Premier League - Spurs held by 10-man Arsenal

Premier League - Spurs held by 10-man Arsenal

Eurosport - Sun, 08 Feb 16:00:00 2009

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to secure a first Premier League win in a decade against local rivals Arsenal as they were held to a goalless draw at White Hart Lane.

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Robbie Keane made his second debut for Spurs but, despite playing with the extra man for almost an hour following Emmanuel Eboue's sending off, the Irishman could not skipper his side to derby victory.

However, the draw means that Spurs were the only side in the bottom six to earn even a point this weekend, while Arsenal are now five points off fourth-placed Chelsea.
Tottenham began the match in buoyant mood, and managed to maintain a high tempo that Arsenal found difficult to deal with. Wilson Palacios saw a shot from distance saved by Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia before Roman Pavlyuchenko fired a difficult half-volley over the bar.

Despite being on the back foot, the Gunners can count themselves unlucky to have a goal disallowed when Eboue burst into the Spurs box. His stabbed ball across the box broke loose and Emmanuel Adebayor lashed it into the back of the net, but referee Mike Dean had already blown his whistle for an apparent foul on Jonathan Woodgate, denying Adebayor his ninth goal against Spurs.

Arsenal received a double-blow in a three-minute spell later on in the first half. Adebayor pulled up unchallenged as he chased a long ball down the wing and was stretchered off with a suspected torn hamstring.

However, before Arsene Wenger could get substitute Nicklas Bendtner on to the pitch, he saw his team go down to 10 men permanently when Eboue received his second yellow card and a subsequent red.
The Ivorian had already been booked for his persistent dissent after Bacary Sagna was penalised for a foul, with referee Dean waving him away twice before eventually brandishing the yellow card.
Eboue then received his second booking for a petulant flick of the boot to trip Luka Modric after the Croatian had done the same to him. Dean booked the Tottenham playmaker first before calling Eboue back and making him the 76th Arsenal player to receive his marching orders under Wenger.
Inevitably, Tottenham emerged following the break the more likely to score, with Keane sending a close range header over the bar when he should have at least tested Almunia. Palacios also had another long-range strike parried by Almunia.
However, as the half wore on and Keane and Pavlyuchenko failed to establish any real understanding between them, Arsenal began to work themselves back into the match.
Samir Nasri delivered a dangerous 70th-minute corner that corner that had it fallen to someone other than Alexandre Song may well have ended in the back of the net rather than being steered wide of the far post.
Moments after that chance Keane had his best opportunity, controlling a flick-on from Jermaine Jenas with his chest and firing a volley on the turn that whistled past the post with Almunia well beaten.
Both sides had chances to win it in stoppage time, when Bendtner had a rasping shot tipped over the bar by Cudicini before Modric found himself in plenty of space only to fire a shot right at Almunia, but the Gunners held out to extend their unbeaten league run to 11 games.