4-4 v Arsenal FC - 29 October 2008 - Away

Tottenham Hotspur Badge

Spurs 4

Arsenal FC

Arsenal FC

4

Details
Match Number

6721

Opposition
Arsenal

Arsenal FC

Competition
Premier League

Premier League

Season

2008/09

Date

29th October 2008

Kick Off

20:00

Venue

Emirates Stadium

Attendance

60,043

Referee

Martin Atkinson

League Position

20th

Opposition League Position

3rd

Opposition Form

DWWWLW

Weather at Kick Off

3.2° - Overcast

Facts & Milestones
  • 6686th overall match (3163 wins, 1470 draws, 2040 losses)

  • 5155th competitive match (2285 wins, 1213 draws, 1657 losses)

  • team

    257th match vs Arsenal FC (92 wins, 61 draws, 104 losses)

  • competition

    630th Premier League match (224 wins, 168 draws, 238 losses)

  • 6145th match in England (2855 wins, 1385 draws, 1892 losses)

  • 5th match at Emirates Stadium (0 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses)

Report

Aaron Lennon's injury-time equaliser capped a stunning fightback from Harry Redknapp's Tottenham against Arsenal.

David Bentley's brilliant early strike put Spurs ahead, but Mikael Silvestre headed Arsenal level before half-time.

William Gallas put Arsenal in front seconds after the re-start and Emmanuel Adebayor bundled home their third.

Darren Bent pulled one back before Robin van Persie added Arsenal's fourth - but Jermaine Jenas's 89th-minute goal and Lennon's tap-in earned a point.

Bentley's audacious opener gave Redknapp the perfect start to his first official game in charge, but that early optimism soon disappeared as Arsenal took total control of the north London derby.

But once again Arsenal were guilty of their familiar crime of over-elaboration and missing chances, leaving the door open for Spurs to rescue a point from a game that looked lost.

Redknapp restored Jonathan Woodgate to his starting line-up, but lost captain Ledley King because of his long-standing knee injury.

Spurs opened up Arsenal inside two minutes when Tom Huddlestone slid in Gareth Bale, who shot into the side-netting.

But they were ahead after 13 minutes - and it was a piece of genius by former Arsenal midfield man Bentley that gave them the goal.

He took a Huddlestone header and teed himself up for a stunning volley from 40 yards that Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia touched but could not keep out.

Arsenal took up the challenge and Van Persie was twice a threat in the immediate aftermath of Bentley's goal, forcing Heurelho Gomes into a save low down and then shooting just wide.

Gallas then shot over after a Gomes fumble before both Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas tested the Spurs keeper.

An Arsenal equaliser looked on the cards, but Spurs will have been deeply unhappy about the manner in which it arrived eight minutes before the interval.

Spurs felt Bentley had been fouled by Fabregas in the lead up to an Arsenal corner, and their misery increased when Gomes made an awful attempt to deal with Van Persie's corner and Silvestre headed home.

For all Arsenal's trademark pretty passing, they were making inroads at set pieces and scored from another less than a minute after the re-start.

Van Persie whipped in a free-kick from the right and Gallas rose to glance in a header that Gomes could only touch on its way in.

Bentley tested Almunia from long range again before Adebayor extended Arsenal's lead after 64 minutes.

Van Persie was the creator with a superb pass that let in Samir Nasri, and when he lifted the ball over Gomes, Adebayor beat Alan Hutton in a straight race to poke home from almost on the goal-line.

It was looking very ominous for a deflated Spurs side, but they were thrown a lifeline three minutes later when Almunia fumbled Huddlestone's shot and substitute Bent turned in the rebound.

But any hopes Spurs harboured of a revival appeared to be snuffed out within two minutes, when Hutton gifted possession to Adebayor, who set up Van Persie for a powerhouse finish.

When Jenas curled in a clever finish with a minute of normal time remaining, it looked like it would provide nothing more than an anxious finale for the Gunners.

But with seconds left of the four minutes of injury time, Luka Modric's shot was deflected on to an upright and substitute Lennon was in the perfect position to slot in the rebound and spark wild scenes of celebration from the Spurs contingent.

Location
League Table
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Liverpool
9 7 2 0 14 6 8 23
2
Chelsea
9 6 2 1 19 4 15 20
3
Hull city
9 6 2 1 14 11 3 20
4
Arsenal
9 6 1 2 18 6 12 19
5
Aston villa
9 5 2 2 16 10 6 17
6
Manchester united
8 4 3 1 13 5 8 15
7
Portsmouth
9 4 2 3 10 14 -4 14
8
Manchester city
9 4 1 4 23 14 9 13
9
Sunderland
9 3 3 3 9 10 -1 12
10
West ham united
9 4 0 5 14 16 -2 12
11
Blackburn rovers
9 3 3 3 9 15 -6 12
12
Middlesbrough
9 3 1 5 8 15 -7 10
13
West bromwich albion
10 3 1 6 8 16 -8 10
14
Everton
9 2 3 4 13 19 -6 9
15
Newcastle united
10 2 3 5 12 18 -6 9
16
Wigan athletic
9 2 2 5 11 13 -2 8
17
Fulham
8 2 2 4 6 8 -2 8
18
Bolton wanderers
9 2 2 5 8 12 -4 8
19
Stoke city
9 2 1 6 10 18 -8 7
20
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
9 1 2 6 7 12 -5 5
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Liverpool
10 8 2 0 15 6 9 26
2
Chelsea
10 7 2 1 22 4 18 23
3
Arsenal
10 6 2 2 22 10 12 20
4
Aston villa
10 6 2 2 19 12 7 20
5
Hull city
10 6 2 2 14 14 0 20
6
Manchester united
9 5 3 1 15 5 10 18
7
Portsmouth
10 4 2 4 10 15 -5 14
8
Manchester city
10 4 1 5 23 16 7 13
9
Middlesbrough
10 4 1 5 10 15 -5 13
10
Sunderland
10 3 3 4 9 11 -2 12
11
West ham united
10 4 0 6 14 18 -4 12
12
Everton
10 3 3 4 14 19 -5 12
13
Blackburn rovers
10 3 3 4 11 18 -7 12
14
Fulham
9 3 2 4 8 8 0 11
15
Stoke city
10 3 1 6 11 18 -7 10
16
West bromwich albion
10 3 1 6 8 16 -8 10
17
Newcastle united
10 2 3 5 12 18 -6 9
18
Wigan athletic
10 2 2 6 11 15 -4 8
19
Bolton wanderers
10 2 2 6 8 13 -5 8
20
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
10 1 3 6 11 16 -5 6
Highlights
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