Spurs grab first win in style

Tottenham 4 Derby 0

Tottenham ended their dismal first week of the season on a high, sweeping aside Derby to ease any pressure that was on boss Martin Jol.

Consecutive defeats had seen Spurs hit bottom of the table but Steed Malbranque’s early brace and another from Jermaine Jenas virtually assured the victory before the break.

Darren Bent’s first goal for the club sealed the win to get Spurs’ campaign up and running, the comfortable victory earning them their first points of the season.

Optimists would argue Spurs are in the same position as they were this time a year ago when they went on to finish fifth, although they did not face a team as meek as Derby last season.

The newly-promoted side were crushed in the opening quarter of an hour, their stretched defence then losing Tyrone Mears to a calf injury in the first half to add to their problems.

After finding chances difficult to finish earlier in the week against Sunderland and Everton, Spurs turned it around to have the fans singing for Jol.

“What I do know is that prizes have never been handed out after the first week of a new campaign,” the Dutchman wrote in his programme notes.

However, the signs of Jol being unhappy with the opening week of the season was reflected in his team selection, with Tom Huddlestone and Wayne Routledge adding weight and pace to the midfield.

There is still the feeling that the problems on the left of midfield have not been addressed, but the man filling in at the moment, Malbranque, led the charge as Spurs flew off the blocks.

With less than two minutes gone, Routledge was tugged by Andy Todd for a free-kick, which Jenas disguised to find Malbranque on the edge of the area. The Frenchman clipped his effort inside the post then headed straight to the dug-out, bypassing Jol and embracing dropped team-mate Didier Zokora.

Malbranque doubled the lead in the sixth minute, this time from just inside the area. Bent had been fed on the right flank and Malbranque controlled his low cross before curling into the far corner.

It got better in the 14th minute, with Jenas getting on the scoresheet. The midfielder, who did not receive a call-up to the England squad this week, won the ball from Todd then raced towards goal on a 40-yard run that ended with a neat finish off the post after riding a challenge from Jay McEveley.

It was then a case of whether Derby could keep the scoreline respectable.

Jenas, Robbie Keane and Huddlestone all had efforts on goal which were off target, and Routledge had a strike disallowed on the half-hour mark when Keane’s mis-kick fell to him in the six-yard box.

Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson was required to save from a deflected Steve Howard header, but still it was Spurs who looked more likely to score.

Malbranque could have completed his hat-trick in the 38th minute when he danced beyond the Derby defence but the visitors managed to scramble clear, managing to get to the break three goals down.

Todd was taken off at the break for Gary Teale as they looked for a route back into the match.

Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater needed to save to prevent Keane finding the top corner after Bent had sparked a move by winning the ball in midfield.

At the other end, Teale forced Robinson into a save at full-stretch.

Jol freshened his attack up with Adel Taarabt, who replaced Routledge with 19 minutes remaining. Receiving cheers with his every touch, the young Frenchman showed his array of trickery but could not add to the scoring himself.

It was Bent who added the fourth by heading in on the goalline after Pascal Chimbonda challenged at the back post and the ball was flicked onto the bar by Bywater.