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A late penalty from Robbie Keane gave Tottenham Hotspur a 2-1 Premier League win over Manchester City at White Hart Lane.

Jermain Defoe put the hosts ahead on the half-hour mark, only for substitute Valeri Bojinov to hit back for City with a fine goal on 63 minutes.

With the clock ticking down, the game seemed destined to end level, though referee Mark Halsey blew for a penalty after Fraizer Campbell went down under Micah Richards' challenge on 84 minutes, and Keane coolly stroked home the penalty.

Fulham's win at Newcastle United means that Spurs remain in eighth position, behind their London rivals, with the battle for the final Europa League place going down to the final day of the season.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp named an attacking team, including Defoe, Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko, and saw his side dominate the first half.

Defoe was the first to threaten, forcing a fine save from Shay Given low to his left from a well-struck shot from just outside the area, while Nedum Onuoha made a fine block to deny Jermaine Jenas after City stood off the midfielder 25 yards from goal.

Pavlyuchenko then drew another impressive save from Given on 16 minutes with a low strike, though Spurs were almost caught on the break soon after as Felipe Caicedo fed Martin Petrov only for the Bulgarian winger to fire tamely at Heurelho Gomes after carving himself an opening.

Spurs finally got the goal their possession and ambition deserved on 30 minutes as Tom Huddlestone swung a low ball into the near post and Defoe burst in ahead of Richard Dunne to volley home.

Keane found himself in behind the City defence again soon after, though an uncharacteristically poor first touch put paid to the chance.

An injury to Tottenham's Jonathon Woodgate saw him replaced by Alan Hutton at half-time while City emerged vastly improved in the second half, though still lacking real incision in attack.

Mark Hughes elected to shuffle his strikers by introducing Bojinov for Petrov and Benjani for Felipe Caicedo and the substitutions brought instant rewards.

Stephen Ireland floated a perfectly weighted ball into the Spurs area for Benjani to tap down to Bojinov and the Bulgarian struck his volley perfectly beyond Gomes and into the top left hand corner.

A miscued volley from Pavlyuchenko was Spurs' instant reply, though their play lacked the energy and movement that saw them trouble Richards and Dunne in the first half.

But Spurs received the bit of luck they needed as Campbell, looking to latch onto Defoe's cross, went down in the area in front of Richards and referee Halsey pointed straight to the spot.

Keane, otherwise anonymous in the second half, trotted up nonchalantly to the ball before sending Given the wrong way from the penalty spot.

City threw everything forward in the final few minutes in search of an unlikely late equaliser, and it may well have come their way had Benjani not headed over from point blank range when unmarked at the back post in what proved to be the final chance of the match.

Michael FitzGerald / Eurosport