TOTTENHAM BALED OUT

INTER MILAN 4 - SPURS 3

'arry was on top form last night

Spurs looked set to be humiliated when holders Inter raced to a 4-0 lead inside 35 minutes through goals from Javier Zanetti, a Samuel Eto'o penalty - after Heurelho Gomes had been sent off - Dejan Stankovic and Eto'o again.

The first goal took just 68 seconds. Spurs didn’t so much as punch the self-destruct button as whack it with a sledgehammer. They were carved open. The ball was fed into Eto’o by Coutinho and he bisected the backline — between Alan Hutton and William Gallas — for Javier Zanetti to run onto and, first time, side-foot his shot around Gomes.

With 11 minutes gone, the penalty was conceded, [ Gomez receiving a straight red ]and the sole delay in its conversion was caused by discussion among the officials. The spot-kick was taken by Eto'o who comfortably beat Carlo Cudicini, the goalkeeper who had been brought on as Luka Modric was withdrawn.

The third goal had come with a low shot from Dejan Stankovic in the 14th minute. Following a partly accidental link-up with Eto'o there were feints before he shot past Cudicini.

Eto'o pounced once more, 10 minute from half-time, as William Gallas failed to play him offside from a Biabiany pass. That lapse by the Spurs centre-half confirmed the red card for Gomes had not been the sole cause of the initial rout here.

GARETH BALE

The scoreline was only evened up after Spurs boss Harry Redknapp told Gareth Bale that the Inter goalkeeper was a rival silverback attempting to gain dominance in the pack. Bale came out for the second half and scored virtually the same goal 3 times ...... on 52 mins, 90 mins and again in the 91st minute, he then charged the crowd in what's known as a feign attack but the crowd held its ground and kept looking downward. Bale was led off the pitch at full time by his trainer to great applause.

Bale himself said: “We started off sloppily and we paid the price. I’m not sure what went wrong. It wasn’t a lively start from us and we paid the price. At White Hart Lane we can do a better job and get the victory, that’s all that matters.”

The defeat leaves Redknapp's side second in the table - two points ahead of Twente and Werder Bremen, who drew 1-1 in Holland - while Inter went three points clear at the top.  




SO, HOW LONG BEFORE MANCHESTER CITY COME KNOCKING ON BALE'S DOOR