Walcott goal denies Spurs chance to end jinx

THEO WALCOTT has long been hailed as the saviour of English football, but last night redemption was plundered closer to home.

The Arsenal striker preserved his club’s proud unbeaten record against Tottenham Hotspur and kept his team’s hopes of a second consecutive Carling Cup final appearance alive just when Tottenham were daring to dream of Wembley.

For a club which prides itself on picture-book football, it was a moment of rank ugliness. Walcott burst onto Eduardo’s through-ball in the 83rd minute, but was closed down from behind by Spurs defender Lee Young-Pyo.

The South Korean played the ball onto Walcott’s body, but the ball still somehow span into the net.

The celebrations that followed were born more from relief than jubilation. Spurs trudged back up the Seven Sisters Road cursing their luck and their generosity: they will never have a better chance to end their eight-year hoodoo against their local rivals, although their 6,000 travelling fans at least know that in Juande Ramos they have a manager who can match Wenger for tactical shrewdness.

Ramos’s English might be faltering, but if Tottenham were seeking proof of their potential under the Spaniard, it was delivered here. Not only did Spurs move to within eight minutes of victory thanks to Jermaine Jenas’s first-half goal, but in dropping goalkeeper Paul Robinson, Ramos proved he has a cast-iron will to go with his nous.

In truth, Robinson has been fortunate to keep his starting place as long as he has. The Yorkshireman has committed a string of high-profile errors for his club and country, culminating in last week’s unsightly gaffe in the FA Cup third round when he carried an innocuous free-kick from Reading’s Stephen Hunt over his own goal-line.

But if Cerny’s promotion was overdue, he would not have chosen an encounter with Wenger’s fearless tyros to stake his claim. Arsenal have attacked this competition this season with all the vigour and vim one would expect of a side barely out of nappies, but it took the Pole just 11 minutes to show that months of bench duty had not dulled his reflexes.

An incisive Arsenal move culminated in Denilson setting Abou Diaby clear on the right and the Frenchman delivered a pinpoint cross smack onto Nicklas Bendtner’s forehead. The Dane’s effort was speeding towards the bottom corner until Cerny flung himself to his left and palmed to safety.

It was not a spectacular save, but it was enough to pep the goalkeeper’s confidence, and that positivity began to course through the rest of Ramos’ players. Spurs began to move the ball with more purpose and conviction and, ominously for Arsenal, Dimitar Berbatov awoke from his self-imposed slumber.

The Bulgarian might be anxious to leave Tottenham at the earliest opportunity, but there was no trace of disenchantment in this performance. He drew an athletic save from Lukasz Fabianski with a 20-yard drive but his best work involved setting up others.

In the 32nd minute, Berbatov slipped a superb pass to Robbie Keane, only for the Irishman to be tackled just before pulling the trigger by Philippe Senderos. The loose ball squirted to Steed Malbranque, but the Frenchman dragged wide of a gaping goal.

Malbranque then found time to misdirect a header from close range after Keane had beaten Fabianski to a long pass, but Arsenal’s luck could not hold. After 38 minutes, another picture-book pass from Berbatov caught out Johann Djourou and set Keane clear. The Ireland striker squared to the onrushing Jermaine Jenas, who could hardly miss from 10 yards.

Wenger’s kids were looking exactly that and it was no surprise to see the hapless Djourou, and the returning Robin van Persie, hauled off at half-time. The changes gave Arsenal a more familiar look, but there was still none of the trademark zip or zest to their passing moves: instead, it was Tottenham who continued to press, with Keane breaking clear in the 53rd minute only to slash wide of the right-hand post.

Spurs appeared to have done enough until, virtually out of nothing, Walcott produced his party-piece. The cruelty was compounded moments later when Aaron Lennon set up Jermain Defoe, but the England striker blazed over from close range. It was that sort of night for Spurs.

ARSENAL (4-4-2): Fabianski, J Hoyte, Djourou (Sagna 45), Senderos, Traore, Walcott (Randall 90), Gilberto, Denilson, Diaby, Bendtner, van Persie (Eduardo 45).

TOTTENHAM (4-4-2): Cerny, Chimbonda, King, Dawson, Young-Pyo, Lennon, Jenas, O’Hara, Malbranque (Boateng 78), Berbatov, Keane (Defoe 83).