A fourth 1-1 draw in a row was recorded at White Hart Lane as Luka Modric
watched Steed Malbranque level the score after Bolton took a lead against the
run of play early in the second half.
Despite the visitor's need for the
points being far more acute, it was Juande Ramos' side who went all out for the
win, with goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi making several crucial stops to keep it at
three games unbeaten for his team in their bid to avoid the drop. The opening
stages were devoid of significant goalmouth action, bar a Robbie Keane effort
from the edge of the area on an afternoon with more of an August feel to it than
an April one. But spring it is and Bolton, with a packed support in the away end
to bolster their survival instincts, were sure to prove resolute opponents with
all to play for. Steed Malbranque bent a shot just wide on 27 minutes as the
team in white before Gilberto, making his full league debut, unleashed a shot
that took Ali Al Habsi by surprise, the goalkeeper clutching on after the
Brazilian tried his luck from 25-30 yards. Modric was watching on from the
Directors' Box as the team asserted control of a rapidly elapsing first half
without really putting Al Habsi in a state of high alert. He was though when a
Gilberto free-kick took a deflection and rattled against the post on the stroke
of half-time. Alan Hutton was replaced after the interval by Tom Huddlestone,
with Didier Zokora dropping in at right-back. It was a Bolton substitute who
made an immediate impact. Stelios pouncing to score a minute after the break
when failure to clear a low cross was punished, the Greek beating Radek Cerny to
the ball. The lead, thankfully, did not last too long and when Jermaine Jenas
pushed the ball into Robbie Keane, the striker spun and shot. His effort
deflected fortunately into the path of Malbraque, who steered low past Al Habsi.
Michael Dawson was immediately withdrawn, Huddlestone dropped in at centre half,
Keane retreated into midfield and Darren Bent was introduced into attack. Keane
then came close to securing an advantage when a Berbatov cut back was met by the
skipper, who jinked past a couple of challenges before pulling the trigger, only
for the body of Al Habsi to rescue his side. He wouldn't have had a prayer if
Malbranque had hit the target with his far post volley from Keane's cross just
before the hour mark. Al Habsi did brilliantly to tip away Berbatov's arrowed
low drive towards the bottom corner as the tide of pressure threatened to
overwhelm the visitors. A Huddlestone throughball sent Bent clear but the
bouncing ball favoured Al Habsi and the goalkeeper managed to grab. The
goalscorer Malbranque made way for Jamie O'Hara with 13 minutes left on the
clock, but it was Jonathan Woodgate who next came close to troubling the
scoreboard when he flashed a header just wide from an O'Hara corner.
Bent
then watched in agony as Danny Guthrie cleared his header off the line and
finally, in added time, Berbatov looked odds-on to bag the winner only to head
O'Hara's free-kick over unmarked in front of goal. It was one of those days...
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