Fulop

McKie
Defendi
Richards (c) (Donoghue 46)
Ifil

Dilevski
Carrick
Marney (Yeates 60)
Brown (Hughes 77)

Silva Sousa
Barnard

Unused subs: 
Burch
O'Hara

Royce

Fuller
Fish
M. Ricketts
Konchesky

Sam
Long (Thanda 89)
McCafferty (c)
Thomas

Walker
Varney (Wilson 77)

Unused subs: 
Gross
Elliott
Phillips

Defendi  18

Charlton Athletic 

McKie  (foul)  13
Brown  (foul)  73

Defendi  (foul)  49

It all looked so different early on.  After a volley from Charlton's Alex Varney that cleared the stand, Spurs started to build some moves with good, pin-point passing.  Philip Ifil was getting a lot of space on the right and his crosses into the area were causing a lot of problems.  It was my first view of Michael Carrick in a Spurs shirt and he seemed to be the centre of play, with almost everything passing through him, before he passed the ball off his left or right foot, finding his targets with accuracy for the first hour.  It seemed as though he tired after then and his passes got picked off a bit, as the extra body helped crowd Tottenham out.

Marcel McKie was having a tough time against the speedy Lloyd Sam and got an early yellow card in the 13th minute for pulling the winger back by the shirt.  But just five minutes later, Spurs took the lead.  Carrick was in the centre circle and pinged a great pass out to Ifil, who took the ball down, beat his marker (former Gooner Jerome Thomas) and put in a firmly hit cross to find Defendi racing in to power a header into the middle of the goal.  Simon Royce seemed to have it covered, but it squirmed through him and into the net for a goal.

Spurs tried to drill home the advantage in the 21st minute when Dean Marney hit a low free-kick that went through the wall and as Royce tried to gather it, he let it bounce off his chest but recovered just in time to beat Sousa to the ball and knock it out for a corner.

As the game approached the half hour mark, Charlton started to come into it more.  Paul Konchesky, the former loanee at White Hart Lane, hit a free-kick that Fulop saved and the Hungarian keeper was beaten when Sam raced along the right wing and nudged the ball past the Spurs goalie, but it went across the goal and wide.  Spurs were also pressing forward and Dean Richards, who played well tonight, hit a very good pass to Ifil on the right wing.  The young full back took the ball down on his chest, cut inside and hit a swerving shot that cleared the bar by about a foot.

In the ten minutes remaining the game turned around.  With 37 minutes gone, a left wing cross flicked Defendi's head and fell kindly for Sam to smash home a powerful volley for the equaliser.  Not content with that, a minute before the break, a long ball found Defendi isolated with two Charlton attackers and one flicked it on for the other, Thomas, to get in behind and round Fulop, just getting to the ball before McKie to knock it into an empty net.  At 1-2, it seemed unreal that Spurs had let two in without being seriously troubled before that point.

Tottenham tried to hit straight back and a good run by Michael Brown on the left ended with a shot that was deflected into the side netting in injury time at the end of the first half.

Clive Allen took Richards off and replaced him with Paul O'Donoghue, with the captain's armband passing to Michael Brown.  Spurs went forward from the kick off and a speedy cross into the six yard box by Lee Barnard was not attacked by Sousa or any other white shirt, leaving an inviting ball going begging.

Two minutes later and the game was sealed.  Varney raced through into the Spurs box onto a long through ball and Defendi chased after him, with both players going down in a heap.  When they got up, the ref raised the red card and when Konchesky beat Fulop from the spot, there was little doubt that Charlton would travel South with the points.

Spase Dilevski moved back to left back and Marcel McKie moved into the middle, where he looked a lot more comfortable.  But this left three in midfield to do all the running and two up front to close down the back four of the Addicks.

Spurs had their chances.  Michael Brown hit a snap-shot half-volley from 25 yards that Royce held well on 54 minutes and on 67, substitute Mark Yeates twisted and turned the defender to hit a shot that just missed to the left.

The remainder of the time, Charlton tired to showboat and messed things up, while Marton Fulop had ample opportunity to show how good a goalkeeper he was with a string of saves.  He particularly frustrated Varney with three saves in quick succession coming up to an hour having gone.  His best was almost saved for last when he dived full length to keep out a powerful drive from Sam from the edge of the area and he had a bit of luck, when the ball finally did beat him, he saw it bounce over off the crossbar from Walker's 86th minute effort.

With just ten men, Spurs struggled to challenge in midfield and Athletic passed the ball well making Tottenham run themselves into the ground after it.  Clive Allen was furious at the referee (but then he usually is !) and he had reason to be when substitute Wilson took McKie's legs from under him with the ball long gone.  Clive pointed out to the ref and the fourth official that it was a dangerous challenge and that he had sent a player off for getting his legs tangled up with an opponent's.

Despite the scoreline, Spurs were happy enough to keep possession for long periods and Carrick linked the back and the front well.  The only problem was, Spurs tried to play passes in too tight an area  - especially when they only had ten men.  Sousa looked a bit better tonight, but still needs to retain possession better and Defendi looked more at home in the centre of defence, even though he had a hand (or head or foot) in all three Charlton goals.  As far as Clive is concerned, he will be disappointed with the result, but perhaps more disappointed by some aspects of the performance.

MEHSTG TOP MAN : -  MARTON FULOP