13.05.2009 |
FA Premier League Semi-Final Away Won 1-0
Tottenham put in a very good performance to win away at Sunderland in the FA Premier League semi-final at the Stadium of Light. Spurs almost took an early lead, when Dean Parrett set up Ryan Mason for a curling shot that went past goalkeeper Misiewicz, but just inches wide. The Black Cats keeper was playing like he was on a hot tin roof, as Spurs went forward to seek the breakthrough. He raced off his line to block Townsend’s 11th minute burst into the area and then two minutes later, he pushed Danny Rose’s far post header wide after good work from Townsend on the right.
Sunderland battled back into the game and Ryan Noble had a chance to square to an unmarked Sunderland team-mate, but Nathan Byrne raced back to cut out the ball, then his brother Liam put the resulting corner onto his head, but he did not make contact with the ball, although it dropped for O’Mahoney, but his shot was wide. It was O’Mahoney who brought Oscar Jansson into action to block his shot from a quickly taken free-kick with his legs in the 20th minute. Coming up to the half hour, Danny Rose took the ball and worked a shooting opportunity, but his 25 yard shot bent narrowly wide.
The first goal of the game went Tottenham’s way in the 39th minute, when Ryan Mason hit a free-kick into the Sunderland defensive wall and a handball was given. The same player stepped up to coolly put his shot into the opposite corner to Misiewicz’s dive. With the advantage, Tottenham then hit the home side on the break three minutes before the interval. Smith picked off Reed’s pass and from the edge of his own area, played the ball forward to Andros Townsend. Running up the line, he made ground into the Sunderland half, before passing square to Jon Obika. The striker might have shot at goal, but with Townsend continuing his run, he laid the ball into his path to fire into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards out.
The second half was only six minutes old when Tottenham might have gone further ahead. Danny Rose’s cross shot was guided goal-wards by Obika, as he ran in, but he could only knock it over the bar from close range.
It was obvious that Sunderland would pile on the pressure to get back into the match and in the 58th minute, Hourihane picked up a clearance and fed Wood, but taking a touch too many, he could only prod the ball towards Oscar Jansson, who saved easily. Just after the hour, Ryan Noble shot wide from inside the area and they finally got a goal in the 71st minute, when Byrne was harshly deemed to have pushed Reed in the back and Ryan Noble shot home from the penalty spot, with Jansson having no chance of stopping the ball as it hit the top right hand corner.
Two minutes later, Spurs had an appeal for a penalty waved away when Obika’s cross saw Kay take Mason first in getting the ball. Danny Rose could only head Townsend’s deep cross into the side netting in the 79th minute, then, three minutes later, Smith bombed down the right to get beyond Townsend and while Obika could not reach his cross, Parrett did and hit a fierce shot from 12 yards, which the keeper managed to beat out.
With a minute of normal time left, Liam Noble took Hourihane’s short corner and curled a shot off the crossbar, while Kay dragged a last minute shot wide after Bagnall’s cross dropped kindly for him, leaving Spurs to go through to face Arsenal in the final.
Teams :
Sunderland – Misiewicz, Bagnall, Adams, Liam Noble, Kay, McArdle, O’Mahoney, Reed, Ryan Noble, Hourihane, Martin Waghorn (Wood 46).
Subs not used : Wilson, Hunter, Fletcher, Cornforth
Spurs – Oscar Jansson, Adam Smith, Nathan Byrne, Calum Butcher, Steven Caulker, Andros Townsend, Sam Cox, Dean Parrett, Danny Rose (Paul-Jose M’Poku 81), Ryan Mason, Jon Obika
Subs not used : – Jamie Butler, Yaser Kasim, Josh Ekim, Jake Nicholson
Attendance : – , |