Post by kzmoks on May 3, 2009 4:26:44 GMT 7
Relegation favourites West Bromwich Albion travelled to White Hart Lane knowing that only a four goal win over Tottenham Hotspur would be enough to take them off the bottom of the table.
With that in mind manager Tony Mowbray made several changes bringing in Shelton Martins, Borja Valero and Youssouf Mulumbu whilst Spurs replaced the injured Darren Bent with Roman Pavyluchenko.
Yet the visitors began the game brightly but once again, as has been the case so often this season, they struggled to find the net despite some excellent approach work.
Mid-way through the first-half Albion almost opened the scoring after Olsson forced Gomes into a good save from a corner but the Spurs stopper did well to palm his header around the post.
Harry Redknapp’s men responded immediately, with Jermaine Jenas trying to tee up Aaron Lennon but a combination of Scott Carson and Jonathan Greening managed to clear the danger.
However, the Spurs winger was looking bright and five minutes before the break he forced Carson into an excellent stop.
Lennon picked up a cut-back from Luka Modric before hitting a fierce shot but he couldn’t beat the Albion stopper who saved well.
Yet the home side were not to be denied and minutes before the interval they did manage to grab the opener.
Vedran Corluka out on the right found Jenas who beat his man before slotting home a curling shot to hand his side the lead at the break.
Yet Albion emerged from half-time in determined mood and might have grabbed an equaliser within minutes of the restart.
Marc-Antoine Fortune raced through on goal before letting fly with a shot that deflected off Jonathan Woodgate and beat Gomes but rebounded to safety via the post.
With their lead still only a slender one, Harry Redknapp opted to bring on Jermain Defoe for Pavyluchenko and the striker’s introduction proved crucial as he cleared off his own line from Chris Brunt only minutes after coming on.
The chance filled Albion with optimism and they continued to press and with only 10 minutes left on the clock they thought they had finally managed to breach Gomes’ goal.
A superb long-range effort from Robert Koren looked to have beaten the Spurs stopper, yet somehow Gomes managed to make a terrific save to preserve his side’s lead.
The action then swung immediately to the other end of the pitch where Defoe thought he had doubled Tottenham’s lead after receiving a pass from Modric and beating Carson but he was to be denied by the offside flag.
Still, the former West Ham United man was causing Albion all sorts of problems and his next act was to carry the ball a full 50 yards before feeding Lennon.
The winger then cut inside before unleashing a shot which hit the inside of the post but somehow stayed out.
It was a let-off for Albion but ultimately Spurs hung on for the win that leaves the visitors still rock bottom, and with only three games left to play.
With that in mind manager Tony Mowbray made several changes bringing in Shelton Martins, Borja Valero and Youssouf Mulumbu whilst Spurs replaced the injured Darren Bent with Roman Pavyluchenko.
Yet the visitors began the game brightly but once again, as has been the case so often this season, they struggled to find the net despite some excellent approach work.
Mid-way through the first-half Albion almost opened the scoring after Olsson forced Gomes into a good save from a corner but the Spurs stopper did well to palm his header around the post.
Harry Redknapp’s men responded immediately, with Jermaine Jenas trying to tee up Aaron Lennon but a combination of Scott Carson and Jonathan Greening managed to clear the danger.
However, the Spurs winger was looking bright and five minutes before the break he forced Carson into an excellent stop.
Lennon picked up a cut-back from Luka Modric before hitting a fierce shot but he couldn’t beat the Albion stopper who saved well.
Yet the home side were not to be denied and minutes before the interval they did manage to grab the opener.
Vedran Corluka out on the right found Jenas who beat his man before slotting home a curling shot to hand his side the lead at the break.
Yet Albion emerged from half-time in determined mood and might have grabbed an equaliser within minutes of the restart.
Marc-Antoine Fortune raced through on goal before letting fly with a shot that deflected off Jonathan Woodgate and beat Gomes but rebounded to safety via the post.
With their lead still only a slender one, Harry Redknapp opted to bring on Jermain Defoe for Pavyluchenko and the striker’s introduction proved crucial as he cleared off his own line from Chris Brunt only minutes after coming on.
The chance filled Albion with optimism and they continued to press and with only 10 minutes left on the clock they thought they had finally managed to breach Gomes’ goal.
A superb long-range effort from Robert Koren looked to have beaten the Spurs stopper, yet somehow Gomes managed to make a terrific save to preserve his side’s lead.
The action then swung immediately to the other end of the pitch where Defoe thought he had doubled Tottenham’s lead after receiving a pass from Modric and beating Carson but he was to be denied by the offside flag.
Still, the former West Ham United man was causing Albion all sorts of problems and his next act was to carry the ball a full 50 yards before feeding Lennon.
The winger then cut inside before unleashing a shot which hit the inside of the post but somehow stayed out.
It was a let-off for Albion but ultimately Spurs hung on for the win that leaves the visitors still rock bottom, and with only three games left to play.
