Tottenham Hotspur closed the gap on the top four to just two points following a 2-1 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas breathed a sigh of relief as his side came from behind to pick up another valuable three points, as they continue their hunt for a Champions League spot.
The north Londoners fielded a wholly different side to that which won against Fulham in mid-week, with the most notable change the addition of Etienne Capoue in defence, after Vlad Chiriches was ruled out through injury.
Sunderland began the weekend five points from safety, and with Crystal Palace winning earlier in the afternoon, needed a positive result at home. Following the arrival of Gus Poyet, the Black Cats have displayed a new lease of life and they certainly started brightly, forcing the issue early on.
Spurs however, remained resolute and while the teams continuously traded blows, it was Villas-Boas’ side who took more control of the game. Lewis Holtby tested Vito Mannone from distance, forcing the Italian into a smart save, but it was Sunderland who went ahead after Hugo Lloris committed another howler to gift the home side a goal.
After some excellent work down the right flank by Ondrej Celustka, the full-back delivered a deep cross which Lloris elected to punch, but the Frenchman failed to connect properly and the ball fell to the feet of Adam Johnson, who drove the ball into the roof of the net.
Sunderland’s lead lasted just six minutes though, as Spurs drew level through summer signing Paulinho. The Brazilian was arguably the best player on the pitch and he was rewarded for his efforts with his fourth goal of the season, poking the ball home after Capoue did well to knock down a free-kick.
With the scores level, Spurs cranked up the pressure and almost added a second on the stroke of half-time, but Nacer Chadli’s header sailed just inches over the bar.
Spurs started the second-half as they finished the first and were ahead within five minutes. A driving run from Mousa Dembele saw the Belgian steam into the Sunderland box, and his cross took a heavy deflection first off of John O’Shea and then Vito Mannone before ending up in the back of the net. It was a cruel blow to the Sunderland defence, who had performed well up until that point, and worrying for Poyet as his side netted their fifth own goal of the season.
Sunderland tried to get back in the game and they probably should have, after Sandro appeared to handle the ball in the area. Replays showed the midfielder moved his arm towards an incoming cross, but referee Lee Mason failed to spot the infringement.
Jermain Defoe had ample opportunities to wrap up the three points, but he continued to be wasteful in front of goal, the striker first flicking a cross onto the top of the bar, and then drilling wide when clean through on goal.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter as Spurs saw the remainder of the game out and now move within three points of second-placed Liverpool.--
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