Spurs bring Edman back for north London derby

Tottenham full-back Erik Edman returned to first-team action for the first time in six weeks in the North London derby against Arsenal.

Edman’s return after a head injury was welcome news for new boss Martin Jol as Stephen Kelly, Goran Bunjevcevic and Thimothee Atouba were all out injured.

Anthony Gardner had recovered from a foot injury but was on the bench, while Michael Carrick, who almost signed for Arsenal this summer, made his first Premiership start for Spurs in midfield.

Arsene Wenger’s side, meanwhile, restored their first-team despite the midweek Carling Cup victory by their youngsters against Everton.

While Sol Campbell, Edu and Gilberto Silva were out injured, Robert Pires was left on the bench as Jose Reyes and Fredrik Ljungberg were preferred on the flanks.