George Graham has the scent of Wembley in his nostrils again after a spectacular goal by Norwegian striker Steffen Iversen put Tottenham into the League Cup final. Tottenham will play Leicester or Sunderland, who play their second leg tonight at Filbert Street with Leicester leading 21 after the first leg, in the final on March 31st.

It means another glory day for Graham six months after his controversial return to north London from Leeds. At Arsenal, Graham won six major trophies in eight years, including two League Cups.

Once more, he has led a team to Wembley in his first season in charge. But as the 54-year-old Scot celebrated with his team, who have not won anything since the 1991 FA Cup Final against Nottingham Forest, Wimbledon had to accept the heartbreak of another narrow failure.

Two years ago, they thought they had done the hard work by securing a goalless draw in the away leg of the League Cup semi-final at Leicester only to go out on the away goals with a 1-1 deadlock at Selhurst Park.

This time, Tottenham needed no such technicality - only the hard graft and unbending resistance which Graham has introduced to an under-achieving side, plus Iversen's flash of genius.

That came six minutes before the interval when the tall blond striker made the most of a lucky bounce off Wimbledon defender Kenny Cunningham, who thought he had done enough to foil Les Ferdinand. The ball bounced off the Republic of Ireland international's leg to Iversen who was standing in an offside position, but did not stop to argue the point. Instead, he measured an inch-perfect lob from the corner of the area which sailed over goalkeeper Neil Sullivan and just inside the far post.

As the ball had reached Iversen via a Wimbledon player, referee Gary Willard had no hesitation in awarding the goal.

In truth, despite their second-half pressure, Wimbledon rarely threatened to retrieve the situation.

But their marathon series of matches against Tottenham in three separate competitions could have had an extension in the last minute when skipper Robbie Earle's shot from the edge of area beat Ian walker and clipped the crossbar on its way over.

Twenty-two minutes earlier Michael Hughes had seen his shot from similar range deflected over the top, and then Marcus Gayle put a shot from similar distance just wide.

Both goalkeepers made an excellent save apiece in a fast-paced first half, but it was Tottenham who showed the extra touch of quality in the heat of battle.

Afterwards Graham explained how he had motivated his players for last night's game. "Before the game I went into the dressing-room and told the lads that there were too many outstanding players who had never been to Wembley with their club side, and that they ought to put that right.

"There is a lot of quality at Tottenham, but it has been lying dormant. But this is good for the club and good for the fans, because the Spurs fans needed it badly, and I am pleased for them.

"This competition has been very good for me personally," Graham added. "I feel this has come more quickly than I expected because I thought it would take a year to 18 months to inject my principles and character into this club. But we are going to Wembley and everyone is absolutely delighted.

"I have worked hard at my job at every club I have been and I feel I have done reasonably well. I just hope it continues. What pleased me most about our Cup run has been the teams we've met. We've beaten Liverpool away, Manchester United and Wimbledon over two legs and we've handled it all very well."

Graham praised two players in particular. "My young right back Steve Carr has been outstanding recently, and I am also surprised how well Ramon Vega has played. This has been a typical cup tie, blood and thunder, with Wimbledon very difficult to break down. We've played them five times in the last five weeks, and they've scored only once against us. It shows we are getting tighter, but I still hope to add more flair."

Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Perry, Blackwell, Thatcher, Earle, Ekoku (Leaburn 80), Roberts, Gayle, Hughes, Euell (Kennedy 79). Subs not used: Kimble, Ardley, Heald. Booked: Roberts, Thatcher.

Tottenham: Walker, Carr, Freund, Nielsen, Anderton, Ferdinand, Edinburgh (Sinton 65), Ginola (Young 85), Vega, Iversen, Campbell. Subs not used: Fox, Armstrong, Baardsen. Booked: Ferdinand. Goals: Iversen 39.

Referee: G Willard (Worthing).