Loading...UC: Tottenham 6-1 Anorthosis Famagusta: Spurs rout
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Jermain Defoe gave Martin Jol a glimpse of what he has been missing by coming on and scoring twice as Tottenham ran riot to beat Anorthosis Famagusta 6-1 and get back to winning ways.
Defoe has not started a game during Spurs' dismal start to the season and was not even on the bench against Arsenal last Saturday, but he scored with virtually his first touch in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first-round clash.
His impish chip came after Spurs had put themselves within sight of the group stages, with three goals just before the break adding to Younes Kaboul's opener.
The Cypriots were woeful but pulled a goal back, but Defoe scored the sixth in stoppage-time with a curling effort into the top corner.
Dutchman Jol wants the win to spark a run of results to turn Spurs' season as it did a year ago when they defeated Slavia Prague.
Spurs went on a two-month unbeaten run after reaching the group stages in their last European campaign, and their sluggish start to the season has been repeated this term.
After going unbeaten at home in the UEFA Cup last season, Cypriot minnows Famagusta were not tipped to cause an upset in London, even if coach Temuri Ketsbaia had pedigree against Spurs.
The Georgian scored against Spurs in 1999 and also featured in a 6-1 thrashing in the same year, but the odds were stacked against him getting a result on his return to England.
Jol had insisted he would not be underestimating Ketsbaia's side, who were unbeaten this season going into the clash and had won the Cypriot cup in their last campaign.
Famagusta were assembled for a fraction of the fee Spurs paid Charlton for Darren Bent, with the striker brought back into the starting XI and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench.
Elsewhere, Jol made sweeping to the side defeated by rivals Arsenal at the weekend, with Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto back after knee problems and Paul Robinson given a rest.
Arsenal have since swept aside a Sevilla side coached by Juande Ramos, the man Spurs officials met last month when Jol's position was under intense scrutiny.
If Spurs officials are to look at replacements during the next international break, Jol at least has got the club back to winning ways.
Kaboul set them on their way in the fifth minute. Tom Huddlestone swung a corner in and the French centre-back ran across the Famagusta defence and glanced his header inside the unmanned far post.
Spurs always threatened a second - Bent had a decent penalty shout and Robbie Keane forced a save - and the wheels fell off for the Cypriots after the hosts doubled the lead. Michael Dawson grabbed the second when he stabbed home from close range after Pascal Chimbonda headed down Keane's corner. It sparked ugly exchanges between the sets of supporters, with missiles thrown by the visitors.
But the focus was back on the pitch two minutes later when Keane received Ekotto's pass from the left, turned and finished neatly.
Bent added a fourth in the 43rd minute when Lambros Lambrou's clearance went past his own goalkeeper, giving the Spurs striker an open goal.
The Cypriots were struggling to get a shot on goal let alone find the target, but Costas Loumpoutis was upset with the accuracy of a ballboy when a throw hit him in the midriff.
Jol brought on Defoe in the 63rd minute and the striker received a standing ovation. There was an even bigger cheer when he grabbed his goal two minutes later with his first touches.
The out-of-favour striker steadied himself on the edge of the area and delicately chipped into the top corner.
Anton Zlogar pulled one back with 10 minutes remaining when Spurs failed to clear a cross and he poked into the bottom corner.
Defoe added his second at the end of the game when he cut in and curled into the top corner from 25 yards, leaving the goalkeeper motionless.
Full Report: Soccernet.com
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