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Tottenham
Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion
White Hart Lane,
Tottenham. 12th February 2005, 5.30pm. |
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Match
Preview |
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| Result |
Tottenham Hotspur |
3 - 1 |
West Bromwich Albion |
| Scorers |
Robbie Keane (pen 45)
Jermain Defoe (50)
Jermain Defoe (55) |
Nwankwo Kanu (12) |
| Attendance |
27,860 |
| Teams |
4-3-3
1 - Paul Robinson (GK)
30 - Anthony Gardner
34 - Stephen Kelly
26 - Ledley King
24 - Timothee Atouba
11 - Michael Brown
23 - Michael Carrick
16 - Reto Ziegler
18 - Jermain Defoe
9 - Frederic Kanoute
10 - Robbie Keane |
4-4-2
(GK) Russell Hoult - 1
Martin Albrechtsen - 14
Neil Clement - 19
Thomas Gaardsoe - 4
Paul Robinson - 3
Riccardo Scimeca - 2
Ronnie Wallwork - 24
Jason Koumas - 7
Kevin Campbell - 21
Zoltan Gera - 11
Nwankwo Kanu - 25 |
| Substitutes |
37 - Radek Cerny (GK)
14 - Erik Edman
2 - Noureddine Naybet
7 - Simon Davies
8 - Miguel Pedro Mendes |
(GK) Tomasz Kuszczak
- 29
Darren Purse - 6
James O'Connor - 23
Robert Earnshaw - 34
Geoff Horsfield - 9 |
| Substitutions |
S Davies for R Keane (45)
|
T Kuszczak for R Hoult
(42)
R Earnshaw for N Kanu (62)
J O'Connor for R Scimeca (69) |
| Yellow Cards |
None |
Kevin Campbell (61)
Ronnie Wallwork (88) |
| Red Cards |
None |
None |
| Referee |
R Styles (Hampshire) |
This match was the
perfect exponent of the game of two halves. For the first 42 minutes,
Albion completely outclassed Spurs playing some of their best football
of the season, but after a game-changing penalty just before the
break, the game swung violently towards the home side and they took
complete control. Some excellent goalkeeping from Paul Robinson
kept Spurs in the game in the first half, but he was hardly troubled
after the break.
Robson opted to play an ex-Arsenal forward line at White Hart Lane
with Kanu coming in for Earnshaw to play alongside Campbell. Albrechtsen
was fit enough to return at right back, so Scimeca moved into midfield.
Koumas had his chance on the left wing with Greening suspended.
The main surprise was a welcome change at the back with Thomas Gaardsoe
coming in for Darren Purse.
The visitors took control from the first whistle, playing the ball
around well and keeping the play almost exclusively in the Tottenham
half. Gera was orchestrating most of the play with good movement
from Kanu and Campbell, and Wallwork was also breaking into the
box on occasion.
For once, Albion got the early goal that their pressure deserved,
and it was an excellent move. Gera played Campbell in on the right
hand side of the box, and as he was marshalled by Atouba and Gardner,
he cleverly back-heeled the ball back to Gera in acres of space
in the box. The Hungarian took his time before picking out Kanu
with an exquisite cross, and the former Arsenal man nodded the ball
into the corner of the net.
Rather than any response from the home side, Albion looked to press
home their advantage and get a second goal. Campbell brought one
fine save from Paul Robinson, before Albion's Paul Robinson brought
another after being put through by Kanu.
Spurs only approaches on the Albion goal were long balls over the
top to try and use the pace of Keane and Defoe, but Clement and
Gaardsoe mopped everything up in relative comfort.
Koumas had his first real impact on the game with a mazy run at
the Tottenham defence followed by a 20-yard shot that was blocked
by King.
On 35 minutes, Campbell had a great chance to double Albion's lead
when he was put through by Gera. His shot was goalbound but Robinson
somehow managed to divert it just around the post.
Spurs had their first real opportunity two minutes later when Defoe
hit a volley well over from 12 yards. But four minutes after that
came the decision that changed the game. Kelly ran on to a long
ball over the top and, for some reason, Hoult decided to come out
and he and Kelly clashed on the edge of the box. Rob Styles decided
that it was a penalty - another dubious decision that was particularly
galling given what happened in the original tie. To compound matters,
Hoult had taken a kick to the head in the process and he was unable
to continue.
So Tomasz Kuszczak took the field for the first time since September,
to face a penalty from Robbie Keane. Unfortunately, the ex-Dingle
sent the Pole the wrong way and Spurs had an equaliser they scarcely
deserved.
The less said about the second half, the better - it was if they'd
swapped shirts at half time. The key was, perhaps, that Martin Jol
took Keane off and put on Simon Davies reverting to a 4-4-2 - they
looked much more comfortable in that formation.
Two goals in the first ten minutes of the second period effectively
finished the Baggies off. Another dubious decision by Rob Styles
gave Spurs a free kick on the edge of the area. Graham Poll would've
disallowed the goal as Carrick played the ball just before the whistle
was blown, but Styles was not as pedantic and allowed Defoe's wicked
shot to count. A few minutes later, Gaardsoe misjudged a ball into
the box allowing Defoe to knock it back to Kanoute. He then beat
the Dane on the byline and pulled it back to Defoe who fired it
past Kuszczak to put the home side 3-1 up.
From then on, Albion seemed unable to keep the ball. Only Gera looked
the player he was in the first half. Albrechtsen seemed unable to
find an Albion player with any of his passes, although he may have
been affected by the injury that eventually forced him off with
nine minutes left. Scimeca was equally inept with his distribution
having been extremely effective in the first half. The introductions
of Earnshaw and O'Connor were probably the right things to do, but
they had little impact.
Spurs seemed content to play the ball around and there was little
goalmouth incident until the last fifteen minutes. Kuszczak was
alert to dive at the feet of Defoe when the England striker looked
set for a hat trick.
Albrechtsen limped off in the 81st minute reducing Albion to ten
men. There were two good saves late on with Robinson pushing away
Clement's fierce free kick and Kuszczak saving well from Simon Davies'
shot.
It was a very encouraging first 45 minutes from the Baggies, and
they should've been out of sight before the game-changing penalty
incident. The two quick goals after the break seemed to knock the
stuffing out of the players and they never looked like getting back
into the game. Koumas had a chance to impress and failed to take
it, spending too much time wondering around the middle of the park
rather than getting into dangerous positions. Gera was impressive,
Gaardsoe did well and Scimeca looked a different player for the
first 40 minutes. It's just a shame that they couldn't get the second
goal - it may have been very different if they had.
In the greater scheme of things, this match mattered little. It
gives the squad ten days to recover and prepare for the crucial
match against Southampton. If they can reproduce the form they showed
in the first half, and more importantly maintain it for 90 minutes,
there remains a faint hope that relegation can be avoided.
Marks
Russell Hoult - 6 - Made one mistake and paid for it.
Martin Albrechtsen - 6 - Good first half, poor in the second.
Neil Clement - 7 - Good solid display from Clem.
Thomas Gaardsoe - 7 - Decent display from the Gaard; may have done
enough to keep Purse out.
Paul Robinson - 7 - Decent showing from Robbo.
Riccardo Scimeca - 6 - Very much a game of two halves for Riccy.
Ronnie Wallwork - 7 - Worked hard, intelligent use of the ball.
Jason Koumas - 5 - Did little to persuade Robson he deserves a chance.
Kevin Campbell - 7 - Unlucky to be facing Robinson in such good
form; could've had a brace at least.
Zoltan Gera - 8 - MOM. Outstanding in the first half, had no support
in the second.
Nwankwo Kanu - 6 - Decent display in the first half but faded badly.
Tomasz Kuszczak - 7 - Had no chance with any of the goals; did well
otherwise.
Robert Earnshaw - 5 - Had little impact.
James O'Connor - 6 - Did OK in his first appearance under Robson.
Bryan Robson - 7 - Couldn't have done much different on the day.
Jon Want, 13th February 2005.
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