Plauderecke » slender advantage over third-tier side Sheffield

LONDON - Tottenham relied on Andros Townsends penalty to gain a slender advantage over third-tier side Sheffield United in the League Cup on Wednesday, taking only a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their semifinal.Composed and disciplined at White Hart Lane, United had successfully restricted the Premier League sides attacks until the penalty in the 74th minute.Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado brought down a deep ball from Jan Vertonghen and as he tried to control it, United defender Jay McEveley handled. Townsend netted his third goal of the season, with the trio all coming from the spot.We couldnt break them down, Townsend said. We couldnt get through.United, which has beaten five Premier League sides in cups in the last 12 months, hosts the second leg at Bramall Lane next Wednesday.We have to make it as uncomfortable as we can for Spurs, United manager Nigel Clough said. They will be a little bit more wary of us.The other semifinal between Chelsea and Liverpool is locked at 1-1 heading into their second leg on Tuesday.United, which was last in the Premier League team in 2007, was playing its first League Cup semifinal in 12 years. But its recent cup exploits saw it reach the last four of the more illustrious FA Cup last season.Despite being seventh in League One, the Blades did not look out of place in north London.Clough expressed delight that his players didnt roll over. But they achieved more than that, frustrating Tottenham for much of the first leg and belying their very different place in the football pyramid.Tottenham, which is sixth in the Premier League, managed just two shots on target: Eric Diers first-half header at goalkeeper Mark Howard and the penalty kick.Emmanuel Adebayor, captaining Tottenham on his first start since November 2, was ineffective, wasting his only scoring opportunity before halftime by stabbing the shot over.It was a very tough game, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. They had very good organization and maybe we were wrong in the way we tried to penetrate and create chances. Robert Woods Youth Jersey . -- Kurt Buschs Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, in some ways, was like his career wrapped into one afternoon. Tyler Higbee Womens Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Eric-Dickerson-Jersey/ . "Well over 50 (per cent)," coach Claude Noel said Tuesday after practice, where the Jets were looking at ways to cut down the scoring chances theyve been giving away. Nolan Cromwell Womens Jersey . Tensions rose in the first period when Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik hit Bruins forward Loui Eriksson with what appeared to be a clean hit. David Long Jersey . CEO Steve Koonin on Tuesday told the Hawks flagship radio station that he made the decision to discipline Ferry but allowed him to keep his job managing the team. He did not say what the punishment was, but noted that he relied on a law firms three-month investigation of Ferry and him describing Deng as someone who has a little African in him.PHILADELPHIA -- Kyle Lowry slept in his own bed, left about 50 tickets for family and friends, then gave his hometown crowd a reason to cheer. Lowry had 18 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his fourth career triple-double, and DeMar DeRozan scored 34 points to help the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-95 on Friday night. "As long as its with a win, Im happy to have it," Lowry said. "Ill take the thanks from the team and congratulations from all my teammates. But as long as it came with a win, thats all that really matters." Lowry grabbed his 10th rebound late in the fourth quarter, continuing a string of strong games hes had for the Atlantic Division leaders. Hes a Philadelphia native and played two seasons at Villanova. He didnt get a chance to stop by his old school -- though current and former Wildcats had to be watching. Lowry was nearly flawless in his latest homecoming, and didnt commit his first turnover until there were about 2 minutes left in the game. He shot 7 of 11 and hit a trio of 3-pointers in 35 minutes to help keep the Raptors in control of the worst division in the NBA. "Its always special to play here," Lowry said. He had help putting the game away. DeRozan scored 16 points in the fourth, including seven straight early in the period as the Raptors opened a double-digit lead. In a game in which neither team could build much of a lead, DeRozan finally helped the Raptors take control in the final quarter. He had a dunk, hit a 3-pointer and nailed a mid-range jumper to give Toronto some breathing room. Patrick Pattersons jumper made it 96-83. The Sixers made a short run to close to 98-91 but didnt have enough left for one more rally. "When we got a chance to put a stronghold on it, we closed it out," Lowry said. The Raptors snapped a four-game losing streak on the road. DeRozan scored a career-high 40 points in Torontos 93-85 win over Dallas on Wednesday night. He connected on 15 of 22 field goal attempts and went 9 for 14 at the free throw line, becoming the seventh player in Raptors history to score 40 points or more.dddddddddddd Against the Sixers, DeRozan made 10 of 22 shots and 13 of 16 free throws. The Raptors moved to .500 on the road (11-11) and are 22-20 overall. But the other four teams in the division all have losing records, including Philadelphia, so theyve been good enough to sit atop the standings. The Raptors are 16-8 since they traded Rudy Gay. "They make the trade, and it ends up a little bit addition by subtraction in many ways," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "They get a little bit more of an identity and a defensive purpose. And I thought they were really good. I always felt like they were a pretty good defensive team." Spencer Hawes had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers. Michael Carter-Williams scored 20. The Raptors opened the game on a 15-2 run, the Sixers countered with a 20-5 spurt, and from there it was pretty much even. "I liked the start. We had an excellent focus and sustained it as long as we could," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. The Sixers could never get their perimeter game going, scoring 50 of their 78 points through three quarters in the paint. Philadelphia missed 14 of 20 3s overall. Thaddeus Young scored 16 points. "We got good shots, but just went cold," Young said. "Theyre just a good team. In the past, it was a point where, the Toronto Raptors walk in and its going to be an easy win. But they have a lot of key guys on that team that can do a lot of different things." NOTES: Sixers G Tony Wroten (right ankle) sat out. ... The Sixers signed C Dewayne Dedmon to a second 10-day contract. ... There were 12 lead changes and 15 ties. ... The Sixers have scored fewer than 100 points in eight of the last 10 games after scoring 100-plus in seven straight. ... The Sixers committed a season-low 10 turnovers. ' ' '