Spurs Shocker

Please, please, PLEASE, give me your thoughts on the match by leaving a comment! It's always fun to talk some footy with fellow fans!

Tottenham 1-0 AC Milan

80'- Crouch

It was a wild evening at the San Siro, as a match chalk-full of hard tackles, physical altercations, and a massive late goal for visiting Tottenham made for plenty of talking points.

In the end, it was a match that could have gone either way, and looked headed for a 0-0 draw late on. But a fine bit of counterattacking football helped the visitors to just the type of result they dreamed of before taking the pitch. Now they head back to White Hart Lane with a lead in the tie after a fine performance in Milan.

Spurs looked poised and confident throughout the match, and even had the hosts rattled and frustrated for much of the 90 minutes. Surprisingly, it was Tottenham that looked the more experienced of the two teams, as Milan lost their cool in the second half while Harry Redknapp's team defended well and pounced on their one opportunity for victory.

The match featured plenty of action, but there wasn't much to discuss until the second half.

It was Spurs that controlled the proceedings in a scrappy first 45. However, they failed to create any serious chances aside from a few long distance efforts courtesy of Rafael van der Vaart.

Meanwhile, Milan were dreadful in the first half. The service from the midfield was non-existent, as Ibrahimovic and Robinho had little to work with, while the ever-dangerous Pato started the match on the bench.

Massimiliano Allegri signaled his intent to attack by substituting Pato into the match for Clarence Seedorf to start the second half.

Van der Vaart nearly scored a spectacular goal early in the half when he chipped substitute keeper Marco Amelia from 20-yards. The chip had the Italian beaten, but landed just wide of the right post.

Soon after, Mario Yepes came desperately close to putting the Rossoneri in front. His header appeared headed for goal after a nice cross from Gennaro Gattuso. But Heurelho Gomes made a stunning save, as his lightning-quick reactions saw him push the ball over the bar.

With Milan pressing forward, the match began to open up. And a major altercation soon after only further stirred the pot.

It all started when Mathieu Flamini took out the legs of Vedran Corluka with a two-footed tackle at midfield. Although replays showed Corluka had managed to avoid the brunt of the challenge, the Frenchman's malicious tackle got enough of him to force a substitution. Flamini received a yellow for the challenge, and things got chippy when he and van der Vaart exchanged words at midfield as AC players accosted the referee and tried to pull the injured Corluka to his feet so play could continue.

Gattuso, no stranger to a game of physicality, simply snapped thereafter. First he shoved Peter Crouch after the two collided post-whistle, then he had a go at Tottenham assistant Joe Jordan during a stoppage. He would finally receive a yellow for a dangerous challenge in the 76th, ruling him out of the second leg in London.

Buoyed on by the home crowd, the home team pressed relentlessly, while Redknapp told his team to defend, playing everyone but Peter Crouch behind the ball.

But a little bit of space was all Aaron Lennon needed to help give Spurs a shock lead in the 80th. It all started after Milan gave the ball away in the Tottenham final third, and Modric poked the ball up to the speedy Englishman, who took off with acres of space in front of him. The winger scurried up the right side into the Milan half, then touched the ball around a slide tackling Yepes, before quickly finding Crouch in front of goal for an easy finish.

Milan almost grabbed the equalizer on two different occasions in stoppage time. First Robinho nearly beat Dawson and Gomes to a ball inside the 6 after the two miscommunicated and let the ball fall between them. Then Ibrahimovic appeared to have scored spectacularly after blasting a Rooney-esque bicycle kick into the corner. But referee Stephane Lannoy made a big decision by ruling that the Swede had pushed off on Dawson. Replays would show that the call was correct.

It looked like things might boil over during the match. But it turned out that wouldn't happen until after the final whistle. A frustrated Gattuso returned to Jordan after the match, and the two went eye-to-eye. In a moment of complete madness, the Italian head-butted the assistant and an altercation between the two teams ensued for a few moments before cooler heads prevailed. That wasn't the case for Gattuso, and several players had to hold him back minutes after the initial altercation.

Opinion

The win was of the historic variety for Spurs. And they deserve a massive amount of credit for it. Van der Vaart and William Gallas were the only starters with any experience in these sort of matches. But you wouldn't have known that from the performance. The Whites withstood the pressure of an incredibly intense match in front of 80,000 fans, and had to hold off a barrage of attacks from ACM before netting the crucial away goal.

Center half Dawson didn't look out of place in the biggest match of his career, while backup center mids Sandro and Palacios controlled the match.

Milan couldn't be happy that the winning goal came when they were looking their most dangerous. But the road side certainly deserved it on the whole, as the match went exactly according to plan.

The work rate in the first half was top notch, as Spurs hassled the slower duo of Gattuso and Seedorf in the middle, didn't let Robinho into any dangerous areas, and possessed the ball enough to make Milan's defense work, too.

They tried to attack in the second half. But ended up on the defensive, where they were able to effectively stifle the Milan offense.

We're talking about an inexperienced team facing a veteran-laden squad that's currently sitting atop Serie A. And guess what? Rednknapp's bunch looked not just to be the better of the two sides over the full 90 minutes, but the more composed one as well. There's something to be said for that.

Spurs now are the favorites to move on to the quarterfinals. And you can't count them out in terms of going deep into the competition. When they defend well, everything falls into place for a team that has attacking quality all throughout the squad.

There are still 90 minutes to be played. But after what we saw on Tuesday, you'd have to think this tie is Tottenham's for the taking.

Weekend in Review: Thoughts and Opinion

Results

Arsenal 3-0 West Ham
Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn
Manchester City 4-3 Wolves
Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham
Fulham 1-1 Wigan
Stoke 2-0 Bolton
West Brom 3-2 Blackpool
Birmingham 1-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 2-2 Everton
Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle

The Title Chase

Ten-man Manchester United escaped White Hart Lane with a draw on Sunday. But their 7-point lead atop the table didn't survive the weekend, as fellow title chasers Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City all notched three points.

Many figured a visit to White Hart Lane would be the time for Man U to lose their first match. And it certainly looked a possibility when Rafael was erroneously sent off with 20 minutes to go. But in the end it was another performance typical of United's season, as they withstood a few barrages from the opposition and did what they needed to do to get the result.

Surely the visitors would feel hard done-by the sending off of their Brazilian right back. Mike Dean showed him the red when he accidentally got tangled up with Assou-Ekotto.

Sir Alex Ferguson clearly instructed his side to get back and defend from their on out. He played Rooney in a much deeper position and removed Berbatov for the speedy Hernandez to hope and catch Spurs off guard on the counter.

Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp did the exact opposite by going for the jugular. His team needed full points desperately in order to keep pace with Man U. After the red card, his team pressed mercilessly, while he added a striker in Defoe for Palacios soon after the sending off.

In my opinion, both managers got what they wanted out of the tactical switch. But the visitors' diligence and discipline paid off, and they defended valiantly to hold off T'ham. Ferguson's squad has been completely different since getting Rio Ferdinand back to full strength. He and Vidic were simply fantastic in the back. Time and time again, Lennon and Bale would ask questions of them with crosses from the wing, often aiming for the head of Crouch, who once again showed that he is by no means a dominant aerial force despite his height.

On the one hand, United were tested greatly in North London and saw their gap atop the league narrowed. But on the other, they survived what was honestly a decent performance from Tottenham without conceding. The chasers have to be happy that the gap is closing, but Man U will stay confident as their unbeaten season continues.

The Man U-Tottenham match had the marquee billing. But the most exciting match of the weekend ended up being between two teams known more for their defensive styles of play. Manchester City and Wolves both went for it in a seven-goal thriller at Eastlands, with the favorites getting the 4-3 win.

City actually fell behind early, before battling back into the game throughout the first half. The equalizer from Kolo Toure just before half was essential. Otherwise it would have been a taste of their own medicine for Mancini's men, as Wolves surely would have re-organized at halftime and defended their lead with plenty of men behind the ball at all times.

Tevez made the difference in the second half. His first goal was simply world class. Check it out here, as he beats three defenders and gives his team the lead.

For a team that has lacked attacking flair, these types of performances from the Argentinean are an absolute must. When I watch City play their plodding, boring, defensive style, it seems that Tevez and Yaya Toure are the only two players getting into dangerous positions offensively. In Mancini's conservative style, City likes to play possession football when they can, but without taking too many chances. That means it often takes a moment of individual brilliance for them to create opportunities, which will usually come through the likes of those two.

I know that City are tied on points with United. But the Red Devils have two matches in hand against their rivals. If they can get through a busy January, I'll take them more seriously with regards to being title contenders.

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea kept up their pursuit of glory in less dramatic fashion.

Chelsea finally have some positives to take out of an EPL match. They won for just the second time in ten matches.

For the first time in a while, Chelsea looked confident in the back. Granted, it was not against the best of attacks in Blackburn, but the Blues have been giving up goals to teams regardless of their attacking prowess.

They also could have scored more if not for the bar denying Anelka and Ramires over the first 45 minutes. Much like City, we'll know more about these guys in a month's time. Four of the next five fixtures are away from Stamford Bridge. Among them are trips to much-improved Bolton, an Everton team that may be headed into their best form, and a trip to play 2011 Europa League hopeful Sunderland (who beat them 3-0 at the Bridge in Nov. to start the Chelsea downfall and are great at the Stadium of Light). The home match takes place against Liverpool, who also beat them earlier in the year.

Chelsea have the talent to beat those teams, especially with Lampard fit and the back four once again at full strength. But none of those fixtures will be a walkthrough, and they are only a loss or two away from potentially losing contact with Man U completely.

As for Arsenal, they cruised to a 3-0 win at Upton Park against a hapless West Ham side.

For me, the criticism after the Gunners' shocking loss to Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup was much ado about nothing. History tells us that league play and cup play are completely different animals.

The 1-1 draw with Leeds in the FA Cup that preceded the shock at Portman Road was also unimpressive. But let's remember that Arsene Wenger's side was fresh off of an extremely busy EPL schedule that included matches with Manchester City and Chelsea. He rested the likes of Van Persie, Walcott, Song, and Clichy for some of or both fixtures.

Also, the motivation level couldn't have been too high for the Leeds match; and the awful performance against Ipswich is unlikely to be duplicated by a side with such quality. The match against West Ham showed that those performances in the cup were by no means a trend.

Meanwhile, Robin Van Persie is finally coming back into his own. And let's face it, the Dutchman hasn't been the same since tearing ligament in his ankle in an international friendly in November of 2009.

RVP wasn't the same in the World Cup, and looked out of sorts early this year before re-injuring his ankle. He's a player that takes forever to find his rhythm when out for an extended period of time. First he needed some minutes to find his match fitness, then a few starts to get his touch down, and only now are the goals starting to come.

He had two goals, an assist, and hit the post on the weekend, and looked like the complete forward that he can be when healthy. With Marouane Chamakh firing blanks lately, Van Persie re-capturing his scoring touch is a welcome sight for the Gunners.

Grant's Job Still in Doubt

The other big storyline at Upton Park was the job status of Avram Grant. Rumors swirled all week about his job, with the stories ranging from the board backing him to having already lined up a new manager such as Martin O'Neil.

The Hammers did little to help out their manager with a listless performance. The defense was not up to par, looking uninspired and allowing the Gunners far too much time on the ball.

On the opening goal, Walcott is allowed space on the right side, and then a dummy off of the low cross from Nasri froze two defenders, allowing Van Persie to slot in a goal that you'd be more likely to see on the training ground than in an actual game.

I thought the Wayne Brdige loan was a good one. But it didn't look good on Saturday. He was at fault on the second goal when he completely overran a low cross from RVP with Walcott ready to pounce behind him. Then he clattered into Walcott inside the box when the winger didn't appear to be in a threatening position.

I still think that Grant's bunch will stay up this season. But it seems quite unlikely that such a feat will come with him at the helm. With enough talent at his disposal to do much better, one has to think that the job will change hands over the next few weeks.

There is just too much attacking quality on the side for them to keep firing blanks. Carlton Cole has to find his form at some point, Frederic Piquionne is starting to score goals and should be back soon. Scott Parker is a solid playmaker in midfield;; and USA international Jonathan Spector has looked dangerous since moving from right back to central midfield (I would definitely keep an eye on his progress as a fan of the US, as Cherundolo or Lichaj will surely beat him out at right back, making this the only place he will get significant PT).

The defense is questionable, but as some point the goals have to start coming (West Ham have somehow only managed 23 goals this year). All they'll need is for a couple of those guys to get hot, and they should be able to progressively move their way up the table.

West Ham won't be able to feel safe at any point this year, but I see them getting out of the bottom three soon and keeping it that way.

The Transfer Window

We've still got a few more weeks of reading BS followed by a small bit of actual news as the transfer window rages. Commenting on these sorts of things really isn't worth much in my opinion. I can speculate about what I read, but often I'm dealing with hypotheticals based on rumors of transfers that are nowhere close to going through. So if any of the situations I'm commenting on end up being completely false, don't shoot the messenger!

For me, the biggest news of the day is the rumor that Aston Villa have made an £18M offer for Darren Bent (with other sources saying up to £24). That was followed by even more surprising news that Bent has handed in a transfer request in an effort to force the move.

This would be a huge transaction for both teams.

Firstly, it's a big move for Villa. That's huge money to spend on a striker, but I think it would be worth it. They have lacked a consistent goal-scoring force over the past two seasons. Agbonlahor has had some nice runs, but he has struggled with injuries and hasn't always looked his best. Carew is a highly overrated player for me, he's a big guy who doesn't work hard and hasn't made up for it with a great goal scoring record. Ashley Young will give you 7-10 goals a year, but he is a winger that is more of a threat as an assist guy.

There's one thing we know about Darren Bent: he can score goals. He's netted 36 times over a season and a half at Sunderland.

The move could be devastating for Sunderland. They have a real shot to make the Europa League with a team that I've always felt was vastly underrated. But the loss of Bent would leave them without a goalscorer they know they can count on down the stretch.

By the same token, the move would allow them to move Man U loanee Danny Welbeck up top (where he has been extremely effective) alongside Asamoah Gyan (7 goals in 19 EPL appearances). That would still be a decent strike partnership, but it's one that lacks experience.

It's also worth mentioning that Steve Bruce dropped a record amount for the transfer of Gyan early in the season. Selling Bent at the reported prices would actually see them turn a profit for the transfer kitty this summer despite splashing so much cash on the Ghanaian. But losing Bent in January rather than the summer could see their fortunes change drastically over the rest of this season.

Tottenham continue to make noise in the transfer window. News of a possible David Beckham transfer has faded, and the focus has switched over to Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar. The Toffees clearly don't have the money to match the South African's salary demands, leaving Chelsea and Tottenham to battle for his services right now. Everton probably won't get anywhere close to what Pienaar is worth, but they'll want to at least get something, and thus they have accepted bids from both clubs.

Pienaar would be a nice addition for Chelsea. But I'm keeping an eye on their pursuit of 21-year old Chilean winger Alexi Sanchez. The Udinese winger showed during the World Cup that he is a young player with the world at his feet. He needs to work on his goal scoring ability, but he's got great speed and technique on the ball.

Sanchez reminds me of a younger Nani; a player that needs to learn to mix the flash with increased consistency on the pitch. The price won't be cheap, but I really think we're talking about a kid that could be one of the top wingers in the EPL several years from now.

In Case you Missed it...

Has anyone noticed the run Barcelona has been on? Amazingly, one of the greatest runs of form I can remember is falling below the radar. The Catalan side is thoroughly dominating opponents by scoring 3 or more times and typically holding a clean sheet.

Just check out their results. Since winning 8-0 over Almeria in November, they have outscored their opponents 47-4. In the meantime, Lionel Messi has somehow scored 28 goals in 23 matches. Those guys are truly on a run to remember. Even if your an EPL guy like me, they are worth watching every week with the way they're playing.

There was an incredible match at the Hawthorne's on Saturday. West Brom beat Blackpool by a score of 3-2 in a thriller that could have easily been 6-5! Check out the highlights and enjoy.