A goal from Peter Crouch 10 minutes from time gave them a 1-0 first leg victory but the triumph was overshadowed by Milan skipper Gattusos antics at the end of the match when he struck Spurs No.2 Jordan himself a former AC Milan hero.

Gattuso had shoved Jordan in an incident during the match but at full-time the duo went eyeball to eyeball on the touchline, screaming at each other before the Italian – who was booked and will miss the second leg at White Hart Lane, head-butted the Tartan Army legend.

That led to a melee that will be investigated by UEFA but Jordans former Scotland team-mate Graeme Souness, analysing the game for Sky, has no doubt the Italian was to blame and warned him he was lucky Jordan couldnt get him alone in a locked room.

He said: “He should have been booked if not sent off for raising his hands to Joe during the game.

“He’s not the best of players anyway he’s a little dog at best. He will go and get the ball and scuffle around.

“He’s been very good at that in the past but hes well past his sell-by date and for him to do that…I just wish he could have 10 minutes, in fact it wouldn’t take 10 minutes five minutes, with Joe Jordan in a locked room.”

Another former AC Milan player, Ray Wilkins, was horrified by the behaviour of Gattuso. He too was on Sky and said: “The lack of respect he showed to Joe Jordan was nothing short of total ignorance.”

Source + Pic: dailyrecord.co.uk

Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who’d let substitute Drogba’s shot go through his hands for Chelsea’s 70th-minute equaliser, brought down Ramires in stoppage time.

But the Brazilian then produced a fine save to deny Drogba, who took the spot-kick even though fellow substitute and regular penalty-taker Frank Lampard was on the field.

Had the penalty gone in and Chelsea won, the Blues would have gone top.

Instead they stayed fourth, level on points with Manchester United who clash with leaders Arsenal at Old Trafford on Monday.

Tottenham opened the scoring in the 15th minute when the unchallenged Roman Pavlyuchenko struck from inside the box after a pass from Jermain Defoe.

Drogba, on at the start of the second half, equalised 20 minutes from time when his shot somehow found a way through Gomes’s hands to set up the game’s dramatic finale as Spurs regained fifth spot from Bolton, who beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 earlier Sunday.

“I thought we deserved to win the game, especially in the second half, we dominated,” Chelsea captain John Terry told Sky Sports after the Blues avoided a fifth defeat in nine Games.

“That’s more like the Chelsea we know.

Turning to Drogba’s penalty miss, Terry said: “It wasn’t mentioned (who would take the penalty). Didier was brave enough to stand up and take it. You score some, you miss some.”

Terry was optimistic Chelsea had turned a corner in their stuttering season, saying: “We’ve got two huge games now. We’ve got Man United at the Bridge and then we go to the Emirates (to play Arsenal).

“I’ve never doubted my players, the manager or the football club. We won the double last year, let’s not forget that.

“At the minute, nobody’s playing particularly well. Arsenal are looking good, Man United also, but no-one’s hit their top form.

“If we can do that over the Christmas period, we’ve got a very good chance.”

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: football365.com

The Gunners required extra time to clinch victory at White Hart Lane, and they were grateful for two unnecessary tugs of the shirt as Samir Nasri converted twice from the penalty spot in the 92nd and 96th minute.

Wenger opted for a far stronger side than Arsenal fans have become accustomed to in recent Carling Cup campaigns, naming Nasri, Tomas Rosicky, Laurent Koscielny and Denilson all in the starting XI. However, it was 19-year-old Henri Lansbury who broke the deadlock, poking home his first Arsenal goal after a fine cross from Jack Wilshere.

The Gunners enjoyed 67% of possession in the first half, but Redknapp introduced Robbie Keane at the interval and he equalised within three minutes, sliding a shot past the weak left hand of Lukasz Fabianski who should have saved it.

Both sides had chances to finish the match inside 90 minutes, but extra time was needed to separate the teams. Sebastien Bassong and Steven Caulker both conceded penalties in the five first minutes of the additional period, with Nasri sending Spurs’ new goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa the wrong way on both occasions to carry Arsenal into round four. Andrei Arshavin then fired home a fourth for a jubilant Gunners side.

Brentford produced the shock result of the night, beating Everton 4-3 on penalties after holding the Merseysiders to a 1-1 draw. David Moyes must have had a few choice words with his side following the weekend defeat to Newcastle, and they responded with a bright opening at Griffin Park, taking the lead when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov set up Seamus Coleman to smash home.

However, Brentford were level by the break, with Gary Alexander heading home following a magnificent burst of speed from Miles Weston. No goals followed, which meant penalties, and Jermaine Beckford and Phil Jagielka both missed for the Premier League club.

It was a disappointing return to Turf Moor for Owen Coyle as his Bolton side were beaten 1-0by Burnley. Coyle was greeted by plenty of jeers and bank notes as he returned to his former club, where the Burnley faithful still haven’t completely forgiven him for jumping ship last season. But things got worse for the Bolton manager as Wade Elliott controversially grabbed the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time, the linesman judging that the ball had marginally crossed the line.

West Ham built on their first point of the season, earned at Stoke on Saturday, defeatingSunderland 2-1 to advance to the fourth round of the Carling Cup. The Hammers left Carlton Cole on the bench for their trip to the North East, and they were rewarded with a brilliant finish from Frederic Piquionne as they stunned the home crowd on 35 minutes.

The lead lasted all of six minutes as Asamoah Gyan, making his first Sunderland start, headed home an equaliser before half time. But Scott Parker and Pablo Barrera continued to play some quality football after the break, and on the hour they got their reward as the latter set up Victor Obinna to net the winner for West Ham.

Wolves were forced to come from behind to beat Notts County 4-2 after extra time at Molineux. Former West Brom striker Lee Hughes received abuse all night from the home crowd, but it was he who broke the deadlock in the second half, heading home before receiving a yellow card after he revealed a “Boing boing” message to the home fans on his t-shirt.

Wolves struggled to fashion chances as they battled for a way back into the match, but Liam Chilvers was sent off with seven minutes remaining for a foul that led to a Wolves penalty, and Nenad Milijas converted from 12 yards to force extra time. The numerical advantage told during the additional period, with Kevin Doyle (2) and Steven Fletcher both getting on the scoresheet for Wolves.

Stoke made the most of Fulham’s weakness at set-pieces, exposed by Blackburn at the weekend, booking their place in the fourth round with a 2-0 victory. The first half became a feisty affair at the Britannia Stadium following a poor challenge on Moussa Dembele, and Danny Murphy may count himself fortunate to have only seen yellow after throwing the ball in the face of Ryan Shawcross.

Stoke did punish the Cottagers before half time through Danny Higginbotham, who arrived unmarked inside the area to head home Matthew Etherington’s deep corner. And then Rory Delap launched a trademark long throw deep into the second half for Kenwyne Jones to kill the game off.

Birmingham enjoyed a Tuesday night stroll past MK Dons, with summer captures Alexander Hleb and Jean Beausejour shining in an easy 3-1 victory for the Premier League side. Blues blitzed their visitors in a marvellous first 45 minutes at St Andrew’s that saw Beausejour instantly make himself a fans’ favourite.

The Chile international provided assists for the opening two goals, supplying a cross for Hleb to score on his home debut and then for Nikola Zigic to convert a carbon copy second. Craig Gardner then bagged his fourth goal of the season after replacing the injured Michel, before Aaron Wilbraham netted a late consolation for the visitors.

Millwall completed a horror week on home turf by crashing out 2-1 to fellow Championship side Ipswich. The Lions were looking to bounce back from their 6-1 weekend defeat to Watford, but there were more boos from the New Den crowd by half time after a much-changed Ipswich side built a two-goal lead.

Boasting eight changes, Roy Keane’s side led through Tamas Priskin’s header, and then Gareth McAuley’s shot slipped through the goalkeeper’s grasp as things went from bad to worse for the home side. Steve Morison outmuscled his marker to halve the deficit on the hour, but Ipswich deservedly advanced to the next round.

Elsewhere, Swansea had Scott Sinclair to thank as they beat Peterborough 3-1. Sinclair has been in sparkling form this season, and it was he who made the difference, bagging a hat-trick to take his personal tally to seven in the last six games. Craig Mackail-Smith scored for Peterborough.

And Portsmouth came off second best against Leicester, missing a host of chances in a 2-1defeat at Fratton Park. Michael Morrison opened the scoring for the Foxes, who doubled their lead through Lloyd Dyer before Richard Hughes earned a straight red card for foul and abusive language. Liam Lawrence halved the deficit with eight minutes remaining, but Leicester clung on for victory.

Source + Pic: soccernet.espn.go.com

England striker Defoe missed a host of good chances but still managed to come up trumps for the Premier League side with strikes in the 37th and 73rd minutes before putting the result beyond all doubt in the fourth minute of stoppage time to take his tally for the season to 22 goals.

Luciano Becchio had equalised for Leeds on the stroke of half-time as Simon Grayson’s League One side threatened to pull off another shock in front of a partisan home crowd.

But Defoe secured a trip for Tottenham to top-flight rivals Bolton in the last 16 and kill-off the Cup dreams of Leeds, who had knocked Manchester United at Old Trafford out of the competition in stunning style in the previous round.

Redknapp made three changes from the side held to a draw by Birmingham last weekend, recalling Jermaine Jenas, Sebastien Bassong and Niko Kranjcar to his starting line-up.

Ledley King was rested and both Wilson Palacios and Luka Modric dropped to the bench.

This was a game Redknapp was desperate to win, given it represented his side’s last realistic chance to win some silverware this season.

They arrived at Elland Road in confident mood as well, having lost just one of their last 10 games in all competitions.

Yet his starting line-up proved just how much Redknapp respected Leeds, despite their being 42 league places separating the two clubs.

He knew to his cost from the first tie at White Hart Lane, which ended in a 2-2 draw, just what Grayson’s men were capable of.

But it was Tottenham who dominated the first half and they would have been home and hosed before the interval had it not been for some woeful finishing from Defoe.

He could have had a hat-trick but continued to let Leeds off the hook.

Defoe pounced on a weak back header from Andrew Hughes in the first minute but fluffed his shot badly.

He then pounced on a clever chest down from Peter Crouch only to see his instant strike fly inches wide.

Worse was to follow from Defoe, who found himself clean through on goal thanks to Jermaine Jenas’s hopeful pass in the 24th minute but with just Casper Ankergren to beat he was unable to get the better of the Danish goalkeeper.

Leeds’ luck ran out in the 37th minute when Defoe latched onto David Bentley’s cross and turned sharply, only for his shot to slice luckily beyond Ankergren and into the top corner.

But Leeds, whose resilience was a feature of their Cup run, hauled themselves level when Heurelho Gomes could only palm Jermaine Beckford’s instant volley straight into the path of Becchio, who shot into an open goal.

Redknapp’s men continued to pile the pressure on Leeds, however, with Defoe blazing just over the crossbar and Crouch wasting Niko Kranjcar’s cross when it seemed easier to score.

Ankergren was also in fine form and produced another stunning save to tip over Michael Dawson’s glancing header just before the hour mark before doing the same to a powerful drive from the impressive Bentley as Leeds hung on.

But he was powerless to prevent Bentley’s cross from finding Defoe in the 73rd minute and this time the forward made no mistake before adding a third in stoppage time.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

Despite the return of club captain Steven Gerrard from injury, Rafael Benitez’s men were listless in a goalless stalemate at struggling Wolves.

But the Liverpool manager was defiantly upbeat after a result that means his side are unbeaten in five matches in the league.

“We had two or three chances in the first half and it was same in the second but our final pass not the best,” the Spaniard said.

“But it is another clean sheet and everyone is working really hard, so I think it is really positive.”

The draw leaves Liverpool three points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham, who were always in control of their London derby clash with Fulham at White Hart Lane.

“Three points — that was the main thing tonight, but I think the win was well deserved tonight,” said Spurs boss Harry Redknapp.

Spurs went ahead mid-way through the first half through Peter Crouch, who fired home after being teed up by Luka Modric following a wonderful piece of improvisation from the Croatia playmaker.

David Bentley made sure of the win with a second-half free-kick that found the net with the help of a deflection off Bjorn Helge Riise which wrong-footed Fulham’s Australian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer.

At the other end of the table, it was a memorable night for Bolton, who claimed their first league win under new manager Owen Coyle, at the expense of his former club Burnley.

Lee Chung-Yong’s 35th-minute strike proved enough to earn Bolton a 1-0 win that lifted them out of the relegation zone.

As a result of West Ham and Wolves both picking up a point apiece, Burnley dropped into the drop zone for the first time this season.

Predictably, Coyle was given a hostile reception from the visiting fans, who hurled “Judas” insults at the man they used to refer to as “God.”

A more appropriate biblical reference, Coyle wryly reminded his critics, would be Moses, given his achievement in leading Burnley to the promised land of the Premier League.

West Ham had to settle for a 1-1 draw at bottom club Portsmouth after taking the lead at Fratton Park.

The Hammers had gone ahead seven minutes into the second-half.

Alessandro Diamanti curled a corner from the right towards the back post and, after it had been deflected goalwards by Pompey defender Younes Kaboul, the ball ended up in the net off the thigh of Matthew Upson.

The Hammers looked strong favourites to go on and take all three points at that stage, but Portsmouth snatched an equaliser with just under quarter of an hour left.

John Utaka played in Danny Webber and the substitute slotted his finish through the legs of Hammers’ goalkeeper Robert Green for his first Premier League goal.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

Defoe had put Spurs ahead two minutes into the second half and Michael Dawson doubled their advantage with more than half an hour remaining at Goodison Park.

But substitute striker Louis Saha began Everton’s comeback with a 78th-minute goal and Australian midfielder Tim Cahill grabbed the equalizer on his 30th birthday to end the club’s three-match losing streak in the league.

“We’ve had a bit of bad luck so it was nice to get that draw,” Cahill said.

Referee Andre Marriner gave Spurs a chance to reclaim the lead when he penalized Tony Hibbert for fouling Wilson Palacios in the penalty area.

But Defoe saw his tame spot kick saved by goalkeeper Tim Howard, who the striker could face again in England’s World Cup opener against the United States next June.

“Louis Saha gave me a word of advice before the penalty,” Howard said. “I knew what to expect, but he tipped me off a little bit.

There’s so much video now that there’s not one penalty you can’t see.”

The draw kept Tottenham in fourth place, one point behind Arsenal, who have a game in hand over their north London rival.

In Sunday’s other match, Fulham moved back into the top half of the standings by beating Sunderland 1-0.

Chelsea’s lead at the top was trimmed to two points Saturday when Carlo Ancelotti’s side lost 2-1 at Manchester City and second-place Manchester United won 4-0 at West Ham.

While Chelsea and United have broken away from the chasing pack, Arsenal and Tottenham have stiff competition for the next two Champions League spots.

Since Spurs thrashed Wigan 9-1, they have now drawn twice and it took them until the start of the second half to finally breach the defense of injury-hit Everton.

Aaron Lennon whipped in a cross from the right and Defoe nipped in front of Hibbert, who was slow to react, at the near post to score his 12th league goal of the season.

And from Niko Kranjcar’s 59th-minute corner, Lucas Neill allowed Dawson to escape him in the penalty area and the center back dived low to score in successive league matches.

The goal prompted a double attack-minded change from Everton manager David Moyes, with Saha and Ayegbeni Yakubu replacing Jo and Jack Rodwell.

Gareth Bale came close to curling in Tottenham’s third from a free kick, but then was easily beaten back in defense by 21-year-old right back Seamus Coleman. The defender crossed to Saha, who beat goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes at the near post.

Saha went close to leveling with an overhead kick, but Cahill succeeded with a low header from Leighton Baines’ cross in the 86th minute to earn Everton’s first point since October. The club lies 15th in the standings with 16 points, three points above the relegation zone.

Source + Pic: supersport.co.za

North-west rivals United and Liverpool slugged it out for the trophy last season but both looked below-par and pedestrian compared with Arsenal who thumped six goals past Everton on Saturday.

The champions at least hung on to claim all three points and with Chelsea also victorious Liverpool were the only one of the four title favourites who failed to win on the opening weekend.

United, minus Cristiano Ronaldo, needed the quick reactions of Rooney 12 minutes before halftime at Old Trafford to see off promoted Birmingham, the England striker stabbing in a rebound after his header hit the post.

Liverpool suffered just two losses in the league last season, one of those coming at Tottenham, and they endured more frustration in north London as French defender Sebastien Bassong sealed a 2-1 defeat with a powerful header on his debut.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto fired Tottenham in front with a thumping shot past Pepe Reina just before halftime but Liverpool, narrow runners-up to United last season with their best ever Premier League points tally, levelled through Steven Gerrard’s penalty early in the second half.

Liverpool could have few complaints as they lacked creativity against a Tottenham side who in winning their opening match have gained more points than they did in their first eight last season, a run that ended with the sacking of Spanish coach Juande Ramos.

“The first half was not the best for us, the second half much better,” Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez told Sky Sports.

“We are disappointed because we worked hard in the second half. It’s still early, but we know we have to improve.”

With much of the pre-season talk surrounding the loss of Ronaldo, Manchester United’s most influential player during their recent domination of the league, all eyes were on new signing Antonio Valencia and Nani.

Valencia had a quiet debut but Nani was involved in United’s winner before being replaced at halftime by veteran Ryan Giggs, beginning his 18th Premier League campaign.

Michael Owen, another new face at United after his free transfer from Newcastle United, nearly made an immediate impact, having one shot well saved by Birmingham keeper Joe Hart and another effort ruled out for offside.

“I started with Wayne and Dimitar (Berbatov) because they have been at the club last season and were regulars but Michael will get his chances, no question about that,” United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports.

“There are plenty of games coming up in the next few weeks for him to take those chances.”

United were dealt a blow when centre back Rio Ferdinand was ruled out with a calf injury and they often looked jittery against a Birmingham side who gradually gained belief.

The early stages were all United with Rooney having one curler tipped over the bar and another effort blocked before he struck in the 33rd minute.

Nani found space out on the left and his cross was well met by Rooney with a firm header which hit the post and rebounded for the striker to tap in.

Birmingham have never scored a Premier League goal at Old Trafford but they came close when Franck Queudrue’s near-post header was cleared off the line by United defender Patrice Evra.

Rooney was United’s main threat in the second half but they failed to kill off the visitors and suffered anxious moments, most notably when substitute Christian Benitez forced a great save from Ben Foster.

Harry Redknapp’s side may have spent the first half of the season struggling near the bottom of the table, but a defeat of Liverpool, a win and a draw against Chelsea and two draws with Arsenal underline their ability to raise their game against top level opponents.

Liverpool‘s 4-4 draw with Arsenal in midweek has increased United’s margin for error.

But although Sir Alex Ferguson‘s men capitalised with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth 24 hours later, their performance was sufficiently jittery to suggest Tottenham could pose a tougher challenge at Old Trafford.

Spurs defender Jonathan Woodgate is anticipating a tight encounter and does not expect United to rest any of their big names ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg against Arsenal.

“We haven’t been beaten by any of the top sides in the league this season and we have beaten Liverpool and Chelsea,” Woodgate said.

“Our record against the top four is impeccable but United will put out a strong side and it will be very tough.”

The early evening match will see Michael Carrick come up against his former club and the midfielder believes United just need to hold their nerve for the final month of the campaign.

“Liverpool’s draw was a big boost and we’re in a decent position now,” he said. “Hopefully we can keep the momentum going until the end of the season and put the league to bed as quickly as we can.

There are big games coming thick and fast and we need to be at our best in all of them.”

Liverpool, who have been scoring freely but also leaking goals of late, cannot afford to dwell on their midweek setback as they prepare for what is likely to be a ferociously contested meeting with Hull.

Phil Brown’s side are fighting for their Premier League lives with only a three-point cushion between them and the relegation zone.

Sunderland, who are only a point better off than Hull, will be desperate to take all three points from their trip to bottom side West Brom, who could be relegated as early as next weekend if results go against them.

Middlesbrough, who travel to Arsenal on Sunday, could benefit if Arsene Wenger opts to rest some of his big names ahead of the Champions League clash with Manchester United.

Gareth Southgate’s side, who entertain United next weekend, desperately need to start picking up some points and the Boro boss believes the fact that his side have been in trouble for so long could actually help them beat the drop.

“In a strange way, we have got less tension about us because we have faced the worst possible scenario being where we are, and we have realised we can handle that,” Southgate said.

“If you can handle that, you can look forward and see what we can go on and achieve.”

With West Ham entertaining Chelsea, Fulham will be hoping for a win over Stoke that could see them leapfrog their London rivals into seventh, the final qualifying spot for next season’s Europa League, the successor to the Uefa Cup.

Blackburn will see their home encounter with Wigan on Saturday as a golden opportunity to pull clear of the drop zone at the expense of opponents with little left to play for this season.

Everton’s meeting with Manchester City looks to be the match with least at stake this weekend but Everton’s on-loan Brazilian striker Jo will at least have a point to prove to the club that paid £18 million to bring him to England before the start of the season then offloaded him in January.

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: theoffside.com

He was not a regular starter and was surprisingly left on the substitutes’ bench at times when he appeared to be a good option for the Reds. Keane, who secured a swift move back to Tottenham in the winter transfer window, insists he made the right decision to join Liverpool. But he admits he was perhaps not suited to working with Benitez, and has hinted that he would have liked to be treated with more respect.

“Of course I wish it had gone differently, but I have no regrets,” Keane told Icon magazine.

“I do believe with a different manager it would have worked for me, but different managers have different methods and some have different ideas than those you are used to or believe in.

“People have their own opinions of Benitez. I have nothing against him and will leave people to make their own minds up about him.

“When you’ve been around for a while as a player, all you want is a bit of respect and to be treated the way you feel you deserve to be.”

Keane claims the best manager he has ever played under is Gordon Strachan, who signed him for Coventry in 1999. Keane was still a teenager when he joined the Sky Blues and he believes Strachan helped him fulfil his potential.

“My time at Coventry was very important,” Keane explained.

“I got to work with Gordon Strachan, the best manager I have ever played for.

“He is a fantastic man-manager who has always known how to get the best out of a player.”

Source: football365.com