SPURS BOUNCE BACK

Tottenham Hotspur's 5-1 mauling of Arsenal in the second leg of the Carling Cup semi-final shuddered White Hart Lane to its very foundations on Tuesday night. 1999 was the last time long suffering Spurs fans saw their side defeat their fierce North London rivals and the home fans lapped up every second of a stunning performance. Five different goal scorers in Jenas, Bendtner O.G., Keane, Lennon and Malbranque sent the home supporters into raptures and singing "We're on our way to Wembley" long into the night down the Seven Sisters road.

This result will come as little surprise to Tottenham fans after their side's recent good run of form in both league and cup. Spurs should have beaten Arsenal at the Emirates in the first leg but for a late Walcott scrambled goal. The superb team performance on Arsenal's home ground that night was the clearest indicator yet that new manager Juande Ramos is beginning to turn things around after a torrid opening to the season. In his short time in charge Ramos's biggest achievement has been the improved general fitness of the squad. Tottenham are now capable of competing with any side for a full 90 minutes as witnessed on Tuesday night with three break-away second half goals, stretching the full length of the pitch. The fifth and final Malbranque goal arrived in the dying moments of the game after a lightning break from defence.

The former Seville head coach has stamped his authority on the side by correctly deciding to drop England goalkeeper Paul Robinson after a wretched run of form. Radek Cerny has rewarded his manager's faith with a string of impressive performances between the sticks. Keeping clean sheets is still a problem but Michael Dawson looks a player re-born playing alongside the mercurial Ledley King in central defence. If Spurs can shore up their defence then the second half of the season could turn out to be a memorable one for the North London club.

When the dust settles on this momentous victory Spurs will realise that all they have achieved is a Carling Cup final date against either Everton or Chelsea on the 24th of February. It's always nice to beat your rivals, but Spurs must move on quickly from this excellent performance and take the momentum into the FA Cup and Premier League in the weeks and months ahead. The pursuit of Gilberto, a Brazilian who plays left back for Hertha Berlin and Alan Hutton, a right back from Rangers is encouraging news. Spurs need to strengthen their defence first before the end of the transfer window as they currently have enough midfielder's and forwards in their first team squad.


What next for Arsenal - the Gunners certainly fielded a weakened line up, continuing Arsene Wenger's policy of using the Carling Cup to blood the younger members of his first team squad. Yet by the time the final whistle blew the likes of Adebayor, Fabregas, Gallas, Walcott and Hleb had all been on the pitch. Paul Merson best encapsulated the Arsenal fan's disappointment and cast a forlorn figure on Sky Sports after the match had ended. Merson made a valid point when he asked why Arsene Wenger would persist with his youth policy in a semi final when his beloved club Gunners have failed to win any trophy for four seasons now. Should the Gunners fail to land any trophy this season then they may well look back on this Spurs' hammering and wonder if it would have been worth fielding their strongest available eleven from the start.

A rejuvenated AC Milan loom on the horizon in the Champions League and on current form few would bet against Manchester United claiming yet another Premiership crown from the Londoners. How long will Gunners fans persist with Wenger's selection policies if Arsenal fail - for a fourth consecutive season - to win either competition?


Tuesday night belonged to Spurs with a memorable performance harking back to past glorious nights at the Lane. Full of pace, passion and attacking football from start to finish, the home side made sure of their passage to the Carling Cup final with a thrilling 90+ minutes. February 24th promises to be another thrilling afternoon at Wembley and who knows maybe the Cockerel will be crowing once again for the White Hart Lane club.