Ramos hails the 'perfect' display

Tottenham secured their place in a major final for the first time in six years last night because, for once, the power and cunning of their play eclipsed the finesse of an Arsenal side reduced to bickering among themselves.

It was a memorable clash not just because of the scoreline but because the Spurs players responded to the game plan devised by Juande Ramos with the kind of enthusiasm and discipline that was essential if they were to end Arsenal's 21-match unbeaten run in north London derbies.

And end it they did. Arsenal were so frustrated by the end that referee Howard Webb had to intervene when Emmanuel Adebayor, Nicklas Bendtner and William Gallas appeared to be arguing among themselves.

Spurs' remarkable 5-1 win - 6-2 on aggregate - means they will now face either Everton or Chelsea, who defend a 2-1 lead when they meet at Goodison Park tonight, in the Carling Cup final at Wembley on 24 February.

Spurs last beat Arsenal in 1999 and haven't put five goals past their London rivals since 1983 when Mark Falco (two), Chris Hughton (two) and Alan Brazil scored in a 5-0 win in a season when they finished fourth in the old First Division - ll points ahead of the Gunners.

"I was well aware of the history," said Ramos afterwards. "Arsenal are one of the biggest teams in England so beating them, after a long wait, in such a fashion is very satisfying."

This was easily the most convincing performance since Ramos succeeded Martin Jol in October. His side chased, harried and pressed all over the field and the energetic central partnership of Jermaine Jenas and Teemu Tainio gave Arsenal little opportunity to build any rhythm.

Ramos said: "You have to play well to beat a team like Arsenal. We didn't make mistakes. We were perfect in all areas. The effort the players made to reach the final means they are the true architects of this victory.

"We are involved in everything at the moment and we have seen a big improvement but without the collaboration of the players this would not have been possible."

In the next three weeks, Spurs play Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford (on Sunday), visit Everton and entertain United in the Premier League, and then face Slavia in Prague in the UEFA Cup.

Twice a UEFA Cup winner with Sevilla, it seems that Ramos has brought some of his magic with him to London - an appropriate quality at a club so steeped in tradition.

Last season they thought they were on their way to the Carling Cup final when they led 2-0 in the first leg of the semi-final against Arsenal. But they threw it away, as they have done so often in the past against their rivals - in the 21 matches since they last won a north London derby, Spurs have led 11 times.

Last night, you sensed familiar concerns in the Spurs ranks as Jenas put them in front after just three minutes. When Bendtner's own goal flew into the Arsenal net, anxiety levels rocketed - until the reliable Robbie Keane sprinted on to a through ball from Aaron Lennon and drove a low shot beyond Lukasz Fabianski.

At that point the second half was just two minutes old, but the match was effectively over and, this time, the fans knew it.

"Everything went against us," said Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. "We were always chasing the score, taking risks and being hit on the counter-attack. We weren't mature enough to deal with it."

Lennon added a fourth goal and although Adebayor scored in the 69th minute, Steed Malbranque tapped in a cross in injury time to give Spurs a truly memorable victory.

"The score is brutal but I don't give too much meaning to it," said Wenger. "It's all part of the learning process. It's how you respond to disappointment that matters. Patience and tolerance is needed to turn good young players into great players."

Wenger again chose several young players but, on this occasion, they couldn't match Spurs. He got a hint of what to expect in the 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium in the first leg but retained faith with his youngsters.

"My only regret is that I didn't have more of them available for this game," he said ruefully.

"In one sense it's good to see that some are not yet completely ready at this level. But we have many targets this season and the Carling Cup is not the most important competition for us."