Tottenham 2 Sunderland 0
Robbie Keane scored his 100th goal for Tottenham as the hosts defeated Sunderland 2-0 at White Hart Lane.
Keane's goal came in stoppage-time after Spurs had to withstand second-half pressure from Sunderland in the Premier League clash.
Aaron Lennon scored on his 100th appearance for Spurs for the opener and the hosts threatened to run riot, only for Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon to keep the visitors in the game.
Roy Keane's men had a goal disallowed and heroic defending by Michael Dawson ended a run of two league defeats in a row for Spurs, with Keane sealing the points.
• Ramos happy with 'strange' win
Bigger tests await for Spurs as well, with Arsenal and Manchester United in cup competitions coming up.
Juande Ramos clearly had Tuesday's Carling Cup clash with Arsenal in mind and the likes of Ledley King were not in the squad, and Keane was on the bench and made to wait for his moment to record his ton.
Even so, the decision to give Jermain Defoe the captain's armband was surprising, particularly with Jermaine Jenas and Dawson kept in the starting line-up.
Perhaps Ramos was showing his loyalty to the striker who is yet to sign a new contract and has been linked with Aston Villa while his opportunities at Spurs have been limited.
The reception he got from the home fans suggested they did not want it to a farewell gesture.
Also intriguing was Ramos' decision to pick one out-and-out centre-back. Tom Huddlestone, a midfielder by trade, partnered Dawson against an attack led by Kenwyne Jones.
Despite their unfamiliar appearance, Spurs were ahead in the second minute.
Jamie O'Hara's perseverance created the chance. After battling for the ball on the left flank, Paul McShane's clearance struck Lee Young-Pyo and fell kindly for the midfielder. O'Hara's cross missed Dimitar Berbatov and Danny Collins but Lennon prodded past Gordon.
It was then a case of Spurs attacking and Gordon doing everything possible to keep them at bay.
The hosts were attacking with pace, illustrated by Lennon's run leaving Dwight Yorke on his backside - the veteran used his hand to clear but escaped sanction.
Jenas was inches from a second after being found beyond the Sunderland defence by Huddlestone - but his finish just drifted wide of the post.
Berbatov struck the crossbar in the 27th minute after a flowing move started by O'Hara's impish flick on the touchline.
Defoe eventually played Lennon in down the right and Berbatov's finish from the cross was fractionally too high.
Defoe's chip from the edge of the area was superbly tipped wide by Gordon - and the Scotland goalkeeper saved with his feet when Huddlestone found Berbatov with a long ball and the Bulgaria striker lashed a shot on target.
Gordon's efforts kept Sunderland in the game and they started asserting pressure towards the end of the first half.
Daryl Murphy had an effort from long-range but Cerny, still preferred to Paul Robinson, was untroubled by the curler.
McShane went into the book for a rugby-style tackle on Jenas, then Keane brought on Michael Chopra for Anthony Stokes and switched to a 4-4-2.
Jones had a clearer sight of goal when Yorke found him in the penalty area just before the break but Dawson was back to clear. Dawson also cleared off the line when McShane met Chopra's corner.
Sunderland were missing the creativity of Kieran Richardson, who picked up a hamstring injury in training, but it did not limit their threat going forward.
Murphy almost levelled three minutes into the second half when Dawson and Paul Stalteri ran into each other - but the finish curled wide.
Jones had the ball in the net in the 52nd minute when Murphy's free-kick broke to him but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Murphy also drilled a dangerous cross across Cerny's goal after Yorke had set up a counter-attack with an intelligent header. McShane also headed over from a free-kick.
The hosts went close through Defoe and Berbatov, while Huddlestone had a free-kick saved - but it was Sunderland who looked the more likely to score next. Yorke drilled wide from the edge of the area.
Spurs striker Keane came on for Defoe and also took the captain's armband, while Andy Cole came on for McShane.
Cerny had to save from Chopra's header and Jones was denied by a Dawson block with the rebound.
He also denied Liam Miller, then Keane's shot squirmed under Gordon for his 100th Spurs goal.
Ramos happy with 'strange' win
Juande Ramos hailed the efforts of Robbie Keane after the striker scored his 100th goal for Tottenham in the 2-0 Premier League win over Sunderland.
Keane reached his century in stoppage-time at White Hart Lane when he latched onto Radek Cerny's clearance and squirmed a shot under Craig Gordon.
'I think it's a great achievement for him, the club and the Spurs family,' said head coach Ramos.
Keane has scored 16 goals this season for Spurs and fired 15 in 15 appearances at the back end of last season, marking an incredible year for the Republic of Ireland striker.
Aaron Lennon had opened the scoring in the second minute when he prodded past Gordon from Jamie O'Hara's cross from the left flank.
Gordon then kept Sunderland in the game with a series of impressive saves, notably from a Jermain Defoe chip and a Dimitar Berbatov drive.
Defoe, who has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, was named captain for the day as Ledley King was rested, Paul Robinson is not in favour and Keane started on the bench.
'The first three captains were out of the first XI and I needed an alternative,' said Ramos. 'I had to choose somebody.'
Berbatov also hit the crossbar and Jermaine Jenas went just wide when he raced through, but Spurs were nearly made to rue their misses as Sunderland began to threaten towards the end of the first half.
Paul McShane had a header cleared off the line just before the break and Spurs had to withstand plenty of Sunderland pressure in the second half.
Daryl Murphy curled a shot wide, Kenwyne Jones had a strike disallowed for offside and Cerny saved superbly from Michael Chopra and Liam Miller.
Ramos praised Cerny, adding: 'The more he has played the better his form has been. He had a great match.'
Sunderland boss Roy Keane said: 'If you give two goals away like we did you don't deserve to win any football match.
'You can dress it up all you want.
'Their goalkeeper obviously made some outstanding saves, credit to him, but if you concede a goal after 111 seconds it's not ideal with our away record.
'The game is 90 minutes, you're not going to dominate any game from start to finish but you have to start well. Every manager wants a decent start and at the top level it is about concentration. That wins and loses football matches.'
Keane still hopes to bring new faces to the Stadium of Light before the end of the January transfer window.
'I've been saying it for two or three weeks and I'm still hopeful,' he added.
Ramos admitted he was relieved to hold on for victory.
'It was a rather strange match,' said the Spaniard. 'The first half was ours. There were opportunities in the second half but they were mainly for Sunderland. We got victory in a roundabout way.'
Keane's goal came in stoppage-time after Spurs had to withstand second-half pressure from Sunderland in the Premier League clash.
Aaron Lennon scored on his 100th appearance for Spurs for the opener and the hosts threatened to run riot, only for Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon to keep the visitors in the game.
Roy Keane's men had a goal disallowed and heroic defending by Michael Dawson ended a run of two league defeats in a row for Spurs, with Keane sealing the points.
• Ramos happy with 'strange' win
Bigger tests await for Spurs as well, with Arsenal and Manchester United in cup competitions coming up.
Juande Ramos clearly had Tuesday's Carling Cup clash with Arsenal in mind and the likes of Ledley King were not in the squad, and Keane was on the bench and made to wait for his moment to record his ton.
Even so, the decision to give Jermain Defoe the captain's armband was surprising, particularly with Jermaine Jenas and Dawson kept in the starting line-up.
Perhaps Ramos was showing his loyalty to the striker who is yet to sign a new contract and has been linked with Aston Villa while his opportunities at Spurs have been limited.
The reception he got from the home fans suggested they did not want it to a farewell gesture.
Also intriguing was Ramos' decision to pick one out-and-out centre-back. Tom Huddlestone, a midfielder by trade, partnered Dawson against an attack led by Kenwyne Jones.
Despite their unfamiliar appearance, Spurs were ahead in the second minute.
Jamie O'Hara's perseverance created the chance. After battling for the ball on the left flank, Paul McShane's clearance struck Lee Young-Pyo and fell kindly for the midfielder. O'Hara's cross missed Dimitar Berbatov and Danny Collins but Lennon prodded past Gordon.
It was then a case of Spurs attacking and Gordon doing everything possible to keep them at bay.
The hosts were attacking with pace, illustrated by Lennon's run leaving Dwight Yorke on his backside - the veteran used his hand to clear but escaped sanction.
Jenas was inches from a second after being found beyond the Sunderland defence by Huddlestone - but his finish just drifted wide of the post.
Berbatov struck the crossbar in the 27th minute after a flowing move started by O'Hara's impish flick on the touchline.
Defoe eventually played Lennon in down the right and Berbatov's finish from the cross was fractionally too high.
Defoe's chip from the edge of the area was superbly tipped wide by Gordon - and the Scotland goalkeeper saved with his feet when Huddlestone found Berbatov with a long ball and the Bulgaria striker lashed a shot on target.
Gordon's efforts kept Sunderland in the game and they started asserting pressure towards the end of the first half.
Daryl Murphy had an effort from long-range but Cerny, still preferred to Paul Robinson, was untroubled by the curler.
McShane went into the book for a rugby-style tackle on Jenas, then Keane brought on Michael Chopra for Anthony Stokes and switched to a 4-4-2.
Jones had a clearer sight of goal when Yorke found him in the penalty area just before the break but Dawson was back to clear. Dawson also cleared off the line when McShane met Chopra's corner.
Sunderland were missing the creativity of Kieran Richardson, who picked up a hamstring injury in training, but it did not limit their threat going forward.
Murphy almost levelled three minutes into the second half when Dawson and Paul Stalteri ran into each other - but the finish curled wide.
Jones had the ball in the net in the 52nd minute when Murphy's free-kick broke to him but the effort was ruled out for offside.
Murphy also drilled a dangerous cross across Cerny's goal after Yorke had set up a counter-attack with an intelligent header. McShane also headed over from a free-kick.
The hosts went close through Defoe and Berbatov, while Huddlestone had a free-kick saved - but it was Sunderland who looked the more likely to score next. Yorke drilled wide from the edge of the area.
Spurs striker Keane came on for Defoe and also took the captain's armband, while Andy Cole came on for McShane.
Cerny had to save from Chopra's header and Jones was denied by a Dawson block with the rebound.
He also denied Liam Miller, then Keane's shot squirmed under Gordon for his 100th Spurs goal.
Ramos happy with 'strange' win
Juande Ramos hailed the efforts of Robbie Keane after the striker scored his 100th goal for Tottenham in the 2-0 Premier League win over Sunderland.
Keane reached his century in stoppage-time at White Hart Lane when he latched onto Radek Cerny's clearance and squirmed a shot under Craig Gordon.
'I think it's a great achievement for him, the club and the Spurs family,' said head coach Ramos.
Keane has scored 16 goals this season for Spurs and fired 15 in 15 appearances at the back end of last season, marking an incredible year for the Republic of Ireland striker.
Aaron Lennon had opened the scoring in the second minute when he prodded past Gordon from Jamie O'Hara's cross from the left flank.
Gordon then kept Sunderland in the game with a series of impressive saves, notably from a Jermain Defoe chip and a Dimitar Berbatov drive.
Defoe, who has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, was named captain for the day as Ledley King was rested, Paul Robinson is not in favour and Keane started on the bench.
'The first three captains were out of the first XI and I needed an alternative,' said Ramos. 'I had to choose somebody.'
Berbatov also hit the crossbar and Jermaine Jenas went just wide when he raced through, but Spurs were nearly made to rue their misses as Sunderland began to threaten towards the end of the first half.
Paul McShane had a header cleared off the line just before the break and Spurs had to withstand plenty of Sunderland pressure in the second half.
Daryl Murphy curled a shot wide, Kenwyne Jones had a strike disallowed for offside and Cerny saved superbly from Michael Chopra and Liam Miller.
Ramos praised Cerny, adding: 'The more he has played the better his form has been. He had a great match.'
Sunderland boss Roy Keane said: 'If you give two goals away like we did you don't deserve to win any football match.
'You can dress it up all you want.
'Their goalkeeper obviously made some outstanding saves, credit to him, but if you concede a goal after 111 seconds it's not ideal with our away record.
'The game is 90 minutes, you're not going to dominate any game from start to finish but you have to start well. Every manager wants a decent start and at the top level it is about concentration. That wins and loses football matches.'
Keane still hopes to bring new faces to the Stadium of Light before the end of the January transfer window.
'I've been saying it for two or three weeks and I'm still hopeful,' he added.
Ramos admitted he was relieved to hold on for victory.
'It was a rather strange match,' said the Spaniard. 'The first half was ours. There were opportunities in the second half but they were mainly for Sunderland. We got victory in a roundabout way.'
posted by dgarden at 10:22 am
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