Club Announcement, 11/30/2008

Courtesy of Official Site-

We are delighted to announce the appointment to the coaching staff of Tony Parks as Goalkeeping Coach.

Tony was a Spurs player between 1982-88, with the highlight being his two penalty saves against Anderlecht that clinched the UEFA Cup in 1984.

He went on to play for several clubs including a spell as player-coach at Halifax and, after originally working part-time at The Football Association, he joined the organisation in October 2002 as Assistant National Goalkeeping Coach.

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League Report: Everton 1 Spurs 1

Courtesy of Official Site-

Harry Redknapp was disappointed with the manner of our defeat - not least the goal - as we lost 1-0 to Everton on Sunday.

Steven Pienaar punished a lack of concentration to maximum effect in the 51st minute to score the only goal of the game, picking up a quick free-kick from Mikel Arteta before firing home via a slight, but telling deflection off Vedran Corluka.

We pushed the Toffees back as we searched for an equaliser but despite constant pressure, we struggled to create clear-cut chances.

The closest we came was when David Bentley crossed from the right, Roman Pavkyuchenko slid in to meet it six yards out only for Everton keeper Tim Howard to flick the ball up and over the crossbar.

It was our first defeat at home in the Premier League under Harry's management.

"Everton are a difficult team to play against," said Harry. "We gave a terrible goal away, we switched off at the free-kick, they played a short one and it's in the back of the net with half of us not looking at the ball.

"They are very difficult to beat when they have their noses in front.

"We had no space to pass the ball and Everton shut the space down with five men in midfield. It was difficult to play through them so we then resorted to high balls and we can't play that way, it's not us.

"We didn't get Aaron Lennon into the game but if he's being marked tightly, there has to be space elsewhere.

"We didn't work hard enough as runners to create space for the pass so our possession wasn't good enough and if you don't pass it well you don't give yourselves a chance."

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UEFA Cup: Spurs 1 Nijmegen 0

Courtesy of Official Site-

Qualification from UEFA Cup Group D now looks probable after a further three points were added to our account courtesy of Jamie O'Hara's winner against Nijmegen on Thursday evening.

The midfielder planted his head on the ball in the 14th minute in what turned out to be the decisive moment.

It was an opening without incident for the first 13 minutes until the deadlock was broken in explosive fashion. Gareth Bale cut back and Fraizer Campbell rattled the ball off the underside of the bar before an alert O'Hara was on hand to nod beyond Gabor Babos to give us a deserved lead.

Not that too much had happened before this, but the pressing was coming from the team in blue and Gomes was left inactive in front of the Spurs travelling support.

There were six changes to the starting XI that defeated Blackburn at the weekend, with four Academy youngsters drafted onto the substitutes bench, including John Bostock and Adam Smith, who have previously enjoyed first team experience since the beginning of pre-season.

Nijmegen did present a goal threat on 22 minutes when Moestrafa El-Kabir drilled in a shot that Gomes did well to foil and, when the loose ball was about to be seized upon by a home body, Chris Gunter launched himself into a brave and effective block - effectively a goal-saving challenge from the young Welshman.

The home side attempted to forge a way back into the game as half-time approached but were met with strong resistance from the likes of Gunter, Dawson and Woodgate, while Bale was effective both defensively and offensively on the left flank.

The home support, packed inside the compact Goffertstadion, were not losing heart and there was a good atmosphere on a chilly night in eastern Holland.

They could have been left a bit deflated when O'Hara thumped in a shot from just outside the area, which Babos needed his reflexes to be at their sharpest to repel, while the rebound did not fall kindly for Campbell, but David Bentley managed to steer back into the danger area, with this particular alert averted.

Bentley attempted to arrow towards the top corner in the opening exchanges of the second half before his cross was nodded with some conviction goalwards by Darren Bent, requiring a fine save from Babos to tip over the bar.

Nijmegen inched their way back into the contest as the game reached the hour mark with some useful possession, while all the time Gomes remained confident in his work and cross gathering, very much in tune with his central defenders.

Bent made way for Aaron Lennon with 20 minutes left on the clock, with the little winger stocking up the midfield and bursting forward at his considerable pace.

Woodgate executed a superb tackle on El-Kabir on 77 minutes to deny perhaps Nijmegen's most effective player a clear route on goal.

Academy striker Jon Obika was granted a first team debut with seven minutes remaining, before Ryan Mason was bought on for stoppage time, which passed without significant threat to our advantage.

Linked here.

League Report: Spurs 1 Blackburn 0

Courtesy of Official Site-

Aaron Lennon was in unstoppable form on his first league start under Harry Redknapp in our 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at The Lane.

The flying winger set up Roman Pavlyuchenko for the winning goal and continued to be a threat throughout our fourth league victory in six games.

There were three changes to the team which lost 2-1 at Fulham the previous weekend as Redknapp reverted to a 4-4-2 formation.

Pavlyuchenko joined Darren Bent in attack and Benoit Assou-Ekotto returned to fill the left back role. But arguably the most key introduction to the side was Lennon on the right wing.

The tricky winger has shown Redknapp glimpses of what he can do during the appearances he has made, but this game was settled by his domination over his left back.

Martin Olsson had only made four first team appearances for Rovers before this season, only one of them as a starter, so it is fair to say the Swede may never have come up against the lightning pace of someone like Lennon before in his career.

It was this factor that led to the only goal of the game after exactly nine minutes.

Lennon dispossessed Olsson on the halfway line before sprinting away, holding the defender off all the way to the by-line before pulling back to the waiting Pavlyuchenko who swept home.

The Russian wasted no time in celebrating his sixth Spurs goal by running straight to his team-mate and congratulating him on a fantastic contribution.

Five minutes later, Pavlyuchenko could have had his second as he climbed highest to meet David Bentley's in-swinging free-kick, which he glanced against Paul Robinson's post.

It is worth mentioning here the fantastic reception our fans gave ‘Robbo' on his return to White Hart Lane throughout the game.

Robinson spent four seasons here before his summer switch to Ewood Park, making 175 appearances and scoring one memorable goal! His service to the Club has clearly not been forgotten.

But there was little he could do as former team-mate Lennon continued to run rampant during the first half, and he eventually got the better of Olsson once and for all.

The left-back had previously been booked for a trip on the winger before once again over-committing himself against the England Under-21 star five minutes from the break. Olsson's dismissal was no doubt a bitter blow for the visitors going into half-time.

And Lennon came close to deservedly getting his name on the scoresheet from the resultant free-kick, that was cleared to him on the edge of the box.

His left foot shot was fierce and deflected off Ryan Nelsen, only to hit the legs of Robinson. It's fair to say the England stopper knew little about it!

Rovers boss Paul Ince brought on defender Danny Simpson to fill the left-back void at the break with striker Benni McCarthy making way, suggesting a damage-limitation policy from the visitors.

Therefore, chances were a little more infrequent in the second half as we looked to close the game.

We had our moments. Tom Huddlestone hit a fierce curling shot inches over the bar from 30 yards on 54 minutes, while Jonathan Woodgate should have done better with his close range header from Bentley's free-kick on 70 minutes.

Fraizer Campbell was introduced 15 minutes from time in a bid to continue his good run of recent form, and his 81st minute ball across the face of goal was just out of Bent's reach.

And Campbell should have had a goal for himself four minutes later, putting his free header wide from Bentley's cross.

But at the other end, Blackburn could create nothing clear cut, and it was a comfortable afternoon overall for Heurelho Gomes as we regained our league momentum and climbed out of the bottom three.

Spurs (4-4-2): Gomes; Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto; Bentley (O'Hara, 86), Huddlestone, Jenas, Lennon; Pavlyuchenko (Campbell, 74), Bent
Subs not used: Cesar, Bale, Zokora, Gunter, Dawson

Liverpool (4-4-2): Robinson; Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson; Emerton (Derbyshire, 71), Mokoena, Andrews, Pedersen (Treacy, 81); Santa Cruz, McCarthy (Simpson, 46)
Subs: Brown, Tugay, Fowler, Roberts

Linked here.

Club Announcement: Goalkeeper Coach

Courtesy of Official Site-

The Club can report that Hans Leitert, First Team Goalkeeping Coach, has left the coaching staff.

Hans joined us during the close season and we should like to thank him for his contribution and wish him well.

An announcement regarding a new appointment will be made in due course.

Linked here.

League Report: Fulham 2 spurs 1

Courtesy of Official Site-

Our six-match unbeaten run came to an end at Craven Cottage where a late Fraizer Campbell goal did not lead to a two-goal deficit being overturned.

A goal in each half from the home side proved enough and, if truth be told, they were value for their win as Roy Hodgson's side dictated the tempo for the majority of the match.

It was a frantic beginning down by the Thames without either goalkeeper being caused undue alarm until, on 12 minutes, Andy Johnson got the run on Jonathan Woodgate and his cut back was directed back on goal by Danny Murphy and looked promising for the home side until Vedran Corluka produced a timely block.

Moments later Gareth Bale let Clint Dempsey cut inside of him and the American elected to let fly with an effort that was arrowing towards the top corner until the outstretched hand of Heurelho Gomes was able to tip over. The Brazilian looking a bit battered after his appointments with the dentist this week.

Fulham were edging the contest, Johnson had an appeal for a penalty instantly waved away before Bobby Zamora got himself booked for attempted to beat Gomes with a deliberate handball.

The boys began to assert some control with patient passing before Luka Modric stepped it up a bit with a darting run and shot on goal that flashed just wide on 27 minutes. Two minutes later David Bentley fired inches wide following a deflected centre from Modric before the midfielder set Darren Bent on the run with a high ball into the area, but Mark Schwarzer was alert to the situation.

Fulham took a fortunate lead with 33 minutes on the clock when Simon Davies fizzed a ball into the area that clipped the head of Woodgate before flying into the chest of Gomes and agonisingly rolled over the line.

Harry Redknapp made two changes at the break, bringing on Aaron Lennon and Roman Pavlyuchenko for Luka Modric - who appeared to be struggling with injury in the first half - and Tom Huddlestone.

Jimmy Bullard smashed in a free-kick that Gomes parried to relative safety as Fulham pretty much picked up where they left off in the opening ten minutes of the second half. The team in blue were finding fluency hard to come by as darkness closed in around Craven Cottage.

Davies tried his luck with a low drive from distance that Gomes foiled to his right before a speedy dash from Lennon required a last-gasp lunge from Brede Hangeland to stop in its tracks.

The momentum was switching to Spurs with Ledley King doing brilliantly to take down a Bale cross, only to flash his shot narrowly over.

However, it was only a temporary shift of power, as with 20 minutes to go, Davies jumped higher than Bale from a Paul Konchesky corner, his header was blocked but Johnson was sharp on the turn in the area and drilled into the net from close range.

Gomes then produced a fine save to thwart a Bullard free-kick that was zipping towards the corner.

The deficit was reduced against the run of play with ten minutes remaining. A surge forward by Jenas led to Bentley feeding the ball left and into the path of substitute Fraizer Campbell, who rolled a cool finish beyond Schwarzer.

It should probably have been 3-1 but for a absolutely stunning save by Gomes from a Bullard free-kick, but this action and the subsequent substitution of Bullard ate into injury time and Fulham held on.

Linked here.

Carling Cup Quater-final draw

Courtesy of Official Site-

We have been drawn away against Watford in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.

The date for the tie has yet to be confirmed but we will travel to Vicarage Road on the week commencing December 1.

The full draw is as follows...

Stoke v Derby

Manchester United v Blackburn

Burnley v Arsenal

Watford v Tottenham

Linked here.

THFC displays outline for New Stadium

Courtesy of Official Site-

Club displays outline scheme for first time - please send us your comments!

Today sees the Club unveil its emerging plans for a new stadium which would keep Tottenham in Tottenham.

We're designing a scheme for our current site and adjoining land - the Northumberland Development Project - a world-class scheme incorporating a new stadium with a capacity of 60,000, a Club Museum, new shops and restaurants, new homes, a new base for the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and important new public space.

Over the next week, the Club will be hosting the first of two public exhibitions to set out our vision for the area, as we undertake a thorough consultation programme with the local community as well as continue to consult with you, the fans. Having previously consulted fans via website surveys the Club now invites comments from supporters on the scheme to date - information can be viewed on this site via the link below or at the Exhibition which runs as follows:

Friday 14 November, 10am - 5pm
Saturday 15 November, 10am - 5pm
Sunday 16 November, 10am - 5pm
Monday 17 November, 12pm - 8pm
Tuesday 18 November, 10am - 5pm

To view the Club's early plans, CLICK HERE... (pdf, 9mb file)

As always we shall look to keep you, our supporters, along with the local community of Haringey, as informed and up-to-date as possible and later today, the Club launches a special section of the website - www.tottenhamhotspur.com/futureplans to keep you up to date on our emerging plans and to let us have your comments.

Please feel free to email us your comments via this address - futureplans@tottenhamhotspur.com

Linked here.

Carling Cup Report: Spurs 4 Liverpool 2

Courtesy of Official Site-

Roman Pavlyuchenko and Fraizer Campbell took full advantage of their starting berths with two goals each in our 4-2 Carling Cup fourth round victory over Liverpool at The Lane.

Russian international Roman returned to haunt the side he scored a last minute winner against in the league 10 days ago, while Fraizer netted his first goals for the Club since a loan move from Manchester United.

Damien Plessis and Sami Hyypia struck for the visitors in the first half, but our fifth win out of six in all competitions maintained Harry Redknapp's unbeaten start as Spurs manager and sent us through to the quarter-finals.

There were no less than seven changes to the side which defeated Manchester City in the league on Sunday.

Michael Dawson came into the centre of defence as skipper, with Alan Hutton and Gareth Bale in either full-back position.

Tom Huddlestone and Didier Zokora retained their places in central midfield with Aaron Lennon and Jamie O'Hara coming in to occupy the wings.

A break from the league programme also gave Redknapp the chance to experiment with two up-front for a change.

And Pavlyuchenko and Campbell relished the chance to prove themselves as the free-scoring Darren Bent was rested on the bench to start with.

From the start, the pair were causing trouble to the visiting backline. Pavlyuchenko rose but just failed to connect properly with Lennon's early cross, while Campbell was just out of reach having chased down Huddlestone's throughball on six minutes.

Lennon himself had a shot well blocked by Daniel Agger on 19 minutes, and from the resulting corner, Pavlyuchenko again couldn't get enough purchase on a header to trouble Diego Cavalieri.

But we were the dominant side and it seemed only a matter of time before we broke the deadlock. The opener came on 38 minutes and it was Pavlyuchenko who scored it.

Bale played a ball down the left hand side which Campbell chased and dragged back from the by-line for the Russian to sweep home left-footed through the goalkeeper's legs.

Full credit must go to Campbell for holding off the experienced Hyypia to get the ball in, and it summed up how the England Under-21 international's night was going.

A minute later, he was nearly the provider again, playing in O'Hara through the middle only for the midfielder's first time shot to be saved.

But Campbell wanted his name on the scoresheet, and as Cavalieri misjudged O'Hara's high ball on 42 minutes, he stole in to take it round the stranded Brazilian and tap home into an empty net.

It is fair to say few players have enjoyed their first goal for a club more than young Fraizer as he celebrated with the fans - and he wasn't finished there.

On the stroke of half-time, he got on the end of Lennon's curling cross and buried a header home to give us a comfortable half-time lead.

But Liverpool were determined not to go out without a fight and scored twice in the second half to reduce the deficit.

Their first came just four minutes after the break when Plessis' header from six yards out after Ryan Babel's corner wrong-footed Heurelho Gomes and sneaked over the line.

And on 64 minutes, Hyypia got to another Babel corner in-front of the on-rushing Gomes to head home into an empty net.

But in between these goals, Pavlyuchenko had netted our fourth to ensure there were not too many second half nerves.

O'Hara dispossessed Plessis in the middle of the park, and Zokora drove into the box and hit a deflected shot which fell into the path of the Russian who tapped home.

Pavlyuchenko could have had a hat-trick 10 minutes from time when he latched onto a Huddlestone throughball and hit a fierce shot that was beaten away by Cavalieri.

However, the night did have its sour note as Gomes was stretchered off with a head injury after a second half collision with Philipp Degen. We will keep you updated on his progress.

But the main point from the night is another impressive victory as we continue our defence of the cup, and a bit of history as the win means Redknapp has made the best start to a managerial reign at the Club since Frank Brettell 110 years ago!

Spurs (4-4-2): Gomes (Cesar, 74); Hutton, Dawson, Corluka, Bale; Lennon, Zokora, Huddlestone, O'Hara; Campbell (Bent, 90), Pavlyuchenko (Boateng, 90)
Subs not used: Bentley, Modric, Gunter, Rocha

Liverpool (4-4-2): Cavalieri; Degen (Darby, 85), Agger, Hyypia, Dossena; El Zhar, Plessis (Alonso, 66), Leiva, Babel; N'Gog, Torres (Insua, 56)
Subs not used: Gulacsi, Riera, Benayoun, Carragher

Linked here.

League Match Report: ManCity 1 Spurs 2

Courtesy of Official Site-

Harry Redknapp said he felt confident at City on Sunday - even when the home side went 1-0 up with 11 men.

After a bright start we fell behind to Robinho's 16th-minute opener in the Barclays Premier League encounter at Eastlands.

The game changed 10 minutes later when Gelson Fernandes was shown a second yellow card for a foul on David Bentley and the home side were down to 10 men.

We took control and soon equalised when Darren Bent finished expertly after Richard Dunne misjudged Luka Modric's pass.

‘Benty' was there again for his 11th goal in all competitions to hand us the lead with 64 minutes on the clock and it went from bad to worse for City when Dunne was ordered off for dragging down the striker when clean through on goal.

In fairness, City's 10 men had showed real spirit to try and get back into the game and Heurelho Gomes produced two fine saves to deny first Robinho and then Stephen Ireland an equaliser.

"I thought we started the game well and passed the ball ever so well for the first 10, 15 minutes," reflected Harry.

"We had good control of the ball but suddenly found ourselves from having no problems to being 1-0 down.

"We had some opportunities - Modric went through, Bentley went through - and I felt we had enough about us to get back into the game even against 11 men.

"Let's not kid ourselves, I'd rather play against 10 than 11, but they sat behind the ball and it was difficult to get through them. It wasn't easy for us.

"It was a big win for us. We'd had three fantastic results, two terrific home wins, but this was a real test. We wanted to win away from home. There was a great feeling afterwards in the dressing room and that's what winning does for you."

Linked here.

Joe Jordan joins THFC coaching staff

Courtesy of Official Site-

Assistant Manager Kevin Bond has been joined by Joe Jordan to complete Harry Redknapp's First Team full-time coaching appointments.

Kevin joined the Club last week having previously worked with Harry at both Portsmouth and Southampton, and more recently spent almost two years as manager of Bournemouth.

The 51-year-old former central defender made his senior debut with Norwich City in 1976 where he played for a further five years, and earned two England B caps, before spending a short period in the United States with the Seattle Sounders

On his return to England, he played for four seasons with Manchester City up until 1984 when he transferred to Southampton. He returned to Bournemouth, where he began as a trainee, in 1988 before concluding his playing days at Exeter City.

Kevin's coaching career has also taken him to Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Joe joins us today ahead of our Premier League fixture against Manchester City.

The 56-year-old arrives as First Team Coach having previously been on the coaching staff at Portsmouth since 2005, including two spells under Harry's management.

A striker in his playing days, Joe played in three World Cups for Scotland in 1974, 1978 and 1982. He scored 11 goals in 52 internationals.

He kicked-off his career at Greenock Morton in 1968 before successful spells at Leeds United and Manchester United. He played in the European Cup Winners Cup Final for Leeds in 1973, won the First Division title in 1974 and then played in the European Cup Final in 1975.

He then moved to Old Trafford and played in the 1979 FA Cup Final before a move to AC Milan in 1981. Joe finished his playing days with spells at Hellas Verona, Southampton and Bristol City and later managed Bristol City, Hearts and Southampton, before joining Harry at Pompey.

Harry has also brought about the return of two ex Tottenham players as part-time coaches, Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand - their roles are currently being formalised.

Clive Allen remains in charge of the Development squad and will also assume First Team matchday duties.

Commenting on his coaching team, Harry said: "I am delighted to have Kevin and Joe with me here. They have both worked with me before, they are terrific football people and in my opinion they will bring so much to this Club.

"They have managed and coached at the top level and are two individuals who are not only friends but people who I can rely on 100% to do the job. You need people around you who you can trust and will back you and that is what I have got in Kevin and Joe.

"Clive has done a great job for me since I have been here. He will continue to work with me with the First Team, as well as contining his role with the Development squad. We will all muck in together.

"Tim and Les are also coming in to do a bit of work with the lads. Having them around the place will be great for us."

Linked here.

Uefa Cup Report: Spurs 4 Dynamo Zagreb 0

Courtesy of Official Site-

Darren Bent hit his first hat-trick for the Club and Tom Huddlestone struck one of the goals of the season in a comfortable 4-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb at The Lane.

The win gave us our first points in this season's UEFA Cup group stage and maintained Harry Redknapp's unbeaten run as Spurs manager.

Boosted by the confidence brought about from taking seven points from our last three Premier League games, the lads looked determined to put defeat against Udinese a fortnight ago well and truly behind them and were comfortable from start to finish against the Croatian champions.

We were on the attack fro early on, with Huddlestone hitting the side-netting with a curling shot from the edge of the box on eight minutes, while a goal-bound Luka Modric volley was accidentally blocked by Michael Dawson on 22 minutes.

At the other end, former Aston Villa striker Bosko Balaban put a free-kick from 25 yards narrowly wide, but we were controlling the game.

Bent finally broke the deadlock when a Modric cross from the left was missed by Huddlestone, but it fell to the striker at the back post who slammed into the roof of the net via a deflection off Igor Biscan.

He soon followed it up with his eighth of the season and second of the night, latching onto Huddlestone's throughball and sliding coolly underneath the goalkeeper.

It gave us a comfortable lead, and Heurelho Gomes made sure that was maintained going into the break with a smart save at his near post from Balaban on 42 minutes.

But there was no indication we were about to settle for the 2-0 scoreline, and we came out for the second half intent on adding to our tally.

It was a two minute spell around the hour mark that put the game beyond doubt and resulted in the game's memorable moment.

First, a stinging David Bentley shot from the edge of the box was parried away by Ivan Kelava and cleared to safety.

From the resulting throw, Modric beat a couple of his former team-mates and hit a shot into the near post which the goalkeeper once again had to deal with.

But there was nothing Kelava could do after that! Bentley's corner was aimed towards Huddlestone standing 30 yards out, who set himself and then caught the ball perfectly on the volley as it arrowed into the bottom corner.

It was a goal celebrated by the entire team, and one to rival Bentley's own wonder strike at the Emirates Stadium just over a week ago!

Huddlestone was pulling the strings from midfield with Bent a constant threat up-front, as he went looking for his hat-trick.

He thought he had it on 67 minutes when he chipped Huddlestone's throughball over the on-rushing keeper, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

But the moment Bent had been waiting did come three minutes later, and Huddlestone was once again the provider for his emphatic finish.

And to cap it all off, there was still time for some history to be made as John Bostock entered the fray as a 79th minute substitute for Bentley to become the Club's youngest ever player in a competitive first team match.

The midfielder, who signed from Crystal Palace in the summer, is aged 16 years, 295 days, and beat the previous record held by Ally Dick since 1982.

And the youngster nearly got himself on the scoresheet with a fantastic 25-yard effort on 84 minutes that whistled just past the post!

Spurs (4-4-1-1): Gomes; Hutton, Dawson, Woodgate (Gunter, 86), King, Bale; Bentley (Bostock, 79), Zokora, Huddlestone, Lennon; Modric (Campbell, 75); Bent
Subs not used: Cesar, Gilberto, Assou-Ekotto, Dervite

Zagreb (4-4-2): Kelava; Lovren, Drpic (Etto, 46), Biscan, Ibanez; Mikic, Vrodljak, Hrgovic, Mandzukic; Balaban (Badelj, 59), Sammir (Morales, 44)
Subs not used: Loncaric, Tomic, Tadic, Carlos

Linked here.

League Report: Spurs 2 Liverpool 1

Courtesy of Official Site-

Roman Pavlyuchenko's dramatic last minute winner completed our second amazing comeback in the space of a week as we defeated high-flying Liverpool 2-1 at The Lane.

After our fightback from 4-2 down to take a point off Arsenal on Wednesday, Harry Redknapp's unbeaten run as Spurs manager continued despite the Reds dominating for large periods off this game.

It looked certain as if Rafa Benitez's men would reclaim their lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League once they took control following Dirk Kuyt's early opener.

But their failure to extend their lead sparked the belief coursing through Redknapp's men at the moment.

However, signs were there even before kick-off that it may not be our day as Jermaine Jenas limped out of the warm-up and was replaced in the starting line-up by Didier Zokora.

In other changes, skipper Ledley King came back into the side at centre-half, with Jamie O'Hara taking his place on the left-hand side of midfield and Darren Bent starting up-front.

But any confidence we were hoping to carry into this encounter from Wednesday's derby was quickly shot to pieces.

A Liverpool throw was worked into the path of Kuyt by Robbie Keane, and the Dutchman slammed into the top corner from a tight angle.

It could have quickly gone from bad to worse when Bent sliced a Reds corner towards his own goal, forcing Heurelho Gomes into a sharp reflex save.

And the visitors were generally in control for the majority of the half without really creating a great deal of chances.

But as the long as the scores remained at 1-0, we were still very much in the game, and Harry's men started to come back into it later on in the first half.

On 22 minutes, a cross-field ball from Luka Modric was nicely controlled by David Bentley for Vedran Corluka to put in a teasing first-time cross which nobody could get on the end of.

Modric himself then forced Pepe Reina into action for the first time three minutes before the break with a low volley from the edge of the box.

Redknapp further stated our intent at half-time by bringing on Pavlyuchenko to partner Bent in attack.

And as soon as the game re-started, the big Russian got into action, hitting a volley wide from the edge of the box.

But this only proved to be the cue for a Liverpool onslaught over the next 15 minutes, in which it is hard to believe they did not extend their lead.

On 50 minutes, a strong run from Kuyt was halted in the box, and although King reacted quickly to block Steven Gerrard's resultant shot, the ball skimmed off the wet surface and needed a full-stretch save from Gomes to tip onto the post.

Three minutes later, our woodwork was disturbed again as the goalkeeper left a pass to his captain a touch short, enabling Keane to intercet and play in Gerrard for a cheeky chip that bounced off the bar.

In the same minute, an Alvaro Arbeloa cross was touched on by Keane, and Kuyt put wide on the stretch at the back post.

The danger wasn't over there. Gerrard fizzed a free-kick into the back post on 57 minutes, and Xabi Alonso should have done better with his header.

And Gerrard himself then curled another effort wide from the edge of the box after an Albert Riera shot was closed down.

To say we rode our luck is an understatement - but in a game like this against a dominant side, there is no doubt luck is exactly what we needed.

And it came on 69 minutes. Bentley's corner into the near post was glanced into his own net by Jamie Carragher, sending the White Hart Lane crowd into raptures.

It gave the fans further hope that Harry's lucky streak looks set to continue, as nobody can argue the equaliser came well against the run of play.

Liverpool did not know what had hit them, and there looked to be only one team who was going to go on and take all three points from here.

Pavlyuchenko could have won it earlier when Bentley burst through a challenge from Andrea Dossena on the right wing nine minutes from time, and although his cross was miss-hit, Bent's challenge did enough to distract Reina, who could only punch as far as the Russian on the edge of the box

The striker set himself up, side-stepped a defender, but then agonisingly put his eventual shot high and wide.

However, in true Spurs fashion, we decided to go for maximum excitement and entertainment in stoppage time.

Bentley's stinging shot from the edge of the box forced Reina into a full-stretch save, and as Bent turned the loose ball back across the face of goal, there was Pavlyuchenko to tap home and atone for his earlier miss.

It was the summer signing's second goal in three league games, and what a way to win the hearts of his new fans following his August switch from Spartak Moscow.

What's more, the winner took us off the bottom of the league, making it a memorable evening at The Lane!

Spurs (4-4-1-1): Gomes; Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto (Hutton, 46); Bentley, Zokora, Huddlestone, O'Hara (Pavlyuchenko, 46); Modric (Lennon, 76); Bent
Subs not used: Cesar, Bale, Campbell, Gunter

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena; Mascherano, Alonso; Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera (Benayoun, 78); Keane (Babel, 66)
Subs not used: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Aurelio, Leiva, El Zhar

Linked here.