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Harry Redknapp enjoyed a successful return to his former club Portsmouth as Tottenham won 2-1 in a thrilling Premier League encounter at Fratton Park.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men as tempers frayed in the second half but Spurs clung on to victory courtesy of goals from Ledley King and another ex-Pompey man Jermain Defoe - who was the first to see red.

King rose majestically to open the scoring on the half-hour and compound Aruna Dindane's misery after the forward contrived to shoot over the bar from close range.

The Ivorian's inexplicable miss enabled Spurs to defy Pompey's early pressure and Paul Hart's side were left to rue their profligacy as Defoe netted the second on a mixed afternoon for the striker.

Defoe scored in both corresponding fixtures last season - one for either club - and his seventh goal in 11 appearances doubled Spurs' lead after a neat move, but he was sent off in the second half for a reckless stamp on Aaron Mokoena.

Former Spurs midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng grabbed a goal back for the hosts with a second-half strike, but Michael Brown's second yellow card for two cynical trips on Aaron Lennon capped a frustrating finale for the hosts.

All the cameras were trained on the emergence of Tottenham manager Redknapp as he returned to Fratton Park for the first time in an official capacity since leaving the club for the second time, but the reception was less hostile than tepid.

Peter Crouch was confined to the bench despite scoring twice for England in midweek, while Jamie O'Hara missed out for Pompey due to the loan agreement stipulated by Spurs.

If Redknapp's reception was subdued, Defoe ensured that the match started in raucous fashion, carving down Dindane before unleashing a fierce swivel and shot.

Lennon gave Tal Ben-Haim a torrid afternoon with the pair hopelessly mismatched, and the winger dinked a precise cross from the right byline back to Defoe, but his header was tame and drifted wide of James's far post.

Defoe continued to be at the forefront of everything for the visitors and he struck the post with a low shot which had David James comprehensively beaten from Tom Huddlestone's through ball.

But then at the other end came perhaps the miss of the season: Vedran Corluka was caught napping by Tommy Smith, who rampaged down the left and zipped a terrific ball across the goalmouth which Dindane somehow managed to stab over the bar with the goal gaping at his mercy.

Heurelho Gomes then produced a stunning save to deny the excellent Boateng, whose low drilled shot was parried after it took a vicious deflection off Smith.

Lennon continued to outstrip Ben-Haim for pace and after outwitting the defender to the cost of a corner, Spurs broke the deadlock: Niko Kranjcar drifted in a deep corner which King rose imperiously to head past James.

The glut of first-half chances continued was provided the opportunity of marking his return with a goal, to which he duly obliged. Jermaine Jenas and Huddlestone combined with a string of intricate short passes, before Defoe stabbed the ball clinically past the helpless James to double Spurs' lead on the stroke of half-time.

Redknapp's assistant Joe Jordan was given a slightly pedantic and over-theatrical ticking off by referee Phil Dowd which caused only to further rile a crowd already swept up into the mayhem.

Spurs were kept under the cosh as Portsmouth enjoyed a fine spell of possession in the second half, before Redknapp decided to deploy Crouch at the expense of the relatively ineffectual Robbie Keane.

Gomes unfurled another spectacular save to deny Smith who waited for the net to bulge after lobbing the keeper in a breathless start to the second half before Portsmouth reduced the deficit.

Boateng drilled a low shot from just inside the penalty area which beat the Spurs keeper at his near post as the atmosphere quickly became vociferous at Fratton Park.

Defoe was then shown a straight red card by referee Phil Dowd for a petulant stamp on Aaron Mokoena in innocuous circumstances as the fervent home crowd gave the striker a passionate send-off.

The play lurched from end-to-end as both managers made frantic changes and Portsmouth looked to exploit their numerical advantage, but Gomes pulled off another fine save to palm Hassan Yebda's close-range volley over the bar.

Gomes was finally beaten in the dying moments as substitute Frederic Piquionne stole in at the back post to head tantalisingly wide of the far post with the keeper stranded following Nadir Belhadj's exquisitely-flighted delivery from the right.

Tottenham clung on to victory after riding out a barrage of long balls in the closing stages as Redknapp's side consolidate third spot, just three points off Premier League leaders Manchester United, while Portsmouth remain rooted to the bottom of the table with a paltry three-point total.

Dan Quarrell / Eurosport