth Southgate blamed his side's passive first-half performance for the defeat and admitted that despite his side's late rally they had left themselves too much to do.

Southgate said: 'We were too passive in the first half and allowed Tottenham to have a game of football which is what they are good at.

'We tried to come out for the second half with a different mentality and obviously to concede as early as we did was a real blow for us but I was pleased with our response.

'We didn't roll over and we had a real go. When we got the goal back we looked more likely to get the next goal but we got caught on the break.'

And Southgate believes his side's bad habit of starting games slowly is causing them problems in particular in front of a restless Riverside Stadium crowd.

He added: 'I don't know if we have a bit of fear playing here at times but it can sometimes be difficult if things are not going well. We have a tendency to start slowly and it gives us a lot to do.'

Monday, April 23, 2007

Tottenham 2 Arsenal 2



A week of intrigue behind the scenes at Arsenal ended with a 2-2 draw against rivals Tottenham courtesy of Jermaine Jenas' injury-time strike at White Hart Lane.

Former Arsenal players such as Ian Wright had suggested the departure of David Dein as vice-chairman could affect players, yet Arsene Wenger's men showed their character to come from behind to lead, only for Jenas to grab a point.

After Robbie Keane opened the scoring, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor had finished off set-pieces in the second half - both delivered by Cesc Fabregas - to establish a lead before they were denied maximum points.

There was little in the way of goalmouth action before Keane broke the deadlock, although Dimitar Berbatov had a sight of goal with less than a minute gone.

Didier Zokora played the ball forward and William Gallas made a hash of his clearance, with Berbatov scooping an awkward ball over Jens Lehmann but failing to direct it on target.

Zokora was driving Spurs forward from midfield in the early stages and had a speculative effort from long range that did not offer encouragement of him scoring his first goal for the club.

Spurs were furious earlier in the season when Adebayor looked offside scoring against them at the Emirates Stadium. He finished well in the 11th minute but the flag went up against the Togo striker this time.

The game woke up on the half-hour mark with a triple booking - for Berbatov, Abou Diaby and Lehmann - as players jostled for position for a corner.

When Jenas' set-piece was eventually swung in, Michael Dawson met it firmly and Keane helped it over the line with a header from close range for his 19th of the season.

Keane had been struggling with a knee inflammation this week but the risk was justified and the Republic of Ireland striker extended his recent record to five in five appearances.

His header increased the intensity, and Zokora was booked for a foul on Tomas Rosicky.

Emmanuel Eboue struck the post in first-half stoppage time after exchanging passes with Fabregas on the right flank, with Adebayor firing the rebound over the crossbar.

Fabregas was only introduced as a first-half substitute after struggling with a virus this week and starting on the bench, the Spain midfielder replacing Freddie Ljungberg.

It was Fabregas who took the corner in the 52nd minute when Arsenal struck the upright again. This time it was Toure who glanced a header towards the far post.

They hit the woodwork just before the hour mark when Adebayor looped a header over Paul Robinson from Gael Clichy's cross on the left flank.

Spurs responded by taking Teemu Tainio off for Steed Malbranque, which gave them a more attacking look for the final third of the game.

But the visitors were not to be denied their equaliser and levelled in the 64th minute when Fabregas floated a free-kick to the far post and Toure finished past Robinson.

Julio Baptista, on as a substitute, then had a shot blocked on the edge of the area as Arsenal chased a second.

Aaron Lennon was taken off for the final 19 minutes and Tom Huddlestone was brought on.

The substitution came just after Fabregas had played Eboue behind the Spurs defence on the right flank but the full-back could not find a team-mate with his cross.

Adebayor headed in with 13 minutes remaining, getting on the end of another Fabregas free-kick at the far post.

With seconds remaining Jenas picked the ball up 30 yards out and drilled into the bottom corner with a fierce drive.

Jermaine Jenas told Tottenham to stop giving away 'sloppy' goals after rescuing the club with an injury-time strike in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at White Hart Lane.

Arsenal looked to have the game under control after Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor had put Arsene Wenger`s men ahead following Robbie Keane`s opener for Spurs.

Midfielder Jenas struck from 30 yards, drilling the ball into the bottom corner beyond Jens Lehmann, and then said: 'We need to sort out the sloppy goals from set-pieces.

'Thankfully I popped up with a nice goal. I think we were feeling we would not get much from the game after the way we played in the second half.'

He added on Sky Sports Premiership Plus: 'To come back as we did a point felt like it was the winner. The late goal gave us a lift.

'We are conceding goals but we are scoring them too and that means we are still on course for the UEFA Cup.'

Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov added: 'We must think more when we play and sometimes we don`t. Arsenal took the initiative and scored two goals - we were stupid to allow those goals and we must stop that if we want to achieve something.

'I think we could have won the game. If we want to grow up like a team we have to play better.'

Monday, April 16, 2007

Wigan 3 Tottenham 3





Tottenham came from behind three times to snatch a 3-3 draw as Wigan's defensive fragility left them firmly embroiled in a relegation battle.

Emile Heskey, Leighton Baines and Kevin Kilbane all put Wigan in front at various stages of a pulsating game at the JJB Stadium.

But first Dimitar Berbatov hauled Tottenham level before captain Robbie Keane scored a double, with his first from the penalty spot to make it 38 goals for the duo this season.

Yet again, though, manager Paul Jewell's side have dropped points from a winning position, making it 26 in total from 10 games - six defeats and four draws.

If they are relegated this season, the fact they have proven so brittle when they are in front will be their epitaph.

On this occasion it took them just 55 seconds to open the scoring and set the tone for the game, aided by the barracking of Pascal Chimbonda.

The Latics supporters made it clear they had not forgiven the right-back for handing in a transfer request on the final day of last season.

A stand-off between club and player ultimately resulted in the Frenchman moving to White Hart Lane at the start of this season for #5.25million.

When he challenged Heskey deep inside the Spurs half, there were boos, and when he conceded a free-kick by fouling the striker, there were cheers.

Chimbonda must have wished he had stayed at home because mayhem ensued from Denny Landzaat's inswinging delivery.

The Spurs rearguard failed to clear its lines and Heskey nodded home his third goal in successive matches, and his ninth of the season, from just two yards.

However, the lead lasted just 135 seconds as Wigan's old failing - one that has angered Paul Jewell so often this season - returned to haunt them as his side wilted while holding the advantage.

Keane danced into the area and after he squared the ball to Berbatov, the Bulgarian skipped past two tackles before toe-poking home his 20th of the season from 10 yards.

Wigan were then indebted to Holland midfielder Denny Landzaat who produced a goal-saving tackle to deny #10.9million Bulgarian Berbatov.

Soon after, the Dutchman blocked a sidefoot strike from Keane after he had been set up by Berbatov.

At that stage the Latics appeared on the ropes, yet they clawed their way back into the game, and regained the lead on the half-hour courtesy of Baines.

After collecting a Michael Dawson clearance to a Kilbane cross, left-back Baines unleashed a venomous left-foot drive from 30 yards out and wide on the left that flew past Robinson.

But again Wigan failed to hold on for any length of time as Keane equalised from the spot just under five minutes later following John Filan's challenge on Jermaine Jenas.

Even then Wigan should still have headed into the break with the lead for a third time, only for Robinson to make a stunning save in blocking Paul Scharner's diving header to a piercing right-wing cross from Emmerson Boyce.

As the ricochet looped up, Kilbane could only steer his own header just over the crossbar and with the goal at his mercy.

Robinson followed up early in the second half with a sprawling save to deny Landzaat from 22 yards, and after Kilbane glanced a header wide, Scharner then grazed the crossbar with a 20-yard left-foot effort.

When Scharner flashed a right-foot shot across the face of goal moments later, it appeared as if Wigan would pay for the missed opportunities.

But on the hour they again went in front courtesy of Kilbane's first goal for the club following his #2million move from Everton last summer, with the winger heading home a corner from substitute Ryan Taylor, who had replaced the injured Lee McCulloch in the 41st minute.

Yet Wigan fell asleep in defence again just eight minutes later on this occasion - and to simple route one football.

A long goal-kick from Robinson was misjudged by Matt Jackson, and from 35 yards out Keane delivered a precise lob over the stranded Filan.

It made the entire time Wigan had held the lead amounted to just 15 minutes, and they could have lost late on but for Filan denying Chimbonda with his legs.

Even then there was time for Scharner to try an audacious half- volley from 40 yards that Robinson only just kept out at the second attempt.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Tottenham 2 Sevilla 2



Tottenham's second-half comeback at White Hart Lane was not enough to keep their European dream alive as Sevilla knocked them out to reach the UEFA Cup semi-finals.

The Spanish side extended their lead from the first leg with two early strikes, the second from former Spurs striker Frederic Kanoute, which left the hosts needing four goals.

Jermain Defoe came on to pull one back before Aaron Lennon gave them hope, but the Spanish side held on despite the scare, their pacy attack illustrating why they are second in La Liga.

Kanoute has scored 19 times in the Spanish league this season but the Mali marksman is merely one part of their efficient attack, with support from Dani Alves and Adriano on the flanks meaning Spurs effectively had to deal with four forwards when the visitors broke.

It proved too much for a Spurs defence that had Ledley King returning after more than three months out with feet problems, and Teemu Tainio deployed as a makeshift full-back.

King received a huge ovation before kick-off, with a sharp contrast in atmosphere to that of the first leg of the quarter-final when Spurs fans accused Spanish police of unprovoked attacks.

Spurs boss Martin Jol used his programme notes to tell fans that a win would be ``for you all'' following the scenes at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but their European dream looked over after just three minutes when Sevilla opened the scoring.

Their highly-rated coach Juande Ramos had stated that defending a lead was not in his nature.

Alves looked to attack from the start and earned a free-kick which was headed behind by King. Jose Luis Marti's corner was met by Christian Poulsen and Steed Malbranque sliced his clearance on his line into his own net.

Kanoute should have immediately doubled the lead when he headed wide from Aleksandr Kerzhakov's cross, but he was not made to wait long for his goal. In the eighth minute, Kanoute exchanged passes with Kerzhakov before shimmying his way past goalkeeper Paul Robinson and slotting home.

Spurs needed four goals and were urged forward but greeted with a sea of florescent shirts guarding David Cobeno's goal.

The visitors were also accused of time-wasting, the familiar dark act of Spanish football, but Ramos' team also attacked swiftly as their best form of defence.

However, Robbie Keane had sight of goal when Dimitar Berbatov slipped him through but was forced too wide, while Berbatov struck the post before the break.

They switched Lennon, who got little change from Antonio Puerta, to the left flank for the second half but still struggled to break down the visitors.

Didier Zokora felt he should have had a penalty following a challenge by Javi Navarro but play was waved on, and it took the introduction of Defoe after 65 minutes for Spurs to pull one back.

The England striker steered in from close range with his first touch after latching on to Keane's scuffed shot.

Lennon then bundled home in the 67th minute after Berbatov's cross found its way to the back post.

Despite being urged forward by fans, it was Sevilla who came closest to scoring next, Robinson forced to save from Puerta late on from a low drive. Puerta then tested the England goalkeeper from closer range, with the Spanish side holding on for victory and Tainio sent off for a challenge on Sevilla's full-back.

Michael Dawson stabbed Spurs' best effort into the ground and over the bar, with home fans clinging on to tame penalty shouts to restore parity.

Spurs still preserved their unbeaten record at home in the competition but now only have European qualification to play for this season, their small consolation being that Sevilla will probably be in the Champions League.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Man Utd 7 Roma 1

Amazing Night !!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Manchester United produced one of the most stunning European performances of all time at Old Trafford to overwhelm Roma 7-1 and book a Champions League semi-final meeting with AC Milan or Bayern Munich.

In 20 years as United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson has seen and done virtually everything.

But never, in five previous attempts, has he presided over a Champions League knockout stage win from a first-leg defeat. And never, ever, has he seen one of his teams go out against the Italian masters of defence and score seven times.

On one of those once-in-a-lifetime nights when everything goes right, the Red Devils were unbelievably four up at half-time.

By the end they had a truly magnificent seven, with Michael Carrick and Cristiano Ronaldo getting two each, Alan Smith, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra just the one.

Trailing by a single goal from the first leg, the result represented United's biggest European win since they defeated Irish minnows Waterford by the same scoreline on the first stage of their run to the 1968 Final.

It was more than enough to take Ferguson's men into the last four for the first time since 2002, a win all the more remarkable because they were missing at least four automatic members of the Scot's first-choice line-up.

As the hosts headed off down the tunnel at half-time, their joyous supporters cheered themselves hoarse, wondering, perhaps, whether they had just witnessed the most amazing 45 minutes of European football this ground has ever seen.

After surviving a couple of early scares, United hit Roma like a whirlwind. The football they produced simply took the breath away.

The usual protagonists were to the fore as expected, but so too were Darren Fletcher, who probably only got his chance because Paul Scholes was suspended, and Carrick, who scored the first, played a major role in the second and at a stroke swept away the doubters who believed at #18.6million, the summer signing from Tottenham was far too expensive.

Carrick set United on their way in nerveless fashion, collecting Ronaldo's square pass, then advancing on the Roma goal.

Alexander Doni may look back and feel he got his angles wrong but in offering Carrick a clear sight of his top left-hand corner, he committed goalkeeping suicide. The midfielder gleefully dispatched a curling shot to light the blue touch paper on the end of which Roma's Champions League dream was burnt to a frazzle.

The home crowd were still buzzing when Carrick laid an exquisite pass to Rooney, who instantly flicked the ball onto Ryan Giggs. The Welshman's through ball deflected off Cristian Chivu to Smith.

In smashing home his shot, the Yorkshireman was banishing 14 months of injury hell. He was also scoring his first United goal since November 2005 and his first in this competition since netting for Leeds against Deportivo La Coruna at the same stage six years ago.

Roma were still reeling when they were hit by another thunderbolt as Ronaldo released Giggs, whose cross was flicked into the far corner by Rooney.

Having scored his first goal in 18 Champions League games a week ago, the England man suddenly has a taste for it.

So too, Ronaldo, who prior to this onslaught had never scored a goal in the competition but had predicted in a pre-match programme interview his time was coming.

It proved to be a fairly accurate assessment of the situation too as he collected the ball from Giggs two minutes before the break, attacked Chivu with his usual directness and slammed the ball into the bottom corner.

And that, for the first half at least, was that.

The incredulous Roma contingent could not quite believe what had happened. Their supporters, who had not exactly enjoyed the most hospitable Manchester welcome, tried to make the best of it. But their misery was not complete.

Rooney began the second period with a fizzing shot Doni flicked over.

Giggs' corner was half cleared but when Rooney ferried a pass back to the Welshman, he drilled a low cross to the far post where Ronaldo was waiting to bundle it home.

A sixth followed on the hour as Carrick collected Gabriel Heinze's pass and arrowed a shot into the top corner which was even better than his first effort.

Daniele de Rossi pulled one back for Roma but Evra soon cancelled it out to complete the rout.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Chelsea 1-0 Tottenham



Ricardo Carvalho decided Chelsea's controversial home fixture against Tottenham with a superb second-half goal.

The Portuguese defender unleashed the match-winning shot that produced the only goal of the game in the 52nd minute to put pressure on leaders Manchester United before their late kick-off at Portsmouth.

Tottenham, forced to play the game just 39 hours after losing the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final in Seville, displayed admirable determination but never looked like beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 17 years.

Chelsea had rejected Tottenham's request to move the game until Sunday because of their own travel plans ahead of their Champions League return leg against Valencia on Tuesday night.

Chelsea were quickly into their stride against a Tottenham side that had to make five changes from the line-up that lost to Sevilla.

Blues winger Shaun Wright-Phillips served notice on Pascal Chimbonda that he was in for a torrid afternoon by waltzing past him before delivering a dangerous cross that just eluded the leaping Didier Drogba.

Chelsea should have gone in front in the ninth minute when Frank Lampard set up Wright-Phillips on the wing with a lovely reverse pass.

Wright-Phillips, so often criticised for his failure to deliver a telling final ball, crossed superbly but when John Terry headed the ball back to Salomon Kalou, the Ivory Coast international blazed his effort over the bar.

In the 16th minute Hossam Ghaly was booked for a foul on the marauding Wayne Bridge as the Chelsea left-back looked to deliver a cross into the penalty area.

A corner from Lampard in the 22nd minute enabled Carvalho to climb higher than the Spurs defence and send a header towards the top corner. However, Tottenham's England goalkeeper Paul Robinson dealt with his effort by the right-hand upright.

Chelsea, knowing they had to win the game to briefly narrow the gap behind United to three points, were far more adventurous but lacked their normal cutting edge.

Lampard was guilty of wasting another good opportunity to test the Spurs defence on the half-hour, but he smashed his cross straight at Paul Stalteri.

Wright-Phillips then tried his luck from 30 yards, but his right-foot drive flashed harmlessly beyond Robinson's left-hand upright.

In the 38th minute referee Rob Styles gave Mido a stern lecture after the Spurs striker had jumped into Terry.

Moments later Drogba's knock down to Lampard almost brought them an opening goal, but the England midfielder's shot was blocked by the retreating Michael Dawson.

Then it was Carvalho's turn to try to unlock the Spurs defence and, after rounding Stalteri, he smashed his shot straight at a grateful Robinson.

Drogba, who has never scored against Tottenham, won a free-kick midway in the Spurs half in the 47th minute when he was upended by Ricardo Rocha.

Lampard chipped the ball into the penalty area and Terry claimed he should have had a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Chimbonda.

Seconds later there was drama at the opposite end when Spurs tested Cech for the first time in the game.

A long cross from Steed Malbranque was headed into the path of the onrushing Mido, but Cech reacted swiftly to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Spurs paid for the miss in the 52nd minute when Chelsea took the lead through Carvalho. The Portuguese defender collected the ball 35 yards out and sent a low shot beyond Robinson.

Three minutes later Chelsea should have doubled their lead. Wright-Phillips and Drogba combined to set up Kalou, but his effort was superbly kept out by the feet of Robinson.

On the hour Robinson denied Drogba with a fine stop after the Ivorian striker had side-stepped two challenges and unleashed a left-foot drive from just inside the penalty area.

But Tottenham were still a threat on the counter-attack and Cech required two attempts to deal with a 20-yard shot by Defoe in the 62nd minute.

Adel Taarabt replaced Teemu Tainio in the 64th minute and his first contribution was to bring a diving save out of Cech with a 25-yard drive.


Mourinho delighted to extend unbeaten run


Mourinho said: 'I am happy because for a long time we have not lost a single match.

'We have seven or eight consecutive victories in the Premiership.

'We played well but Tottenham gave us a hard game.

'It is difficult to play in every competition at the same time. It is the same for Tottenham - they made changes and we made changes also.

'My players who were brought into the team, they did the job.'

United should have been due to play at Stamford Bridge next weekend but that fixture has now been rearranged due to both clubs' involvement in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Mourinho added: 'They are lucky with the fixtures. They are also lucky they don't play here next week.

'The game they can slip up is Stamford Bridge - that is the only thing we can control.'

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Chelsea 1 Valencia 1

Another Brilliant Goal!!

Roma 2 Man Utd 1

Brilliantly Taken Goal!

Sevilla 2-1 Tottenham



Tottenham suffered a narrow defeat in their UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg against Sevilla in a match which was marred by crowd disturbances involving visiting fans.

Spurs had won all eight of their UEFA Cup matches during this season's competition, but that record came to an end at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium as reigning champions Sevilla edged an exciting contest 2-1.

Robbie Keane gave his side the perfect start with an opening goal after less than 90 seconds but Sevilla hit back through a controversially-awarded penalty from former White Hart Lane favourite Frederic Kanoute and a header from Alexander Kerzhakov.

However, the game threatened to be overshadowed by another incident involving riot police and travelling English fans.

Just 24 hours after Italian riot police clashed with Manchester United supporters during a Champions League match in Rome, similar scenes occurred in Seville.

Riot police had already made their presence known an hour before the match, using batons to disperse a group of Spurs fans who had congregated near the hotel where the Sevilla team were located.

Around 50 Spurs fans were chanting, gesticulating and causing an obstruction for passing vehicles in the street.

A couple of cups of liquid were thrown from the area where the Spurs fans were standing and, as the visiting supporters moved closer to the Sevilla team bus, the riot police intervened.

The first 30 minutes of the match itself passed with little incident in the stands, but then riot police entered the section of the stadium where the Spurs fans were located.

Seats were torn out and thrown at the police as ugly scenes threatened to overshadow what was an exciting match.

The confrontation between the Spurs fans and the police continued for around five minutes until Sevilla netted their second goal in the 36th minute.

Trouble flared again during the half-time interval, with seats again being thrown as the riot police moved in - but things calmed down after their departure at the start of the second half.

On the pitch, Spurs were unable to capitalise on a perfect start after Keane put them ahead with the first chance of the match.

The Irishman latched onto a Dimitar Berbatov pass inside the Sevilla penalty area and slotted home at the second attempt after home goalkeeper Andres Palop had blocked his first effort.

Good work on the right by Aaron Lennon almost produced a second opening for Keane in the 12th minute, but the winger's pass was just too heavy for his team-mate and Palop was able to gather.

Sevilla were struggling to create much going forward in the early stages as Spurs' makeshift defence, which saw Pascal Chimbonda playing at centre-back, comfortably dealt with the home side.

However, the hosts were gifted a chance to get back in the game in the 18th minute when they were awarded a controversial penalty.

Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson looked to have made a brilliant sprawling block to deny Adriano, but referee Alain Hamer deemed the challenge to be illegal and pointed to the spot.

The Spurs players protested against the decision and Robinson was shown a yellow card, but the penalty stood and their former striker Kanoute stepped up to level the scores.

Spurs responded to that setback with a Keane effort from outside the box which Palop did well to stop diving to his left.

With the game flowing from end to end, both teams had chances to score in a matter of moments.

First, Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas saw a shot blocked from outside the box before Robinson was called on to make a superb diving stop to push away Jesus Navas' 25-yard effort.

Spurs' early dominance had now diminished and Robinson was called on to make a diving stop to keep the game at 1-1.

However, the England goalkeeper could do little to prevent Kerzhakov putting Sevilla in front in the 36th minute, the striker heading home Julien Escude's headed pass.

That was a major setback for Spurs but they had a great chance to equalise just three minutes later.

Jenas curled in a free-kick to the far post where the unmarked Michael Dawson headed wide when he should at least have hit the target as Spurs went in at half-time 2-1 down.

Martin Jol's men were quickly back out on the pitch after the half-time break, clearly eager to start the second half as well as they did the first.

Keane and Lennon were both denied by good defending before captain Keane drilled a shot wide of the far post after breaking free on the left-hand side of the area. Sevilla coach Ramos was obviously concerned by Spurs' dominance at the start of the second half and he opted to make a change in the 60th minute, sending on Marti for Renato.

Soon after that substitution the UEFA Cup holders created their first decent chance of the second half, with Kanoute sliding his shot just wide of goal.

At the other end Jenas blazed a long-range free-kick over the bar before poor control from Berbatov saw another attacking opportunity go to waste.

Sevilla came within inches of netting a third goal in the 73rd minute when Kanoute got his head to an Adriano cross, but the Mali international's effort flew just wide of the far post with Robinson beaten.

Jol made his first substitution of the night with 10 minutes remaining, sending on Steed Malbranque for Lennon, and soon after that the Dutchman replaced Teemu Tainio with Hossam Ghaly.

Malbranque was quickly in the action with a shot that went wide, but Spurs were unable to make the breakthrough as Sevilla held on to earn a narrow advantage ahead of next week's second leg at White Hart Lane.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Tottenham 1 Reading 0

A controversial first-half penalty earned Tottenham a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Reading and moved them up to sixth place in the Barclays Premiership.

Reading defender Greg Halford was harshly adjudged to have handled inside the penalty area six minutes before the interval and Robbie Keane scored the decider from the subsequent spot-kick.

The win was a boost for Martin Jol's side, who face Sevilla in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final on Thursday.

Spurs dominated the game and but for the first-half heroics of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann would have won by a much bigger margin.

Tottenham were unlucky not to take a second minute lead when they carved Reading's defence open with a slick four-man move.

Pascal Chimbonda's long ball was nodded down to Aaron Lennon by Dimitar Berbatov and when the England winger laid the ball into the path of Steed Malbranque, the French midfielder's shot cannoned off the outside of the post.

Seconds later Keane was denied a certain goal by the brilliance of Hahnemann.

Bulgaria striker Berbatov was again the architect of the chance when he chested the ball into the Irishman's path.

However, Keane's volley was superbly saved by Hahnemann at point-blank range.

In the 11th minute it was the turn of Berbatov to be denied by the Reading goalkeeper when he pushed away the striker's effort.

But the visitors hit back moments later when Leroy Lita's firm header struck Paul Robinson's left-hand post.

Keane wasted another chance to put the home side in front in the 19th minute when Malbranque had again put him in the clear.

This time Keane tried to chip the ball over the Reading goalkeeper but his execution left a lot to be desired and Hahnemann comfortably dealt with it.

Moments later Tottenham defender Ricardo Rocha collected the game's first yellow card for a foul on Lita.

The subsequent free-kick almost brought Reading an opening goal but Dave Kitson's powerful shot was superbly saved by Robinson.

Tottenham's approach play was often far too intricate and Reading continued to deal with the best the home side could muster.

Time and again Jol's side wanted to make one pass too many and their attempts to find a way through the Reading rearguard were thwarted by their own over-elaborate ambitions.

Spurs finally took the lead in controversial circumstances in the 39th minute.

Halford was adjudged to have handled the ball just inside the penalty area - a decision disputed at length by his team-mates.

But Alan Wiley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Keane despatched the penalty easily to put the home side in front.

Spurs almost made it two just before the break when Berbatov drove a free-kick over the defensive wall and towards the top corner but once again Hahnemann was equal to the task as he flung himself to his right.

The American's exploits in the opening half had obviously left him with an injury as he failed to appear for the second period and was replaced by Adam Federici.

Tottenham continued to be the dominant force and Aaron Lennon deserved better following a 60-yard run in the 51st minute.

The England winger appeared to have run out of ideas when he reached the edge of the Reading penalty area but his low drive flashed wide of the far post with Berbatov unable to provide the required touch.

In the 64th minute, Berbatov wasted a glorious chance to increase Tottenham's lead when Lennon put him in a clear scoring position with a clever pass.

The Bulgaria striker, one of the successes for Spurs this season, fired wide of the target to the dismay of the home fans.

In the 68th minute, Spurs wasted a further chance when Malbranque sent a rising drive just wide of Federici's right-hand upright.

Federici demonstrated his own agility with a fabulous save to deny Berbatov in the 76th minute as Tottenham failed to take their chances.

The England striker Jermain Defoe, on as a replacement for Keane, then wasted two glorious opportunities in the final 10 minutes as Jol's side were made to hang on for all three points.

Reading boss Steve Coppell admitted he was disappointed with Wiley's decision to penalise Halford.

'It hit his hand but my players are saying the referee shook his head and then gave it, in almost an apologetic way,' he said.

'We feel a little bit hard done by but when you analyse it, we shouldn't.'

The Royals have now failed to win in six games but Coppell had no complaints about his side's performance.

'We had a real go,' he added. 'It was big day for us and we tried to show that in the way we played.

'We wanted to win the game even when we were 1-0 down and maybe that left us a bit open.

'But in the second half we had no real creation, they defended well.

'It's a measure of our progress we don't just sit back and capitulate.'Man of the match Jermaine Jenas believes Tottenham are looking good to clinch a top-six finish in the Barclays Premiership after their 1-0 win over Reading today.

Robbie Keane's first-half penalty gave Spurs a well-deserved victory to move them into the UEFA Cup places, after Greg Halford was harshly adjudged to have handled inside the penalty area.

Jenas said: 'We are a stronger side, we have got over a blip and are moving forward now.

'It was end to end, Reading are a top side and come to attack you.

'Reading are brilliant on the counter-attack and we were cautious about that.'

Jenas also backed Alan Wiley's decision to award the 39th-minute spot-kick.

'The way I saw it, it was a good decision by the ref,' he added.