Tottenham Hotspur left it late before beating Portsmouth 2-0 at White Hart Lane.

Goals in the final ten minutes from substitutes Darren Bent and Jamie O'Hara denied Portsmouth a deserved point and may well have ended their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Cup via their league position.

Bent headed a goal in the 80th minute after efforts from Steed Malbranque and Dimitar Berbatov were not cleared by the Portsmouth defence.

Barely one minute later, Bent turned provider after powering past right-back Glen Johnson and pulled the ball back from the byline. The pass missed Berbatov but O'Hara followed up to tap-in from close range.

Tottenham manager Juande Ramos used the match to rest midfielder Jermaine Jenas and defender Ledley King, with Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone filling their respective places.

Both players had great chances to open the scoring, with Dawson controlling a corner with his chest before rifling a volleyed shot off the crossbar on the half hour. Huddlestone reacted well to Herman Hreidarsson's half-clearance to have his own volley fly over the target just before half time.

It was the home side that dominated possession throughout, while a depleted Portsmouth side were content to soak up the pressure and attack on the break.

Striker Jermain Defoe was not eligible to play against his old club due to a technicality in his transfer to Portsmouth, but it was former Tottenham pair Sean Davis and Pedro Mendes that impressed most for the visitors in the first half.

Davis failed to make an impact during his 18 months in North London, but he almost made himself unforgettable when he tried an audacious lob from outside the penalty area, forcing Paul Robinson to tip over the bar.

Portsmouth, also without suspended duo Sulley Muntari and Papa Bouba Diop, started with just Nwankwo Kanu up front, and the Nigerian striker spent much of the match in isolation.

Tottenham's own attack featured the familiar pairing of Berbatov and Robbie Keane, a partnership that has produced 43 goals this season.

However, for all their endeavour and creativity, the only time they combined to great effect, when Berbatov latched onto Keane's through ball to round James and pass into an empty net, the flag was already up for offside.

As the pace of the first half relented in the closing stages, Ramos brought on Jamie O'Hara and Darren Bent to bolster his side's attack, but Portsmouth were the ones suddenly in the ascendancy.

Glen Johnson, who had been impressive throughout chipped the ball over the top for Kanu, in an onside position, to chase. Robinson hesitated in coming off his line and Kanu headed the ball over him, but there was not enough power on it and Didier Zokora hacked the ball away.

Less than five minutes later, Tottenham were two goals to the good, and the eventual introduction of Milan Baros was too little, too late for Portsmouth.

Tonty Mabert / Eurosport