Wenger admits "brutal" defeat
Arsene Wenger's policy of playing youngsters came back to haunt him at White Hart Lane
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Wednesday, 23, Jan 2008 11:04
Arsene Wenger has admitted his Arsenal side were on the wrong end of a "brutal" scoreline against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup semi-final.
The Gunners, who have been top of the Premier League for most of the season and are currently second to Manchester United only on goal difference, were thrashed 5-1 by their north London rivals last night.
The result means Spurs can look forward to a Wembley final against Chelsea or Everton on the back of a 6-2 aggregate win, having defeated the side with local bragging rights for the first time in nine years.
Wenger, as is his way in this competition, put his faith in many youngsters and squad players for the clash, but they were unable to match a Spurs side who were the superior team across both legs.
But the Frenchman was left to rue what he considered bad luck, with a first-half Nicklas Bendtner own goal to make it 2-0 one of the key moments of the game.
"The score is very high and very brutal but I think it does not reflect what happened on the pitch," Wenger said.
"The first shot on goal was a goal, the second goal was an own goal, the third was straight after half time. After that, the game was over. It had no real meaning after that.
"They could concentrate on defending and catching us on the break. I don't give a big meaning to the importance of the score. It can be explained by the way the game went."
Jermaine Jenas was one of the stars for Tottenham, scoring the opener within three minutes of kick-off, having also found the net at the Emirates Stadium a fortnight earlier.
And the former Newcastle United man could not contain his delight at getting the better of Arsenal for the first time in his career afterwards.
"It was a fantastic night," Jenas said after the battering at White Hart Lane.
"The lads were really pumped up for this one, we knew what a big game it was. We were desperate to get to a final and did it emphatically."
Spurs will now watch on with interest as Everton attempt to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Chelsea at Goodison Park tonight.