Tottenham survive scare to reach Wembley
Pavlyuchenko saved Spurs in the final minutes of extra-time
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Manchester United booked their place in the final of the Carling Cup with a 4-2 win over Derby County at Old Trafford, meaning Sir Alex Ferguson's men progress 4-3 on aggregate. |  |
Wednesday, 21, Jan 2009 10:44
Tottenham Hotspur have qualified for the Carling Cup final despite losing to Burnley 3-2 after extra-time in the second leg of their semi-final at Turf Moor.
Spurs won the tie 6-4 on aggregate, having won the first match 4-1, but they had to rely on strikes from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe in the last three minutes of extra-time to get them through.
The Clarets looked like pulling off an unlikely upset having claimed a 3-0 lead to force extra-time. The home side were just three minutes away from Wembley when Pavlyuchenko struck.
Burnley overwhelmed their Premier League opponents with goals from Robbie Blake, Chris McCann and Jay Rodriguez but just failed to hold on.
Spurs were almost left to rue two crucial errors from reserve goalkeeper Ben Alnwick who was making his club debut in place of the injured Heurelho Gomes.
He gave Blake too much room to score Burnley's opener and then dropped a cross at the feet of Rodriguez to allow the Championship side to draw level on aggregate at the end of normal time.
Alnwick was in action early when he had to stretch to save a lofted back-pass from Benoit Assou-Ekotto which nearly lobbed him.
The remainder of the first-half was quiet until Burnley gained a free-kick 35 yards out. Alnwick lined up his wall giving Blake plenty of open goal to aim at and the Burnley striker took full advantage lashing a shot into the top corner of the goal.
Burnley still looked the more impressive side in the second half but Spurs carved out the first opportunity.
Gareth Bale broke free down the left flank but was caught in two minds whether to shoot or pass to an unmarked Defoe and ended up slicing wide.
Burnley made him pay for that error ten minutes later. The effervescent Blake jinked his way past Chris Gunter before providing a perfect cross for McCann to tap home his side's second.
Pavlyuchenko had a chance to ease Spurs' worries but wasted a shot when he somehow blazed over from seven yards out.
With ten minutes to go Burnley preyed on the visitors' nerves and camped in the Spurs half.
The pressure eventually told when Blake floated in a long free-kick, Alnwick could not reach the ball through a crowd of players and Rodriguez was able to roll the ball into an unguarded goal with two minutes of normal time remaining.
During the first-half of extra-time Burnley continued to press for another goal to put the tie beyond doubt but in the second period the Championship side looked to be running out of steam.
Pavlyuchenko broke the hearts of the Burnley team in the 117th minute of the game when he converted Assou-Ekotto's cross from the left.
Defoe then added Spurs' second of the night on the stroke of full-time to set up a final against Manchester United.