Baptista burst frustrates Tottenham

Youth revival
Arsenal, fielding a team comprising mainly of youngsters, came back from two down at half-time to level the tie at White Hart Lane, leaving everything to play for when the teams meet again for the second leg at the Arsenal Stadium on 31 January.

Berbatov breakthrough
Dimitar Berbatov hit the post with an early shot before giving Tottenham the lead when he was left unmarked to head past Manuel Almunia from close range in the 12th minute. However, Berbatov picked up a groin injury while scoring and had to be substituted just five minutes later. Arsenal frontman Baptista doubled Tottenham’s lead in the 21st minute when he inadvertently turned Tom Huddlestone’s curling free-kick into his own net before missing a glorious opportunity to pull one back from two metres’ out at the close of the first half.

Baptista on target
Baptista, who scored four times in a 6-3 win against Liverpool FC in the last round, was not to be denied and he recovered his balance in the penalty area to get up off the ground and sweep the ball in at the right end after 64 minutes. The Brazilian's goal sparked Arsenal's comeback and Baptista was then on hand to convert a 77th-minute equaliser. The eventual winners of the tie will meet Chelsea FC in the competition’s first all-London final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 25 February.