Harry Redknapp must be sacrificing animals by the truckload with the change in luck Tottenham has experienced. It seems unfair to me that Corluka and Pavlyuchenko are cup-tied, but 'Andsome 'Arry is allowed to coach. All told it was a good night for English teams, with all three winning while Portsmouth was idle.Aston Villa defeated Slavia Prague 1-0, as they took another step towards securing silverware. Due to the crunch of fixtures, O'Neill started Guzan, Knight and Sidwell were among the changes from Monday's game against Newcastle. Villa had a number of chances, but it was Carew who found the net in the 28th minute. Villa have a home fixture against bottom feeders MSK Zilina, which should see them clinch a top two spot, and then will have a test away at Hamburg. O'Neill has done well to build on last year's success, and with a deeper squad they should avoid the second half problems they had last year.
Man City defeated FC Twente(Steve McClaren's club) 3-2, in a typical see saw game for City. City started quickly with a Sean Wright-Phillips goal in the second minute, before Twente equalized. Robinho put them back in the lead with a beautiful strike in the 57th minute, and Benjani was only in the game for three minutes before he scored. Rob Wielaert struck back for Twente to make for a nervy final 25 minutes. With Benjani fit, City have the offensive power to mount a challenge. However their defense seems to concede often, and there is some doubt whether they can grind out results when they need them. Unless City can tighten up at the back, they'll just cotinue to seesaw.
Tottenham crushed Dinamo Zagreb 4-0, as Darren Bent hit a hat trick. Bent is their only experienced striker in the UEFA Cup, with Pavlyuchenko cup tied and Fraizer Campbell yet to score in the higher leagues. Luka Modric did well against his former side, and it looks like Harry is figuring out how to get the best out of his players. Much will depend on the Tottenham midfield, and Harry will need production from Huddlestone, Zokora, Bentley, Lennon, Modric, O'Hara and Jenas when he is fit. Harry will do well with the back line, and if those players supplement the strikers production they should rocket up the table and have an eye on some silverware in Europe.
One Liners
- FA serves Ferguson with improper conduct change, Fergie will find a way to slither out of it
- West Ham invites Obama to match at Upton Park, Hammers fans hoping that "new leader of the free world" might bail them out
- FA won't pursue racism claim against Joey Barton, showing that while a broken clock is right twice a day it's wrong a lot more often
- Ronaldo wants victory at Emirates, expects 14-1 win, with a Wes Brown own goal the one
- Current odds at 25-1 that Arsene Wenger will run onto the pitch and kick someone in the shins, that's a tenner if i ever heard one
