Tottenham Hotspur Win Carling Cup
Spurs Defeat Chelsea in Final at Wembley as Woodgate Scores Winner
Tottenham Hotspur won the Carling Cup Final at Wembley,defeating the holders,Chelsea,in extra time. Spurs were a goal down but won with goals from Woodgate and Berbatov.
Tottenham Hotspur won the Carling League Cup Final at Wembley by defeating the holders, Chelsea, 2-1 after extra time.
Spurs' Manager Juande Ramos
Spurs' manager Juande Ramos who was appointed four months ago in place of Martin Jol has continued his excellent record of winning Cup finals, having won five finals during his time with Sevilla. His first game in charge of Spurs was the 3rd Round win over Blackpool at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham had captain, Ledley King, fit to play and gave Alan Hutton and Jonathan Woodgate their first match in the competition. For Chelsea, both John Terry and Frank Lampard played while Joe Cole and Michael Ballack were on the substitutes’ bench.
Tottenham Hotspur who started brightly against the favourites Chelsea had a chance after two minutes when Robbie Keane burst through following a mistake by the Chelsea defenders but he put his shot wide. Spurs continued to control the play, limiting the Chelsea threat, and creating some half-chances.
Chelsea Go Ahead
Around the half hour mark, Chelsea had a period of pressure where Spurs conceded three free-kicks in a dangerous central position outside their penalty area. Frank Lampard’s shot was deflected for a corner from the first, Didier Drogba put the second wide but scored from the third.
Berbatov Penalty to Equalise
After half-time Chelsea were content to restrict Spurs and hold their advantage. For a period it looked as if Spurs had accepted this situation but on the hour, Ramos sent on Tom Huddlestone in place of a disgruntled Pascal Chimbonda. Huddlestone was involved in the incident which brought about Spurs' penalty. He was challenging Wayne Bridge for a bouncing ball in the penalty area and the referee’s assistant spotted Bridge handle the ball and Berbatov coolly scored from the penalty spot after seventy minutes.
Spurs came to life and Didier Zokora had a great chance to score his first goal for the club. He ran half the length of the pitch but shot straight at Petr Cech as he dived at his feet and than hit the rebound over.
Extra-Time Winner
Both teams pushed for a winner but the game went into extra time. Chelsea started more urgently but were rocked when Woodgate headed Spurs into the lead from a Jermaine Jenas free-kick. Cech saved his initial header but pushed it onto Woodgate’s head and it rebounded into the net.
For the rest of the game Spurs defended courageously with King playing a captain’s role in defence as Paul Robinson showed why Ramos had selected him for the game, making two vital saves to ensure Spurs won the Carling Cup for the first time since 1999.
Jonathan Woodgate won the Man of the Match award for his brave defending and match winning goal for Spurs.
Spurs' Team:
Team: Robinson, Hutton, Woodgate, King, Chimbonda (Huddlestone), Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque (Tainio), Berbatov, Keane (Kaboul). Unused Subs: Cerny, Bent.
Spurs have now won the League Cup on four occasions with previous victories in 1971, 1973 and 1999. They have also ensured that they qualify for European competition next season as the Carling Cup winners play in the UEFA Cup competition.
Chelsea still hope for success in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Spurs Road to Carling Cup Success
3rd Round: Middlesbrough (h) Won 2-0 Bale, Huddlestone
4th Round: Blackpool (a) Won 2-0 Keane, Chimbonda
5th Round: Manchester City (a) Won 2-0 Defoe, Malbranque
Semi-Final (1st Leg) Arsenal (a) Draw 1-1 Jenas
Semi-Final (2nd Leg) Arsenal (h) Won 5-5 Jenas, Keane, Lennon, Malbranque, o.g.
Final: Chelsea (Wembley) Won 2-1 (aet) Berbatov (pen), Woodgate
