We breezed into the 4th Round of the Carling Cup after silencing the Tottenham crowd – albeit in extratime. The score of 4-1 very much reflected the pattern of play and in addition to our 54% possession, including our 19 shots at goal as against Spur’s 9 shots, our dominance was crystal clear.
At no time in the game were we under sustained pressure, unlike the constant barrage we unleashed at the other end. That the game dragged onto extra time was largely due to uncoordinated finishing on our part – rather than any stalwart resistance by Spurs.
It turned out to be our biggest win at White Hart Lane since 1980 and credit must go to all the players, who put on a show to compensate for the banishment of Wenger from the bench.
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| The Three 'Gunner' Musketeers had a fine night |
Quickly, below are the ratings.
*Fabianski (5/10) – Easily our worst player on the night. What Wenger sees in him, we all will never know. Was largely responsible for Spur’s equalizer as he failed to hold onto Robbie Keane’s weak shot. Despite his mistake and general lack of confidence, I must say this was the first game I’ve seen us win with him between the sticks. Little wonder fellow-Pole, Wojciech Szczesny is threatening showdown talks if he isn’t given a run.
* Eboue (7/10) – Did very well as deputy to Sagna. Denied Spurs any real in-road from the right and though caught out a couple of times by the sneaky David Bentley, he recovered well to ward of his threat and even marauded regularly into the Spurs’ half. It’s a measure of what a fine time a fullback is having, when he spends so much time in the opponents’ half.
*Koscielny (8/10) – Another five-star performance from the new boy. Dealt very well with all of Spur’s forays and commanded the defence admirably. Pulled off a glorious tackle in the 70th minute as the dangerous Aaron Lennon was poised to shoot at goal. There never seems to be an off day for him. Quality defender indeed.
*Djourou (7/10) – Did quite well for someone who has been out for ages. Slotted smoothly beside Koscielny and helped keep the marauding Pavlyuchenko and Keane at bay. Was clearly rusty due to the length of time he’s been out but did well and ticked all the right boxes. If he stays injury free, we should see more of him.
*Gibbs (7/10) – His stature clearly has improved and it is apparent why Wenger was willing to sell Armand Traore and hang onto to Gibbs. Forced the substitution of the speedy Giovanni and also stood up very well to his replacement, Lennon. Limped off late in the extra period with an injury which was later confirmed to be a mere bruising.
* Denilson (6/10) – Not a very convincing night for the little Brazilian but he was adequate for the occasion. Still cannot fill the boots of Alex Song but on the night, he put in an average shift. I reckon no way is he a defensive midfielder.
* Lansbury (7/10) – Manned the right side of midfield and did his case no harm at all. Got us off to a great start in the 13th minute with a goal at the end of a five-man move. Wenger says he reminds of him of Ray Parlour and from last night’s heroics, he surely has set his eyes on emulating the one-time Gunner great.
*Nasri (7/10) - Took his time to get into the game and it later emerged why. A thigh strain restricted him through the greater part of the match. He was to play a pivotal part as he won the penalty in extratime that restored our lead and scored again to make it 3-1. Took over the captain’s band from Rosicky and it seemed to propel him as the game wore on.
*Rosicky (6/10) – Led the team out and battled bravely until he was withdrawn after picking up a knock in the second half. Was clearly intent on appeasing the fans after Saturday’s penalty miss at Sunderland. Went a long way in achieving that.
* Wilshire (8/10) – Is there a better 18 year-old in the game anywhere in the world at the moment? I doubt it. Lionheart Jack, simply put, ran the show on the night. Full of running, trickery and an eye for a pass, he effortlessly slotted into the Fabregas position and tirelessly ran rings round the Spurs players. Their response was to kick him endlessly but he still found time and space to lay on goals for Lansbury and later for Arshavin late in the game. What a legend he’s growing to be!
* Vela (5/10) – A disappointing night for the smiling Mexican. He seems to prefer coming off the bench and putting on cameos than starting games and taking full responsibility for the attack. Wasn’t given any leeway by the Spurs defence and didn’t do enough to merit one. Withdrawn in the second half for Chamakh.
Subs
• Arshavin (7/10) – The Russian came on for Rosicky and galvanized our attack at a very crucial time. Scored the final goal off a quick freekick from Wilshire.
• Chamakh (6/10) – Didn’t do much except win a penalty for the third goal. Full of running and enterprise as always.
• Clichy (5/10) – Came on in the extra period to replace a limping Gibbs. Helped soak the little Spurs pressure as the game petered out.
This competition now looks very much wide open with big guns like Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea all dumped out. It might turn out to be our year in this much-maligned Cup, often used as breeding ground by Wenger. Fingers crossed on that.
Next up, we welcome a tricky West Brom to the Emirates on Saturday afternoon as attention shifts back to the premiership. After the heroics at Spurs, appetites are now very much whetted in anticipation of more wins. Also welcomed back would be Wenger after serving his one-match ban as well as Song for the two cautions against Sunderland.
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