Portsmouth 0 Tottenham 1

Tottenham v Portsmouth
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Dimitar Berbatov notched an 81st-minute winner to claim Tottenham's first away league win of the season and leave Portsmouth cursing their inability to score at home.

The 1-0 loss was Pompey's first home league defeat since March and the end of their 11-match unbeaten run as they failed to take the opportunity to climb into the top four with a lack of punch in front of goal.

Manager Harry Redknapp switched tactics in the second half and brought on £6million substitute David Nugent for the last 20 minutes in place of last week's two-goal hero Sulley Muntari.

But Berbatov had already spurned at least one good chance to give Spurs the lead and they just about deserved their second league win in a row for new manager Juande Ramos.

Pompey had failed to score in three previous home games - all goalless draws - and despite six successive away wins their nervousness in front of the Fratton faithful showed in John Utaka's tame finish after only five minutes.

Pedro Mendes looked to have set up the lead when, ignoring Pompey fans' familiar appeal to 'shoot', he clipped a delightful ball through to give Utaka a much better opportunity which the Nigerian scuffed rather lamely at keeper Paul Robinson.

Pompey were without Kanu, who had returned home to attend his father's funeral, and they looked short of fire-power even against a patched-up Tottenham defence in which Didier Zokora filled in at centre-back for Michael Dawson.

Errors at the back by Younes Kaboul and Jermaine Jenas encouraged Portsmouth, but the home side were also sloppy in defence when Tottenham forced a corner and Berbatov was left with a free header which he could not direct on target.

It took Niko Kranjcar and Noe Pamarot to stop a marauding run by Berbatov down the right after Spurs were beginning to look dangerous.

When Steed Malbranque concluded a sharp passing move with an inviting pass for Darren Bent - again preferred in the starting line-up to Jermain Defoe - he curled his 20 yards shot just over.

Kaboul did well to clear up when Muntari sparked a useful Pompey raid on the right and within seconds Aaron Lennon was away providing a cross to Kevin-Prince Boateng, whose clear shot produced an instinctive parry by David James. Malbranque followed up to net the loose ball but was clearly offside.

Pompey were lucky to escape minutes later. Johnson's curving cross from the right needed only a touch by Kranjcar to score a goal - but the ball flew straight through to nestle in Robinson's arms.

And when Muntari's purposeful run set up a shot for Diop, a crucial deflection off a defender carried it just over the Spurs crossbar.

Pompey piled on the pressure and Robinson was grateful to grab a free kick from Muntari which fizzed straight through the wall.

Bent and Berbatov - still without the suspended Robbie Keane - were guilty of over-elaborating up front for Spurs.

But Spurs did enough to prompt Pompey boss Redknapp to make a significant change for the second half, sending on Sean Davis for the already-booked Mendes and switching from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2.

Lennon's lightning pace on the right, allied to a splendid cross, gave Bent a glimpse early in the second half, but James was off his line to palm the ball away.

And Pompey even gave rarely-employed Nugent a run, but his best effort was a header over the bar from a corner and a clatter on Robinson which earned a rebuke from referee Martin Atkinson.

Berbatov might have won it for Spurs in the 69th minute when, after being slipped in from the left, he went past the advancing James but could not control his second touch.

However, he made no mistake nine minutes from the end.

Again Lennon's pace and vision was key - a perfect ball clipped over Sol Campbell's head for the Bulgarian to stroke home unopposed at the far post.

Pompey battled manfully to pull it back, but sub Defoe almost made it two with a shot against the outside of a post.



• Ramos getting message across

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos believes his team are finally beginning to understand the way he wants them to play after Dimitar Berbatov's 81st-minute winner at Portsmouth brought their first Barclays Premier League away success of the season.


The victory came on the back of last week's 2-1 triumph over Manchester City and Ramos' decision to again leave match-winner Jermain Defoe on the bench was justified when Berbatov put away his third good chance to claim his sixth goal of the campaign.


It ended Portsmouth's 11-match unbeaten run and Ramos said: 'We have to recognise it was a success for the whole team, not just one player. We had chances earlier to kill the game and did not take them. Berbatov had one or two.'


Speaking through an interpreter the Spaniard added: 'I'm very happy because it is important to win two matches in a row and it is a path we must continue to follow.


'We have been playing 4-3-3 sometimes but now 4-4-2 and I think the players are beginning to understand what we must do.


'We decided to stick with an attacking way despite the fact our defence was weak again. Michael Dawson had to go to hospital before the game with problems in his head. We think it is a migraine.'


Spurs again played midfielder Didier Zokora in defence, gave Kevin-Prince Boateng, their £4.5 million signing from Hertha Berlin, only his second league start and handed Jamie O'Hara, 21, his debut as substitute in the last 17 minutes.


But they were rarely threatened by a Portsmouth side who have now not scored in their last four home matches - despite six away wins on the spin.


And manager Harry Redknapp admitted: 'We just didn't get started today. It's got to be our worst performance of the season. And we got what we deserved - which was nothing.


'To be fair, I always thought it was a dangerous game. If you look at Tottenham's squad there is a lot of quality there. They are the one team who should be pushing to get into the top four if anyone can.


'They showed today they are capable of doing it. Why they haven't all this year I don't know, but today they did play well.


'We've got to be realistic, though. This is our first home defeat of the season and we've got 30 points - I don't care whether these points come home or away. We've been on a great run, a fantastic achievement but if you look at Spurs they've got quality.


'We've drawn tough games at home - and good ones away. There's no magic formula involved but we didn't help ourselves today. The best team won.


'We went 4-4-2 in the second half to have a go but we weren't any better than when we were 4-5-1.'


Redknapp knows he faces a tough Christmas period with games away to Liverpool and home to Arsenal and unless he can get in some loan players could be down to 13 first-team squad players when he loses four to the African Nations Cup in January.


Another casualty, meanwhile, is defender Noe Pamarot who had to come off with a damaged hamstring and may face an extended absence.