Doncaster Rovers 1 Tottenham Hotspur 5: match report

26 August 2009 22:35
Peter Crouch claimed his first goal for Tottenham since his £10m summer transfer from Portsmouth as the Premier League leaders comfortably avoided a Carling Cup embarrassment at Doncaster. [LNB]Crouch, yet to start a league game for Spurs this season, ended any lingering fears of an upset against the Championship side by heading Harry Redknapp's team into a 3-0 lead following earlier strikes from Tom Huddlestone and Jamie O'Hara. [LNB] Related ArticlesNewcastle 4 Huddersfield 3Arsenal 3 Celtic 1 (agg 5-1)Champions League actionAnd although Martin Woods scored from the penalty spot for Doncaster on 61 minutes, second-half goals from David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko secured a place in the third round and took Tottenham's tally to 14 goals in just four games this season. [LNB]Having claimed top spot in the Premier League with three successive victories so far this season, confidence was never going to be an issue within the Spurs camp. [LNB]But Doncaster's recent League Cup pedigree, with Manchester City and Aston Villa both suffering cup exits in this part of South Yorkshire during the 2005-06 season, ensured that Spurs would have been well aware of the potential pitfalls of their trip to the Keepmoat Stadium. [LNB]And the home side started as though they were determined to add the 2008 winners to their list of scalps. But for two reflex saves by Carlo Cudicini, from James Hayter and John Oster, Spurs could have been 2-0 down inside five minutes. [LNB]Redknapp's team weathered the early storm, however, and a defensive mistake by Adam Lockwood on the edge of the Doncaster penalty area on nine minutes led to Tom Huddlestone opening the scoring for Spurs with a low strike from 12 yards. [LNB]Without European competition on the horizon to drain Tottenham's resources this season, Spurs have every reason to take the Carling Cup seriously and aim for a third successive final. [LNB]And progression to the third round was as good as confirmed when Jamie O'Hara doubled Tottenham's lead on eleven minutes when he converted Crouch's lay-off from just inside the penalty area. [LNB]The home side rallied, however, and Cudicini was forced to deny Oster again when the former Everton midfielder directed a volley goalwards from six yards. [LNB]Doncaster's hopes of a brave fightback were extinguished on 37 minutes, though, when Crouch made it 3-0 with a close range header from David Bentley's corner. [LNB]Bentley is facing an uncertain future at White Hart Lane following his arrest for drink driving earlier this month and having failed to impress since his £15m arrival from Blackburn last summer. [LNB]The midfielder has also fallen out of favour with England manager Fabio Capello, but he showed signs in this game of a return to his best form. [LNB]And his performance was rewarded with his first goal since his stunning effort in the 4-4 draw at Arsenal last October when he guided a left-foot curler past goalkeeper Ben Smith from 15 yards eight minutes into the second-half. [LNB]Trailing 4-0, Doncaster were given a route onto the scoresheet on 61 minutes when a handball by Kevin Prince Boateng led to Woods netting from the penalty spot. [LNB]But Spurs were out of sight by that stage and Russian forward Pavlyuchenko, who could be loaned back to Spartak Mosoow before Tuesday's transfer deadline, netted perhaps his final Spurs goal when he slotted under the goalkeeper to make it 5-1 on 69 minutes. [LNB]Match details [LNB]Doncaster Rovers (4-4-2): Smith; Chambers, Lockwood (Webster h-t), Hird, Roberts; Spicer, Stock (Fairhurst 59), Woods, Oster (Fortune 59); Guy, Hayter. Subs: Sullivan (g), Wilson, Shiels, Heffernan. Goals: Woods (pen 61).Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Cudicini (Button 82); Naughton, Corluka, Bassong (Prince-Boateng 60), Hutton; Bentley, Huddlestone (Rose 72), O'Hara, Dos Santos; Crouch, Pavlyuchenko. SSubs: Lennon, Palacios, Defoe, Rose. Goals: Huddlestone (9), O'Hara (11), Crouch (37), Bentley (53), Pavlyuchenko (69).Referee: R. Booth (Nottinghamshire) [LNB] 

Source: Telegraph