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Tottenham have put their poor March Premier League form behind them, and recorded a 3-1 win over Swansea at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

The north London side were under pressure to get a result after results of late, but went into the lead early on through a Rafael van der Vaart strike.

Gylfi Sigurdsson levelled things up after the break, before a brace from Emmanuel Adebayor ensured the three points went the way of the home side.

Harry Redknapp praised his team after the victory, especially Gareth Bale, and was pleased with his team’s performance.

“He’s (Bale) just an amazing talent. He’s an amazing player,” the head coach told Sky Sports.

“He’s got the ability to run all day, to beat people, to dribble, to shoot, to head it – he can do everything. He’s a unique player really, he’s a special talent.

“But everybody was on their game today. I thought we defended well. We got good blocks in, the two centre halves. I thought the midfield people all closed down and pressed well.

“Obviously Manny (Adebayor) getting two goals as well was great for him.

“I thought we were fantastic. (In the) first half we did everything that we asked of them; we pressed them, closed them, had all the chances.

“They started well for the first maybe eight, nine, 10 minutes then we really got after them all over the park and broke their game up.

“They’re a good side, they play fantastic football, but I don’t think we ever let them play in that first half. They came back into it and got the goal but then we came back strong again,” he concluded.

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The win takes Spurs equal on points with Arsenal, after the Gunners were beaten 2-1 by QPR on Saturday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Steve Bruce will be breathing a huge sigh of relief tonight after his Sunderland side came from two goals down to snatch a point against West Brom at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats looked shell shocked after James Morrison and Shane Long scored within a minute of each other to give the Baggies a two nil lead with only five minutes on the clock. Chants from supporters requesting Bruce’s dismissal quickly evaporated after  Nicklas Bendtner and Ahmed Elmohamady struck to bring the home side level and give both sides a valuable point in an entertaining affair on Wearside. It will have been a satisfying end to a torrid week for the red and whites after defeat to Norwich on Monday and Titus Brambles arrest and subsequent suspension. Both clubs have started the season in dreadful form and it was clear from the off that they were determined to give their fans something to shout about. The travelling Albion supporters were certainly singing after four minutes when Morrison put them into the lead. Some woeful marking from Wes Brown allowed the Scotland midfielder to nip in and nod Chris Brunts free kick past Simon Mignolet.

With the hosts still reeling from the opener Long gave them a huge mountain to climb just a minute later outpacing the lumbering Michael Turner before cooly slotting the ball home. Baggies boss Roy Hodgson would have been delighted by his sides rapid start considering they’ve only managed to score three goals in their six games so far this season. That joy quickly ebbed away and he will have been unhappy that his players failed to build on their early dominance allowing Sunderland to slowly but surely get back into the game. The home side responded well to the two goal sucker punch and the roof was lifted when Nicklas Bendtner struck his first goal in a red and white shirt. The on loan Arsenal hit man was a tad fortunate to see his strike deflect off Gareth McAuley after being teed up by Sebastian Larsson’s back heel. The big Dane then turned provider crossing for Elmohamody to head home his first goal since joining the club at the start of last season.

The action didn’t stop there with Sunderland having keeper Mignolet to thank as he twice denied Morrison with opposite number Ben Foster also having to be alert to keep out Larsson’s effort. The Swedish midfielder also had a good disallowed for offside as the first half ended at a frenetic pace. It was a shame the same intensity wasn’t displayed during the second period with both teams seemingly happy to settle for a point with the only notable chance going to the hosts as Brown’s flicked header bounced narrowly wide.

Get over to Goaldash and check your numbers to see what you might have won!

New Arsenal signing Per Mertesacker will provide inside information on the side’s Champions League opponents Borussia Dortmund, as The Gunners travel to take on the Bundesliga holders at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday.

The Germany international signed for the London club from Werder Bremen this summer after eight seasons playing in his homeland, and Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the defender’s knowledge will be vital to preparation.

“Mertesacker knows the stadium well and German football well. He is strong and talks, he ­communicates,” the French coach told Mirror Football.

“We have a big game on Tuesday against a very big side. It’s a massive game and a chance to show what we can do. It’s a first big test.”

Wenger has also looked back on the side’s poor start to the season, and believes that the qualifying fixtures against Udinese had an adverse effect on the side’s domestic form.

“The Champions League qualifiers had a big impact on our Premier League performances.

“I think we were disturbed by two things – the players who were not with us (Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri) and the two Udinese games had an impact on our games against Liverpool and United,” he concluded.

Arsenal have been drawn in a difficult group, as along with the Dortmund the Emirates outfit must face Marseille and Olympiakos.

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Manchester City have retaken the initiative in the Premier League title race, after beating rivals Manchester United 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night.

A Vincent Kompany header on the stroke of half-time sealed victory for the hosts, and drew City equal on points with the current champions.

However City go back top due to their superior goal difference, and now have their title hopes in their own hands.

Another talking point of the game was a touchline clash between Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini, with the United manager accusing his opponent of badgering the match officials.

“He (Mancini) was badgering the referee the whole game, the fourth official and the linesman, and the minute I go out there…” he told Sky Sports.

“He was complaining about referees all week, he can’t be complaining tonight, that’s for sure.”

Despite City now being in pole position to steal United’s crown, Mancini has maintained that the battle is not yet over.

“We are happy, but I think that next Sunday we will have another difficult game,” he stated.

“I think we deserved to win this game. We scored. We played well and had the chance to score the second goal.

“I don’t think that they had the chance to score.

“It was a difficult game, because United are a top team. We know this,” he concluded.

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City face a tricky away day at Newcastle next before hosting QPR on the last day, whilst United play Swansea at Old Trafford and then Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

By Gareth McKnight

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Barcelona’s Dutch forward Ibrahim Afellay has been linked with a shock move to north London club Tottenham Hotspur according to The Daily Mirror.

Reports that Spurs chief scout Ian Broomfield attended last night’s Audi Cup match in Germany to run the rule over the exciting attacking winger, as Barcelona took on Internacional of Brazil. Afellay played the entire first half, hitting the woodwork with a curling effort with once chance, giving Broomfield the chance to compile a brief report for Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

The Dutch attacking star, who only joined Barcelona in January for a cut-price fee before his contract expired, has so far found it difficult to break into Barcelona’s front three, mainly being used as just an impact substitute or in cup matches. He will find his task even harder this season after the Catalan club’s capture of Chilean attacking sensation Alexis Sanchez, which may lead Afellay, who was once heavily linked with moves to Liverpool and Arsenal, to seek a move away from the European Champions in search of more regular action.

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Sir Alex Ferguson insists Manchester United have no special plan to negate the threat of Lionel Messi in the Champions League final.United and Barcelona are both vying for their fourth European Cup and will contest the final on Saturday at Wembley on, the scene of United’s first triumph in 1968 and Barcelona’s in 1992.

Ferguson has faced Messi, who has scored 53 goals this season, three times while in charge of Manchester United and on two of those occasions, the reigning World Player of the Year failed to score.

“We showed fantastic concentration in those two ties,” said Ferguson. “That is the key for us. It is an important issue in terms of Saturday.”

“We have played against Barcelona three times with Messi in the team. But there is always a solution to every good player. Hopefully we can find one on Saturday.”

“They have other good players though, and so do we. That is why it is such an appealing game. I am sure Barcelona are aware of that.”

“We showed fantastic concentration in those two ties. That is the key for us. It is an important issue in terms of Saturday.”

United veteran Ryan Giggs has been at the centre of lurid tales about his private life but Ferguson would not elaborate when asked about the Welshman’s role in the team for Saturday, adding: “All of the players are important, every one of them.”

Ferguson faces a selection dilemma for the clash at Wembley – a repeat of the 2009 final in which Barcelona won 2-0 – with question marks over Darren Fletcher’s ability to last the match considering his recent return from a debilitating virus.

And Ferguson, the most successful British manager in football history, admits he faces a tough decision over who to leave out.

“I think the solution to the game is not just about Barcelona, it’s about us, too. If we win the match, it’s down to how well we attack,” he said.

“It’s not easy picking a team because they have all contributed. Hopefully, I will pick the right team and the right substitutes.”

“It’s not easy because you’re dealing with the human side of the game and the players have worked ever so hard because it’s a squad game for us this year.”

“One person has to tell them and that’s me. It’s not a simple job but it has to be done and they all understand it’s for the right reasons.”

Both teams have no injury concerns for the match, although Barcelona are travelling to London earlier than planned – they fly on Tuesday – to battle the ash cloud hovering over Europe.

Spurs are closing in on 20-year old Mexican striker Antonio Pedroza Whitham, according to the Daily Mail.

The forward’s contract with club Jaguares is expiring and Spurs have reportedly agreed a fee in the region of £1 million for the player’s services. The young attacker was born in England but moved to Mexico at a young age. Pedroza would become the second player to move to White Hart Lane this summer after the acquisition of veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel from Aston Villa.

Another young striker linked with the club is 16-year old Caen prospect M’Baye Niang. The France Under-17 striker only made his first team debut in April but enjoyed a fine end to the season scoring 3 goals in 7 games. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is reported to be willing to offer up to £7 million for the youngster.

Manchester City are also chasing Niang and are rumoured to be willing to offer £10 million for his services. However, Harry Redknapp will hope to tempt to player to White Hart Lane as his side push for a return to Champions League football.

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Redknapp is rumoured to be keen to overhaul his striking options with any of Jermaine Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch believed to be available for transfer.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas has dedicated his side’s 2-1 win over Everton in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night to under-fire skipper John Terry.

The England international defender was left out of the squad to travel to Merseyside, as allegations of racism in The Blues 1-0 defeat to QPR at the weekend are currently being investigated by the FA.

After the hard-fought victory, the Portuguese coach admitted the players had their captain in mind.

“The spirit of the players took us through. I think all of the players would like to dedicate the win to John Terry,” Villas Boas told Sky Sports.

Salomon Kalou had given the visitors the lead before Louis Saha forced the game into extra-time, where Daniel Sturridge converted the winner for the London outfit.

With Toffees midfielder Royston Drenthe and Chelsea’s goalkeeper Ross Turnbull both dismissed, the away team’s trainer was delighted to progress through to the next stage.

“We deserved it for what we put on as an effort and for the football we played.

“To be fair, I think we had the worst of the draws. It was a difficult game to play, Everton would like to challenge for silverware and the commitment they had to this competition made them a strong team.

“When you triumph in a game like this, you cannot toast the individuals you have to toast the collective spirit of a squad that once again goes down to 10 men.

“We wanted to avoid it but it happened and we saw the game through,” he concluded.

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Chelsea have no respite as the fixtures come thick and fast in November, with Arsenal their next opponents at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

By Gareth McKnight

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Possibly the most exciting purchase a club can make, a striker brings with him goals, something different, and the hope of a successful season. There is never a bad moment to mention transfer rumours, as supporters are always on the lookout to see if their clubs will better the squad that’s not quite getting the job done. It’s also a time where the latest flavour of the month can get linked with anyone and everyone in the hope that one of them will stick.

But the goal scoring exploits of those abroad and their consistency suggest the Premier League is missing out on a number of top forwards. Some may be undervalued by their clubs, and others who are performing so well that a move to a bigger club is sure to materialise in the near future.

Here are ten strikers who are doing good things on the continent and would be welcome additions to English football.

Click on Loic Remy to unveil the top 10

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I wrote a piece about people leaving our home games early earlier this week, and it looks like I’m not the only one to notice the lack of support shown in the stadium. This week REDaction held a meeting with AFC representatives before the Carling Cup tie versus Manchester City at Emirates.

The questions about safe standing, ticketing, and unreserved seating posed to the club were unfortunately on the whole dodged by the club. More interestingly I thought was the one of the questions posed about player interaction with the fans.

It was put to the club about the an improvement in post-match appreciation by the players would be appreciated, which was met with a reply saying that the fans must also meet them halfway, which includes staying for the full 90 minutes at home games. Obviously I’m not the only one to notice that other fans are leaving early, the players are clearly noticing too.

How frustrating must it be for a player to be entering the final stages of a match and to look up at the stands for encouragement, only to see thousands of people leaving  the stadium rather than cheering the team on? As I stated in my previous piece, we can be the difference between us drawing 1-1 at home to Fulham and beating them 2-1.

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It seems though that most of the dodged questions were around the issue of ticketing, such as the location of the away fans and the potential for unreserved seating for Carling Cup games. I feel that if we could get blocks 5-12 put as unreserved seating for Carling Cup ties this would improve the atmosphere no end.

Those who travel regularly to away games will know we have some of the best away support, all standing, all singing and giving their all for the lads. Take a look on youtube and search for Arsenal fans at whatever our last away game was, and you might just be surprised to see just how passionate our fans are.

Unfortunately most people who go to away games are then separated at home games, which contributes to the dire atmosphere we currently have to endure. If we could get 2,000 people who want to stand, sing and stay for the full 90 minutes it might, just might make a real difference to a result.

Away fans positioning was another point raised, which whilst I agree with the sentiment, this should have never been an issue in the first place had the club stuck them in the upper tier from when we moved. How much of a lift must it be to away teams knowing that they will be backed by 3,000 (or however many fans they bring) in the lower tier behind the goal? We should do what Newcastle do and stick them up in the upper tier, as far away as possible from the pitch, and charge them the highest prices to boot. The less away fans in our stadium the better if you ask me.

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The dire atmosphere at our new home needs drastic improvement, and isn’t being helped by people wasting a ticket by only attending 75% of the match. Perhaps if you can’t commit to attending the game to the end you shouldn’t be there at all.

Article courtesy of Stuart Watson from Arsenal Insider

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