Premier League - Hull compound Spurs' misery

Eurosport - Mon, 06 Oct 08:17:00 2008

Premier League new boys Hull City completed a memorable week by beating Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at White Hart Lane.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 Premier League Tottenham-Hull City - 0

Brazilian winger Geovanni was the hero once again, rifling a superb free-kick from all of 35 yards straight into the top corner. Tottenham carved out enough chances to win the game, with the best falling to Jonathan Woodgate, but he could only find the woodwork, while Spurs' three strikers all misfired again.

At the other end, Hull almost benefited from more awful defending, with Dean Marney striking a post and Marlon King missing a one-on-one with Heurelho Gomes.

Juande Ramos' side remain rooted to the bottom of the table, while Phil Brown and his Hull side can look at the table from the dizzy heights of third position.

If there was a nervous atmosphere around the capacity crowd at White Hart Lane after the team's poor start to the season, it did not seem to affect Aaron Lennon, who tore into Hull right from the kick-off, and won the home side a corner, from which Gareth Bale had a snap-shot cleared off the line.

It wasn't long before alarm bells were ringing in the Spurs defence though, as a flick-on from Daniel Cousin fell to Geovanni, only for the Brazilian to blaze over with only his compatriot Gomes to beat.

The frenetic pace and shambolic defending from both sides continued, and Roman Pavlyuchenko was the next to have the goal open up in front of him, though he saw his shot saved by Boaz Myhill after a cross from Lennon had caused a scramble in the Hull area.

There seemed to be little concern around the home fans when Vedran Corluka went straight into the back of King to concede a free-kick, such was the distance from goal, but those who remembered Geovanni's wonder strike against Arsenal had due cause to worry. The Brazilian stepped up and rifled the ball straight into the top corner with Gomes rooted firmly to the spot.

The pace and trickery of the elusive Lennon kept alive the home fans' hope of a quick equaliser, though their sieve-like defence ensured Hull looked just as likely to grab a second goal - never more so than when a sharp turn on the edge of the area from Marney somehow saw him with time to pick out the bottom corner, though he dropped to his knees with head in hands as the ball rebounded away off the inside of the post, Gomes once again beaten.

Gareth Bale then showed his own dead-ball prowess, forcing Myhill to tip a superbly-struck free-kick from long distance onto the cross bar.

Pavlyuchenko, who has earlier landed heavily on his right knee, was replaced by Darren Bent on 35 minutes, before Spurs' best chance of the half fell to Woodgate. A superb pull-back from Lennon found the big defender unmarked 15 yards out, but his volley was deflected onto the post and away.

For a man that commanded a hefty £16 million transfer fee, Luka Modric has been decidedly anonymous so far in his short Tottenham career, though he gave a glimpse of his undoubted talent as he chipped a glorious ball over the defence for Bent to race onto, though the striker saw his delicate chip round Myhill roll agonisingly past the post.

Frazier Campbell headed wide before David Bentley was also off-target with a vicious right foot shot, while Didier Zokora also picked out the increasingly frustrated North Stand with a long-range effort.

After a neat exchange between Lennon and Bent it finally it seemed to have opened up for Bent on the penalty spot, but he then took an unnecessary touch to bring the ball onto his favoured right-foot, allowing Paul McShane the time to get across and make the block.

For all Spurs' huffing and puffing, neither Bent nor Campbell looked like they were about to pull out the all-important equaliser, and it could have got even worse for Spurs when Marlon King raced through on goal, though Gomes saved well with his feet.

Giovani dos Santos was brought on to replace Lennon, though Spurs' creativity seemed to disappear along with the little winger, and Hull were able to make it a second memorable trip to North London for their noisy band of travelling fans in the space of a week.

Mick Fitzgerald / Eurosport

Comment 29 - 48 of 68

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  1. Being a Hull City fan all i can say is "up yours!!!!the lot of ye" you all look for sympathy, not here boys you all wrote off the tigers just cos they went up via the play off's!!bring on chelsea & man utd.

    From lee k, on Sun 5 Oct 9:20PM

  2. HO HO how coca cola taste?

    From luiz b, on Sun 5 Oct 8:57PM

  3. that is one hull of a win

    From chris, on Sun 5 Oct 8:52PM

  4. spurs are s..t HA HA HA HA HA RAMOS GREAT HA HA HA

    From , on Sun 5 Oct 8:46PM

  5. well wat i tink is Hull will have a gud first half to season abit like wigan wen they were new 2 leauge but i still tink ramos if we dont get a win soon he gone and wats dis i been hearing bout gerry francis aving damion camolli hope so n get a new manager b4 we sack ramos so it can b an out n straight in 4 a manager buck ur fuking ideas up tottenham i recon in da january window pavlychenco will persuade ashervan 2 cme hope so?????????????????????????

    From gillam85, on Sun 5 Oct 8:46PM

  6. well wat i tink is Hull will have a gud first half to season abit like wigan wen they were new 2 leauge but i still tink ramos if we dont get a win soon he gone and wats dis i been hearing bout gerry francis aving damion camolli hope so n get a new manager b4 we sack ramos so it can b an out n straight in 4 a manager buck ur fuking ideas up tottenham i recon in da january window pavlychenco will persuade ashervan 2 cme hope so?????????????????????????

    From gillam85, on Sun 5 Oct 8:44PM

  7. you Spurs players have got to stop going down Faces night club to drown your sorrows

    From finkaproductions, on Sun 5 Oct 8:40PM

  8. i

    From finkaproductions, on Sun 5 Oct 8:39PM

  9. lets all get ready 4 a tottenham relegation party there an embarrassment to London

    From actionbob2007, on Sun 5 Oct 8:38PM

  10. well wat i tink is Hull will have a gud first half to season abit like wigan wen they were new 2 leauge but i still tink ramos if we dont get a win soon he gone and wats dis i been hearing bout gerry francis aving damion camolli hope so n get a new manager b4 we sack ramos so it can b an out n straight in 4 a manager buck ur fuking ideas up tottenham i recon in da january window pavlychenco will persuade ashervan 2 cme hope so?????????????????????????

    From gillam85, on Sun 5 Oct 8:34PM

  11. I would like to nominate Steve Perryman as the next Spurs manager, and Damien Comolli as the next Chelsea chief Executive. Do you think Comolli would be allowed to buy such a bunch of below par players for Chelski... hmmm...I wonder.

    From Paul, on Sun 5 Oct 8:21PM

  12. Hull are a breath of fresh air this season so far, they are 3rd on merit. Also for all those Jol fans, yes it's good to see that he's doing well at Hamburg BUT he let Dean Marney go, who played well for Hull today so it's not all down to Ramos.

    From Connie, on Sun 5 Oct 8:02PM

  13. At this rate they will be playing BRENTFORD IN A SEASON OR TWO. HO HO

    From andy.vaughan@..., on Sun 5 Oct 7:56PM

  14. Get rid of Commoli, buy some striksrs, give Ramos time.

    From CJ, on Sun 5 Oct 7:52PM

  15. with all the years of being a spurs supporter i think its really embarrisng season at the moment. personally ramos should drop the 4-4-2, i think ramos should leave because he's mostly the person to get booed at from the spurs fans. it might be stupid but i think martin jol should come back to the lane.

    From adams.ben38, on Sun 5 Oct 7:51PM

  16. The only reason Jol is getting sympathy is beacuse Spurs are not doing well. Jol wouldn't have a clue how to get out of this mess.
    Amazing how people have short memories, when Spurs were leaking goals under Jol the chants were' Jol out', 'load of rubish etc'. Fickle fans who always know better after the event.
    I am very pleased he is doing well at Hamburg, he may be tempted to stay there.

    From Ray S, on Sun 5 Oct 7:47PM

  17. For those Spurs fans interested, Martin Jol is doing very nicely with HSV (Hamburg Sport Verein) Thank you!

    From Easyrider2609, on Sun 5 Oct 7:37PM

  18. Jol is part of the problem, all the pretty, ineffective players that Ramos is trying to make something from, are Jol's legacy. He had a mania for midfielders at the same time letting the defence bcome a shambles.
    Ramos needs help, not execution. He is obviously a class manager working with a bunch of prima donnas - yes, the worst team I can remember Spurs sending out on to the field. Our two best chances today came from Bale and Woodgate, what does that tell you?
    Levy is to blame, period. It's a disgrace how he has let this club deteriorate to this level, he could see what was going on in the close season. To say he was surprised at Berbie's exit is a load of rubbish, that had been on the cards for months.
    I just hope that Ramos is given time and help, if not I hope he does the decent thing for himself and walks. Tottenham is not a good club to be at anymore, only some directors with credibility can pull the club round.

    From Ray S, on Sun 5 Oct 7:34PM

  19. Levy deserves this for sure, but I don't think Tottenham fans deserve this. I put alot of the blame on Ramos for trying to rush things. For a manager in the game for 20 years he has made far too many mistakes. The team is lacking huge balance and among many other things. There was nothing wrong with martin jol. Give jol the money and support that ramos got and Tottenham wouldn't be in its current situation/state.

    From shin, on Sun 5 Oct 7:26PM

  20. #12 Tony your dissing Spanish Football? Are you insane? Without spaniards 2 of England's big 4 will be in UEFA Cup land crying. Ironic how your dissing spaniards the same weekend cesc and fernando saved major points for their clubs. Champions of Europe Spain? Did england even qualify. Don't make fun of Spanish football especially when the icons of arsenal and liverpool for the next 7-10 years will be baring the Spanish flag

    From tommyshin12, on Sun 5 Oct 7:25PM
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