This article refers to an older Arsenal-Tottenham game. For the most recent Arsenal-Tottenham game, click here.
Tottenham v. Arsenal
Stadium: White Hart Lane, England
Competition: English Premier League
Date: 8 February 2009
Kickoff: 13:30 GMT, 8:30 ET
Ten-man Arsenal held off Tottenham to secure a point in the latest installment of the North London Derby! Soccerlens brought you the action live! Click below for the liveblog and feel free to leave comments below!
Match Preview:
Also read Aidan’s preview of the Tottenham v Arsenal game at OTBAG.
When these two teams met in October, we were treated to one of the most exciting installments of the North London derby ever as Tottenham staged a memorable last-minute comeback to earn a point against the Gunners in what was Harry Redknapp’s second match in charge.
Despite the hope and promise that the match generated for Spurs fans, they haven’t made much progress in the standings since that day. They currently sit in 14th place, but are firmly in the relegation zone with a mere two points on bottom-of-the-table West Brom.
They spent big in the transfer window, bringing back some familiar faces to White Hart Lane in forwards Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane and defender Pascal Chimbonda, and signing Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini and Wigan midfielder Wilton Palacios. The signings have only increased pressure on Harry Redknapp as he looks to take his club out of the relegation danger zone.
As for Arsenal, they surprised everyone by spending big for Arshavin, the Zenit St. Petersburg star who dazzled at Euro 2008. Arshavin isn’t expected to feature in this match, given the fact that he hasn’t played since the Russian season ended in November. Additionally, many people were surprised that Arsene Wenger did nothing to strengthen his much-maligned defense (especially at center-back), nor did pull the plug on the Denilson experiment by adding an established defensive midfielder.
And, since Arshavin isn’t expected to play in this fixture, then Arsenal are left with the same group of players who have been underwhelming as of late, despite being unbeaten since November. They are coming off a scoreless draw with West Ham, their second in the last three matches, and were fortunate to escape with a point against Everton. They could certainly use a creative spark, but it looks like they’ll have to find it from elsewhere.
Which London side will triumph? Are we in for a repeat of October’s match? Tune in and find out!
Robbie Returns!
We’ve teamed up with Boylesports in advance of this weekend’s North London Derby and they have made the following ‘Robbie Returns’ offer available to Soccerlens readers:
Tottenham v Arsenal – Premier League Cashback
If Robbie Keane scores the LAST GOAL of the game, BoyleSports will refund all losing SINGLE BETS on this match.
Terms & Conditions:
- Applies to SINGLES ONLY
- Max refund €300 (or currency equivalent) PER CUSTOMER
- Applies to all markets on the game
- Does NOT apply to singles in multiple bets
- Applies to bets placed PRIOR to kick-off only
To take advantage of this cashback offer, place your bets with Boylesports before the spurs-arsenal game kicks off.
Lineups:
Tottenham: Cudicini, Corluka, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Jenas, Palacios, Modric, Pavlyuchenko, Keane (c)
Subs: Gomes, Bale, Zokora, Huddlestone, Bent, Taarabt, Chimbonda
A few obvious changes for Spurs from the side that lost to Bolton last weekend. Zokora drops to the bench in favor of Jenas. Bentley, who scored that beautiful 40-yard goal against Arsenal in October, is suspended and will miss out. Oh yeah, and that Keane fellow will start alongside Pavlyuchenko up front.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure (c), Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Song, Denilson, Nasri, Adebayor, Van Persie.
Subs: Fabianski, Eduardo, Ramsey, Djourou, Arshavin, Bendtner, Gibbs.
Two changes from the side that drew with West Ham last weekend. Song will start in place of the suspended Diaby while Van Persie will reclaim his place from Bendtner. The big news, of course, is on the subs’ bench as Arshavin has been included, as has Eduardo, who is coming back from a horrific broken leg. I’m no Arsenal fan, but it’s good to see him back. Who would have thought that he would return before Rosicky?
Minute-by-Minute:
90′ + 5 Taarabt with the last chance of the match as he fires a shot from the edge of the box that is just wide of the post. There’s the whistle and we’re done! I’m off to watch the Manchester United/West Ham game, which I think will actually be a tough fixture for United. Thanks to everyone who followed along! I’ll see you next time!
90′ + 2 Cudicini cuts out the corner and springs the counterattack. Keane gets it and Spurs look like they’re in business. He lays it off to Modric on the right and he takes the low shot, but Almunia makes a great kick save! Modric probably should have lifted that one, but take nothing away from Almunia because that was a great save.
90′ + 1 Back the other as Bendtner nearly gets a goal but it’s deflected out past the crossbar by Dawson.
90′ Four minutes will be added on. Arsenal have a few opportunities as Nasri and Van Persie both get chances, but Spurs defend well. Song’s cross from deep down the left wing is cut out by Cudicini, who tries to spring the counter-attack. Good chance for Spurs, but Bent mistimes his run and can’t get to the pass.
89′ Ekotto with a poor cross that has way too much pace on it. Spurs really lack that quality in the final third of the field.
86′ Clichy is bleeding like a stuck pig and he’s off. Gibbs will replace him at left-back. Meanwhile Spurs will make a change as Taarabt is on for Lennon.
85′ Nothing doing on the corner as Cudicini takes it. Ekotto sends a long cross from the left wing to the far post to Bent, but his header is off the mark. Clichy is down after colliding with Bent, but play continues as Bendtner gets the ball in the box and fires on target. Cudicini nearly makes a mess out of it as Dawson starts to dive in front of him, but stops. That throws Cudicini off as he fumbles the ball, but he is able to collect it before it can bounce to Denilson, who was all alone at the far post.
84′ Chimonda loses it to Denilson, but he gives it back. Arsenal get it again and Sagna makes a determined run into the box. Woodgate, however, is there and does a great job to knock it away to concede the corner.
82′ Very poor effort from Spurs so far. They haven’t looked close to scoring.
81′ Palacios with a great tackle in midfield on Denilson to give Spurs another chance. Lennon tries to cross it to Bent, but Almunia takes it.
80′ Poor cross from Chimbonda as he looks like he slips on the pitch before making contact with the ball. It’s out for a goal-kick.
79′ Keane takes it away from Song and tries to send it to Bent, but it’s over his head.
77′ Modric sends it into the box, and Almunia is out to punch it away.
76′ Palacios gets fouled by Song and Spurs will have a chance from about 30 yards out.
75′ Song with a great cross into the box for Van Persie, but he can’t make the turn. He’s not the guy you want to give chances to, if you’re a Spurs defender.
74′ Modric tries to cross it from the left wing, and it looks like it hits Sagna on the arm. No call, though. Meanwhile, Spurs will make a change as Chimbonda will come on for Corluka.
71′ Keane with a nice bit of skill as he chests the ball down and volleys it just wide of the target. That would have been a nice goal if he had scored there. You know who would have had a better chance of scoring for Spurs on that play? Berbatov. Sorry, Spurs fans.
70′ Van Persie sends in the corner and Song is all alone in front of goal. Palacios actually makes the mistake as Song has a golden chance to pick one off. Guess I spoke to soon. Song misses agonizingly wide of the post, and he really should have scored there.
69′ Free kick for Arsenal near the center line and Van Persie sends it into the box. Spurs easily clear it but Nasri gets it and makes the run down the right. Palacios meets him with a great tackle to concede the corner. Palacios has been playing very well today.
67′ Clichy wins a corner as Corluka deflects his cross out of bounds. Mishit on the corner and it bounces free on the edge of the box. Van Persie goes to it, turns, and fires with his left foot, but it’s just over the bar. See what I mean? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he scored the winner here today.
66′ Modric lays it off to Keane, who tries to play it back to him. Modric makes a great run, but the pass is too long and Almunia comes out to collect it.
64′ Dawson does well to snuff out potential danger as Bendtner sends in a nice pass to Van Persie, who makes the run down the middle. That could have been trouble if Van Persie had gotten on the end of that one. He was so close to goal that it wouldn’t have mattered what foot he used. Meanwhile, Bent is on for Spurs in place of Pavlyuchenko.
63′ Modric is chewing out Ekotto for not making the overlapping run down the left. Because why wouldn’t you want a 2-on-1 advantage down the wing? No wonder Spurs are 2 points from bottom.
61′ Setanta has a 58% – 42% possession advantage to Arsenal in the second half. That can’t be right. They probably got that mixed up.
59′ Great pass from Palacios finds Keane. He tries to play it through to Pavlyuchenko, but Toure knocks it away for a throw.
57′ What a chance for Spurs as Lennon sends a great cross into the box and Keane’s header just creeps over the crossbar! Wow. What a return that would have been for him.
55′ Lennon gets a great cross into the box and he tries to volley it on goal. It’s blocked, though, and Arsenal go on the counter attack. Nasri leads the break, but Lennon does a great job to track back and take it away.
54′ Nice cross from Keane from the right edge of the box towards the far post where Pavlyuchenko waits. He is out of position to take a shot and he sends it back to the right wing where Lennon waits. He sends it to Corluka, who’s shot is deflected towards Almunia. He handles it easily, though, and Arsenal are out of trouble for the moment.
53′ Nice run into the box by Lennon and he sends it out to the edge of the box to Corluka. He fires a shot on target, but Almunia saves it easily. Well, Corluka isn’t paid to score goals.
52′ Nasri makes a good run down the right, but his cross into the box is over Van Persie’s head. You know, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Arsenal won this match.
50′ Another poor effort from Pavlyuchenko after he makes a great run and gets past Toure. Pavlyuchenko has a great chance, as he brings Almunia off his line, but his shot is well off the mark. That was ugly.
49′ Modric and Pavlyuchenko are standing over it. Pavlyuchenko gives it a go, but its way over the crossbar. Not sure why Modric didn’t take that one.
48′ Good free kick chance for Spurs as Denilson fouls Pavlyuchenko from about 30 yards away or so. Let’s see what they can do with it.
47′ Modric looks like he’s got a good position inside the box, but Pavlyuchenko’s cross is way over his head.
46′ Spurs kick off and we’re underway! No changes for either side at halftime. And Eboue’s second yellow was, officially, for retaliation. Sagna is down after a challenge from Ekotto. It looks like Ekotto gave him a little shove, but Sagna sells it like he’s been shot. Poor guy.
46′ Great comment on one of the BBC message boards. “Not sure who was cheering louder when Eboue was sent off. Arsenal fans or Tottenham fans.” Ouch.
No goals yet, and Arsenal will be lucky if they can hold on here. They deserve to be down a man, though, as Eboue’s stupidity is a little bit shocking. I doubt we’ll see Arshavin at this point, although you never know with Wenger. With the way Spurs were giving the ball away after getting their man advantage, you have to think that Arsenal could still poach a goal, especially with Van Persie lurking. It will be an interesting second half, one that could be a defining moment for both of these teams.
45′ + 4 Van Persie gets it deep in the box, but he’s called for a foul on Cudicini. There’s the whistle and we’re at halftime! See you after the break!
45′ + 3 Palacios, whose added a lot of muscle in the midfield for Spurs, sends in a hard shot on target that Almunia just gets a hand on to concede the corner. Modric sends it into the 6-yard area, but Almunia is out once again to collect it.
45′ + 1 More sloppy play from Tottenham as Modric tries to play it to Pavlyuchenko, but he carelessly gives it away. Both sides need to settle down a bit .
45′ Jenas makes another poor decision as he decides not to give it to Pavlyuchenko in the box, who is begging for it, and lays it off to Lennon on the right. It’s a poor pass and he leads Lennon into a crushing, but clean tackle from Clichy. Jenas really didn’t do Lennon any favors there.
44′ Jenas sends the free kick into the box from about 35 yards out, but his service is easily cleared away by the Arsenal defense.
43′ Clichy lashes out at Lennon and Clichy will go in the book for that. Arsenal look like they’re losing their cool.
42′ Keane gets the ball, but his lack of pace is obvious and Sagna easily takes it away from him. He goes down and he looks to the refs for help. I guess he’s been playing with Gerrard, Torres, and Mascherano for too long.
39′ Okay, they show the replay of the incident, and it looks like Modric and Eboue collided and as Modric tried to get up, Eboue hit him with a leg sweep that would make Bruce Lee proud. Stupid, just stupid. It seemed like he was trying to get sent off. I guess he wanted to make sure he was under on that prop bet for how many times he would give it away.
38′ Bendtner is on for Adebayor, but Arsenal will be down a man for the rest of the match. Wow!
37′ Modric is down on the pitch and he’s clutching his foot. Eboue is standing near him and is glaring at him. Mike Dean books Modric, I guess for diving, and it looks like Eboue has escaped punishment. Oh wait. I spoke to soon as Eboue just won’t shut up and he gets a second yellow from Dean, and he is off! He must have had dinner plans or something.
36′ No change yet, even though Adebayor has already gone off on the stretcher.
34′ Adebayor is down on the turf and he’s clutching his hamstring. They show the replay and it looks like he just pulled it while running at full speed. That must hurt like hell. The Spurs fans are cheering too. Ouch. Bendtner is warming up and so is Arshavin and I think Adebayor is done
32′ Corluka makes a terrible mistake and tries to let the ball go out past the touchline, but it doesn’t and Clichy taps it away and gives it to Nasri. He tries to center the ball, and Cudicini is way out of possession, but Ekotto is able to clear it away from danger. That would have been a terrible howler.
31′ Modric sends the corner into the six-yard box, but Almunia is out to collect it.
30′ Modric gets around Song and he fires a shot on target that Almunia knocks out for a corner.
29′ Toure comes forward and sends in a cross from the right wing to Van Persie. He brings Cudicini off his line and he can’t hold onto the ball. Cudicini recovers in time and is able to get the ball before Adebayor can pounce on it.
28′ Very fast paced game as Spurs have had a surprisingly high rate of possession so far. Lennon gets into the box and makes a great move to get around Clichy. Gallas tries to close him down, but Lennon shoots across goal and just misses wide of the far post. Good chance for him there.
27′ Modric tries to play it through to Pavlyuchenko, but it’s long and Almunia is out to collect it.
26′ Dawson is limping after the challenge from Adebayor. He’s staying in, though, which is good for Spurs, since they’re a bit shy on center-backs at the moment as Harry seems to be stockpiling full-backs.
25′ Modric sends it in from about 40 yards, and Woodgate gets his header on it. He can’t get it on target and it goes out past the far post. Keane tries valiantly to keep it in, but he can’t.
24′ Keane gets fouled by Eboue and Eboue continues to flap his yapper. He’s got to cool it, or else he could really put his team in a hole.
23′ Jenas with a terrible effort on the edge of the box where he seems to hesitate before shooting, and it’s a terrible giveaway as a result. Well, I guess that’s what happens when you don’t play regularly.
21′ Corner is deflected to the edge of the box where Dawson’s shot is blocked.
20′ Jenas makes a good run into some real estate, but he gives it away terribly as he seems to hesitate before laying it off to his right to Lennon. He gets it back and springs Modric into the box. He makes a great move to get around Gallas, but Clichy makes an outstanding tackle to concede the corner. Modric went down theatrically and wanted the penalty, but no dice.
19′ Modric sends it into the box, and Woodgate tries to flick it on, but Song clears it away. It looks like Almunia is having trouble with the sun. Will that be a factor in this half?
18′ Modric plays it into the box towards Dawson, but Van Persie knocks it out for a corner.
17′ Sagna hits Modric in midair and Modric is down on the pitch. No card for Sagna, but Eboue won’t get out of Dean’s face, and he gets hit with a yellow. That was stupid. I guess Eboue is still wound up from earlier, when he was called for the foul before finding the back of the net.
15′ Keane gets it down the right wing and his cross is deflected to the edge of the box for Ekotto. He sends it into the box for Pavlyuchenko, who turns and fires a shot on goal that’s way off the mark. He looks like he had a little more time to set up that shot, but such is life.
13′ Arsenal find the back of the net as Eboue makes a great move into the box after Van Persie can’t handle the entry pass. Eboue brings Cudicini out of the box, and centers it for Adebayor. It takes a deflection Eboue shoves Woodgate before taking the shot. The whistle blows long before Eboue puts it in the net, and it’s a foul.
11′ Eboue hears the boos as he gets it deep down the left wing. Not sure if it’s from the Spurs fans or from the Arsenal fans. Sure enough, he gives it away. That’s 1…
9′ Clichy tries to catch Cudicini off guard from long-range, but Cudicini is more than equal to the task. Palacios tries the same thing the other way, and forces a diving save from Almunia.
8′ Lennon makes a nice play deep down the right wing as he beats Clichy into the box. Denilson watches Lennon go rather than help out, and Lennon gets a shot on goal that Almunia is able to save. Back the other way as Nasri plays it into the box for Van Persie. Dawson makes the challenge and knocks it away for an Arsenal throw. With Flamini riding the bench at AC Milan ever since Becks arrived, you think Wenger could get him back?
6′ Nice passing from Arsenal in their attacking half as Nasri sends it to Van Persie, who flicks it to Eboue. Nothing doing, though, as Woodgate sends it away. Van Persie plays a great pass through to Eboue, who breaks into the box. He sends his shot across goal as Dawson tries to close him down, but it’s wide of the far post.
3′ Another corner to Spurs and let’s see if they can do better here. Modric sends in it, and Song misses the clearance completely. More shaky defending from Arsenal, but it bounces harmlessly past the touchline for a Spurs throw. Keane goes down in the penalty box on the challenge from Gallas, and he wants a penalty, but Dean doesn’t comply. Looked like a fair challenge from Gallas.
2′ Free kick to Spurs from 40 yards out. Modric sends it into the box towards Dawson, who is open at the near post and he gets a touch on it, but it’s deflected out for a Spurs corner. Shaky defending from Arsenal early on. Modric sends in the corner but Adebayor clears it.
1′ Gunners kick off and we’re underway! Mike Dean is our ref.
0′ Keane leads out the troops, and it’s like he’s never left.
0′ Spurs haven’t beaten Arsenal in the league since 1999. However, they did knock Arsenal out of the Carling Cup last season, winning 5-1 in the second fixture. Still, they’ll have their work cut out for them if they want to win today.
0′ Good to see “I’m on Setanta Sports” return as “Special 1 TV.” Anyone who follows English football should watch the episodes. They’re hilarious. Last week’s episode was especially good, and relevant to today’s match. Check it out here.
0′ By the way, stick a fork in Chelsea. They’re done. It’s one thing to get dominated by Liverpool on the road, but it’s quite another to go scoreless at home to a Hull City team that had been in free-fall before yesterday’s game. They better hope that Quaresma is better than they think, otherwise they’ll be lucky to finish fourth.
0′ This match is being broadcast on Setanta Broadband, for those of you who are interested in watching live. If you want to watch for free, then you can choose from these options.
0′ In the spirit of the “Robbie Returns” promotion with Boyle Sports, I’ll offer a few prop bets of my own. Winners earn my undying respect. Odds that, if an Arsenal player gets sent off, then Wenger will claim that he didn’t see it: Even. Odds that, if either Adebayor or Bendtner scores, then the other will force a smile and awkwardly hug him: 2/1. Over/under on number of times they mention Rafa Benitez: +/- 30 (hint: take the over). Over/under on number of times Emmanuel Eboue turns the ball over: +/- 10.
0′ It’ll be good to see Robbie Keane back where he belongs. I’m not a fan of his, but I thought the way Benitez treated him was abominable. I understand not playing him before Gerrard and Torres, but it wasn’t like he was clamoring to be sold if he wasn’t getting playing time. He was willing to stay and fight for his place. Are you telling me that you can’t use a good striker like Keane on your bench? Heck, they almost dropped points to Pompey yesterday and they went out in the F.A. Cup to Everton and in both of those matches, they could have used Keane. Unbelievable. Sometimes you have to cut off your nose to spite your face, I guess.
0′ Last time these two teams met, it was an absolute gem of a match. Let’s hope for a similar result today.
0′ Welcome to Soccerlens’ live coverage of the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham! I’m Victor and I’ll be your liveblogger!
Match Review:
Well, this one will certainly go down as a moral victory for Arsenal. They were down to 10 men for most of the match as Eboue seems determined to write his ticket out of town. They defended valiantly and nearly pulled off an improbable victory. Wenger won’t be happy about his second-consecutive scoreless draw, but he should be pleased with the determination and resolve that his players demonstrated. They’re no closer to breaking into the top-4, but they should be glad that they didn’t lose this match. It certainly looked like they were doomed after Eboue got that second yellow.
As for Tottenham, this is a terrible result. Playing with a man-advantage at home for most of the match, they really should have won. They had a couple of chances, but nothing really substantial, and they couldn’t break through the Arsenal defense. They were lacking that creative spark, even though Lennon and Modric had solid outings. Pavlyuchenko missed a couple of terrific chances, as did Keane. It might take a bit of time for all these new players to gel, but unfortunately for Spurs, time is not on their side. They better get their act together and soon. Or else they’ll be looking at the Championship next season.
Man of the Match:
Wilton Palacios
Lost in the hoopla surrounding Keane and Defoe returning to White Hart Lane was the acquisition of Palacios from Wigan. They sorely needed some muscle in midfield, especially to go with the frail Modric, and Palacios delivered that in spades. He played great in midfield, making solid tackles, keeping possession, and even contributed on offense, nearly scoring in the first half. Dawson also played very well, as he continues to turn in solid performances for his club. Modric and Lennon really played well in midfield, generating chances for their club, although their finishing skills were a bit lacking. As for Arsenal, it was clear that their best player on the day was Almunia. He saved them several times as Arsenal’s back four continued to live up to their roller-coaster reputation. Song had a decent match, and Van Persie played well, but Denilson was poor once again. And, of course, the less said about Eboue, the better.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
