Carling Cup Semi Match Report: Spurs 5 - Arse 1

Courtesy of Official Site-

A place in the Carling Cup final was booked in spectacular style at White Hart Lane as Arsenal were put to the sword by a 5-1 margin.

Jermaine Jenas set the tone in the opening moments and the lead was extended before half-time courtesy of a Nicklas Bendtner own goal. Any thoughts Arsenal had of trimming the advantage early on in the second period were banished when Robbie Keane and Aaron Lennon stunned the visitors further and the icing was very much put on the Wembley cake when Steed Malbranque tapped home the fifth in injury time.

Chelsea or Everton will be in opposition when we make a first visit to the new Wembley Stadium in February.

The atmosphere was humming and on two minutes it turned into a wall of sound after Dimitar Berbatov flicked on into the path of Jenas, who then embarked on a mazy run deep into opposition territory before dispatching a precise low drive beyond the dive of Lukasz Fabianski, off the post and into the net.

It was noisy before kick-off, after that it was rocking.

The goal knocked a bit of the opening minute swagger out of Arsenal, but still they patiently pinged the ball around. Keane employed a considerable degree of trickery to completely outfox Willam Gallas and flicked into the area where Abou Diaby was forced into an athletic clearance.

In the 18th minute the struggling Denilson was replaced by Cesc Fabregas.

Eight minutes later is was double the joy when, off of Jenas' free-kick, Michael Dawson climbed with Bendtner and the ball connected with the head of the big Dane and flew past Fabianski high into the net.

Just before the half hour mark the chest of Jenas set Berbatov free on goal. The striker was hunted down, but you still waited for the net to rattle only for the post to take the impact.

Diaby wrapped his boot around the ball and slammed over the bar on 37 minutes, before Jenas crashed the ball into the sidenetting in stoppage time.

Just a couple of minutes into the second half there was another eruption in the stadium when Lennon set Keane through and the striker kept his composure and fired across Fabianski and into the net at the Paxton Road end. It was goal 101 for Robbie and boy did he enjoy it.

Bendtner really did rattle the bar at the other end and Fabregas was denied by Radek Cerny on the rebound before Malbranque was set through by Keane, but this time Fabianski foiled.

It was party time but the intensity level did not drop. Arsenal had to commit greater numbers forward. It left them a little open on the break and this was exploited to perfection just before the hour.

Lennon exchanged passes with Chimbonda and the full-back pressed on and played inside to Keane. The Irishman did not go for number 102, he switched play into the path of the speeding Lennon, who slotted calmly past Fabianski.

It was about the only thing in the stadium that was calm at that point.

Soon after Keane and Berbatov were replaced by Jermain Defoe and Kevin Boateng. But the next score went to Arsenal when Eduardo prodded in the direction of fellow sub Emmanuel Adebayor and the big striker fired past Cerny to make it 4-1.

Arsenal applied some late pressure but a night that will go down in Spurs history was capped when Jenas broke down the right and squared for Malbranque to tap home. It will be a team in white taking on a team in blue on February 24.

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