Carling Cup Fixture: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal First Half Report
Without a doubt the stand-out fixture of this round of Carling Cup matches is the North London derby. Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Arsenal is the highly anticipated match of the League Cup because of the arch rivalry between the two
clubs. It is the most awaited fixture of the night despite ten other matches also being played at the same time.
The last time when both theese clubs met in the Premier League at the White Hart Lane, it was a significant match as Spurs managed to win the derby after twenty one clashes.
Today’s Carling Cup fixture is at Spurs’ ground again. It is the same stadium which witnessed the thrashing of Arsenal by Tottenham when Spurs defeated the Gunners by 5-1. Moreover, it is same stadium in which Arsenal won dramatically
against Tottenham Hotspurs by 5-4.
However, Arsenal have managed to win only two out of seven Carling Cup fixtures at White Hart Lane. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp would be looking to win his second consecutive game over arch rivals Arsenal. A win over the Gunners
would be Spur’s seventh successive third round win at League Cup. On the other hand, the visitors would be looking for revenge.
Carling Cup matches are often considered an opportunity for the younger stars to shine and Redknapp apparently agrees as he went with a young lineup. Starting for Tottenham in between the bars was their second choice keeper Stipe
Pleitkosa. The four defenders playing in front of the young keeper were the very talented and promising Kyle Naughton, Sebastien Bassong, Steven Caulker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
There were three players playing in the heart of the pitch. David Bentley featured along with youngster Jake Livermore and Spurs’ first team cog Wilson Palacios.
Up front was Pavlyuchenko supported by Giovanni Dos Santos and Sandro.
Wenger however threw up a surprise as he went for a side that mixed youth and experience, as opposed his usual policy of playing youngsters throughout the team.
Lukasz Fabianski started in goal, with Emmanual Eboue, playing as a right back in this clash. Alongside him was Arsene Wenger’s new signing, the very promising Laurent Koscielny. Arsenal youth academy player Johan Djourou was partnering
Koscielny in the centre while Kieran Gibbs was patrolling the left flank.
Up front Arsenal were playing the talented Carlos Vela, and he was supported by Wilshere and Lansbury. Arsenal’s midfield was comprised of skipper Rosicky, Nasri and the oft-maligned Brazilian, Denilson.
Arsenal drew first blood as they scored in the 15th minute via Lansbury. Credit however goes to both Rosicky and Wilshere for setting up the goal beautifully.
Arsenal were fairly dominant in the first half as they had the lion’s share of the possession. Though Spurs knocked on Arsenal’s door every now and then, they were polite taps rather than thunderous knocks. David Bentley had a
few efforts flashed wide and Pavlyuchenko missed a half-chance or two. Arsenal’s possession play kept Spurs frustrated and this is likely to be the story of the second half.
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