A Work in Progress

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a proper hat-trick, not the sort he would be aiming at anyway. But Julio Baptista overcame the bitter disappointment of turning a Huddlestone free kick into his net for Spurs’ second goal to follow up his four goals at Anfield with two in the second half that brought Arsenal’s young team level with Tottenham in the Carling Cup semi-final and gave them every chance of a win in the second leg at the Emirates.

Game by game, the Brazilian is growing into English football and there is a real sense that the best is yet to come. When it does, his power, his determination and his technical quality will make him a formidable player in Arsene Wenger’s squad. And Arsenal fans can’t wait.