Championship outfit Cardiff City held Tottenham to a
0-0 draw in Spurs' first FA Cup test. Martin Jol admitted
he was happy with the result, and a replay will take
place in the coming weeks at White Hart Lane.
Ghaly couldn't feature as he needs a few more days ofrest
and so did Mido
Spurs did field a strong line-up, but
with Hossam Ghaly still recovering from his collision
against Pamarot last weekend, Teemu Tainio entered the
midfield. Mido meanwhile, remains sidelined due to a
groin problem. The game also saw the return of right
winger Aaron Lennon and striker Robbie Keane; both came
on in the second half. It will be interesting to see
whether Lennon goes straight in for Ghaly on the right,
or whether he will be put into the side on the left
instead of Malbranque. It is probable that the three
will be rotated, particularly with their ability to
play on either side of the pitch.
Both sides had their efforts on goal, but Jermain Defoe
and Michael Chopra failed to hit the target in their
opportunities. Defoe had another chance in the second
half but once more dragged it wide.
Dimitar Berbatov was unable to get much freedom and
the back-line of Cardiff, predominently former Premiership
defenders, was able to deny Spurs clear sights of goal.
Each team had just one shot on target in the 90 minutes, and
the game ended in a fair 0-0 result. Once more, Tottenham
couldn't live up to their top flight name against lower division
opposition. They have twice been taken to extra-time in the
League Cup, and last season suffered to Leicester City at
this stage of the FA Cup.
The draw will be made tomorrow (Monday) to see who Spurs
will face should they beat Cardiff at White Hart Lane in the
replay.
In other news, reports claim Tottenham may be ready to bring
Charlton Athletic striker Darren Bent into the club. Charlton
are prepared to sell Bent for a good fee, but going to Tottenham
may mean bad news for Mido.
