Tottenham Hotspur   6    Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus)   1      (Half-time score : 4-0)

12  Cerny

  2  Chimbonda
  5  Kaboul  
20  Dawson  
32  Assou-Ekotto (16  Bale 80)

25  Lennon
  4  Zokora
22  Huddlestone
15  Malbranque (Taarabt 70)

23  Bent  
10  Keane (c)     (18  Defoe 63   )

Unused subs: 
  1  Robinson
  8  Jenas
  9  Berbatov
33  Rocha 

  1  Beqaj

  3  Lambrou
  4  Katsavakis
  5  Nicolaou (c)  (Panagi 58)
15  Loumpoutis

  8  Fabinho Pereira      (Pahars 64)
  6  Zlogar (Deyanov 82)
  7  Poursaitides
23  Skopelitis

88  Boaventura
  9  Sosin

Unused subs: 
30  Nagy
  2  Tripotsgris
11  Frousos
24  Constantinou

All blue

Kaboul 5
Dawson 40
Keane 42
Bent 43
Defoe 65
Defoe 90

Zlogar 81

    
Fabinho (diving)    

But with the Cypriot team being so poor, it should have been about twelve with some simpler play and some more accurate shooting.  With 22 efforts on goal, only half hit the target and while the keeper saved the ones straight at him, he failed to make a difficult save in the match.

A defender had sliced a through-ball narrowly wide of his own goal for a corner, before Spurs got one on the other side and Huddlestone's pacy delivery was headed home by Younes Kaboul to give Tottenham a fifth minute lead.  From that, Spurs should have built a commanding early advantage, but Robbie Keane was intent on using the surprise element in his armoury, but unfortunately, this only succeeded in presenting the ball to Anorthosis on most occasions, whereas a simple control and lay-off would have retained possession and made life harder for the Cypriot side.

When Tottenham did pass the ball around, they created pressure and Zokora's run saw him brought down and Kaboul thundered the ball off the wall for another corner, while a good move released Darren Bent on the right and as he moved past the defender, it appeared that he took the striker's legs from under him.  The Italian referee looked unimpressed and waved play on.

Anorthosis only troubled Spurs with a few attacks in the first half, with Kaboul blocking a shot from the Brazilian Boaventura and their big, but cumbersome, centre-forward headed a corner wide when unmarked and Katsavakis landed another header from a corner onto the top of the net.  When they did threaten, Pereira looked to have earned a free-kick on the edge of the Tottenham area, but the ref showed him a yellow card for diving.

Kaboul had a really good game and almost played Bent in, but as the ball dropped, he chose to try and set up Keane, with his pass being cut out.  Both Keane and Lennon were denied by Beqaj and Lennon played a fierce low cross across the six yard box, which Bent just missed and then he could not get a touch on it when Assou-Ekotto played a similar ball in from the left as the ball was still in play.  The left back had a solid game coming back after his knee surgery, although he was rarely tested defensively.

It took until nearly the 40th minute when Spurs doubled their lead.  Another corner and another goal, making it frustrating when corners failed to clear the first man between the goals.  Hud provided another cross for Chimbonda to rise at the far post and knock it down for Dawson to nip in ahead of a defender to touch home.

Little did we realise that this was the signal for a mini goal avalanche that sealed the game in Tottenham's favour.  Assou-Ekotto made ground up the left wing and played a ball into Robbie's feet on the edge of the box.  He took a touch, which lifted the ball off the floor and hit the volley on the turn, producing a low shot that went past Bejaq's left hand for 3-0.  To be honest, in my view, it was the first good thing he had done in the match.  Then, more or less straight from the kick off, Spurs got possession and played a ball into the right hand channel, which a defender tried to cut out, but only succeeded in diverting past his own keeper, who was coming out to collect it.  Darren Bent was alert to this and raced onto the ball as it headed for the line and won the foot race against a defender with a slide, which earned him his second Tottenham goal from a combined total of 4 inches !!  Still, they all count and 4-0 at half-time at least settled our nerves as 3-0 up at that stage is not a good score for Spurs !!

After the restart, it was damage limitation for Anorthosis, as they tried to gain some credibility from their performance and Spurs, who had conceded possession too often in the first half, played a better passing game to maintain control of the game.  Keane control let him down in the box and Chimbonda slammed a good chance well over the bar when just inside the penalty area.  Zokora fancied his chances of a goal tonight too and struck a 30 yard effort straight at Beqaj.  The same end result came from a Keane shot when he had been put in by a perceptive pass from Huddlestone on the hour.  It was almost the last thing Robbie did before he was replaced by Jermain Defoe, who got a great reception form the Tottenham crowd after all that had been said in the papers about him not signing a new contract at the club.

It took less than two minutes to prove why he is so loved by Tottenham fans.  Jermain took the ball as it was played forward, swapped passes with Bent and standing a yard outside the penalty area, he looked like he was going to shoot, but picked out an exquisite chip that left the tall keeper looking as the ball sailed over his head and hit the back of the net.  Not only did he and the crowd go delirious, but the team celebrated his goal like it was a championship winner.  A great goal from a great goal-scorer.

Jol then took the opportunity to give some of the players a run out.  Taarabt got his first taste of European football with Spurs and his twisting turning and theatrical falling won a couple of free-kicks and his powerful drilled shot flashed past the post.  Then, against all expectation, a free-kick for the visitors was played into the box and it dropped on the edge of the area and a weak prod from Zlogar saw the ball bumble towards goal and Cerny, who had done well up until then, went down in stages, as the ball beat him to go into the corner of the net.

Keeping a clean sheet is something anathema to Spurs and to Defoe to close proceedings with a belter of a 25 yard shot that Beqaj saved and then, in injury time, one that he shifted out of his feet after receiving Huddlestone's pass, to rifle with no back-lift past a bemused keeper. to rack up a 6-1 first leg lead.

While Jol was sitting mainly impassively on the bench, he must have been pleased with the night's result, as this is how he wants his team to play.  It is still not yet perfect and having left the likes of Robinson, Berbatov and Jenas on the bench, he must hope that it could still get better and that will need to start on Sunday with the trip to Bolton.  Never an easy one, but never more do we need to win, especially as they are currently sitting at the bottom of the table.

KIRK HAMMERTON