Premier League - Old boys return to haunt sorry Spurs

Eurosport - Mon, 29 Sep 12:23:00 2008

Rock-bottom Tottenham Hotspur had more misery heaped on them by two ex-players as Portsmouth beat them 2-0 at Fratton Park.

FOOTBALL 2008/09 Premier League Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe scores a penalty past Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes - 0

Pompey strike duo Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch both scored against their former employers to end their own side's terrible run of heavy defeats and move into the top half of the table, though they will now miss key player Lassana Diarra through suspension after he was sent off late on.

Midfielder Glen Little - making his Portsmouth debut after being plagued by injury since his summer move from Reading - was a constant threat and he won a free-kick on the right wing that Spurs captain Jermaine Jenas subsequently handled to concede a soft penalty on 33 minutes.

Defoe - who scored 64 goals for Spurs during his four years at the club - stepped up and fired his spot-kick clinically into the bottom corner. Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes went the right way but the strike had him beaten.

The 25-year-old also had a hand in partner Crouch's goal. He set up full-back Armand Traore whose fierce shot was saved by Gomes but the ball kicked up to Crouch - who spent two years at White Hart Lane as a trainee - and he nodded into the net for his first Portsmouth goal.

Portsmouth's French midfielder Diarra - who turned down a summer move to Tottenham - was highly influential yet again. However, he is now facing a suspension after his wild lunge on Benoit Assou-Ekotto earned him a second yellow card and a sending off in the final few minutes.

Defoe had the ball in the back of the Spurs net as early as the third minute, after he latched on to Crouch's flick-on and finished past Gomes one-on-one. However, the flag was already up for offside against him.

Tottenham will feel aggrieved that they did not have a penalty of their own in the second half. Aaron Lennon - a half-time replacement on the left wing for the ineffective Gilberto - fired a cross in from the by-line that Diarra blocked with his raised hand. Referee Mike Dean didn't see the handball and awarded a corner to Tottenham.

Tottenham had the majority of possession throughout the match and had plenty of shots, but they failed to create many clear-cut opportunities, with a misfiring David Bentley unable to supply lone striker Roman Pavlyuchenko with any decent service, leaving the Russian isolated for most of the match.

Darren Bent replaced Pavlyuchenko - rather than come on to partner him - with less than 20 minutes remaining, and although he managed to get a couple of shots away he could not drag his team back into the match.

Tony Mabert / Eurosport

Comment 28 - 47 of 67

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  1. Thats more like it!

    PLAY UP POMPEY!, POMPEY PLAY UP! ­ It was great that Crouchy got his first (of many) goals­ for Pompey. I was watching on line and missed it­ though. Did he do his robot dance? From a very happy­ Pompey fan.

    From Lord Dambo of Purbrookshire, on Sun 28 Sep 7:52PM

  2. Dear jdspana i fear you may be suffering from­ alzheimers disease or did you intend to send the same­ message 3 times!

    From Bromley Blue, on Sun 28 Sep 7:34PM

  3. There's no 'P' in hamster

    From bobgill8, on Sun 28 Sep 7:17PM

  4. #41: Soccer??????? It's football mate!

    From Graham, on Sun 28 Sep 6:57PM

  5. I luv it, gets better by the week!

    From Alfie, on Sun 28 Sep 6:54PM

  6. My hampster died today.

    From Pobbles, on Sun 28 Sep 6:53PM
  7. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    what a bad season for t5he spurs,anyway its a season of­ revenge.Chelsea is there to teach both spurs and man U­ soccer this season.keep watch.BLUES FOR LIVE!!

    From Akeredolu, on Sun 28 Sep 6:53PM

  8. utterly disappointed with spurs, tot they had a good­ chance of challenging for some good positions in the­ league with all their quality buys, and from ramos'­ last season relatively good performance, but being­ bottom of the league with 2 points after 5,6 games just­ does't cut it. lame

    From l3ryanc, on Sun 28 Sep 6:32PM

  9. i wonder if derby's record will be beaten for being­ the crapest club in the premier league, it seems to be­ going that way!

    From ostrichfarmer22, on Sun 28 Sep 6:22PM

  10. play up pompey pompey play up !! thanks portsmouth im a­ very happy geordie wey as happy as i can be given our­ soap opera of a club at least wa not bottom ha ha ha

    From melon, on Sun 28 Sep 6:09PM

  11. "...how i love to see tottenham doing so well­ least u can lose down south again next season against­ southampton in the championship. up the­ hammers....."

    Well Mr Hammer - at least they are­ doing things within the law.

    From a Brentford­ supporter - a fan of REAL football
    not overpaid muck.

    From signy, on Sun 28 Sep 6:08PM

  12. Respect to all Spurs fans. I have supported the Spurs­ since 1964. At one time, I even lived less than half a­ mile from the ground in Tottenham. There are two things­ that have been going wrong with Tottenham. First, we do­ not have a manager in the Bill Nicholson's mould.­ And secondly, if these Prima Donnas who get 60 and 70­ Grand a WEEK for that rubbish, thinks I am going waste­ any of the 250 quid a week that I earn hard graft to­ watch them, pigs will have to fly to the moon and back.­ I am afraid that as a true Spurs supporter, my team is­ SITH...ooops, I can't spell, just like they­ can't play.

    From Peter, on Sun 28 Sep 6:03PM

  13. how i love to see tottenham doing so well least u can­ lose down south again next season against southampton­ in the championship.

    up the hammers

    From davenicwhitham, on Sun 28 Sep 5:59PM

  14. hahaha the pompeys were amazing today! behadj played­ very well he proves that he deserves to be in the squad

    From locky1_01, on Sun 28 Sep 5:57PM

  15. hahaha the pompeys were amazing today! behadj played­ very well he proves that he deserves to be in the squad

    From locky1_01, on Sun 28 Sep 5:56PM

  16. We are quick to blame the manager, yet Burkinshaw didnt­ have a successful first season and looked what he­ achieved. Damian Commoli is accountable to the fans­ with the type of overrated, overpaid bunch of jessies­ we now employ! If a builder buys @#$% materials then­ the quality of the finished article is @#$%. Commolli­ buys the materials, Ramos has to build something with­ them!! The players heads today went down far too quick,­ quicker than Monica Lewinsky's head on Bill­ Clinton!

    From adrian.edwards22, on Sun 28 Sep 5:47PM

  17. haha spurs

    A HAPPY HAMMER

    From sonic2three, on Sun 28 Sep 5:43PM

  18. all the spurs fans saying ur gonna be in the top 4 this­ season you will be in the top 4 next season of the­ championship lol bye bye spurs ha"ha"ha"

    From kevin, on Sun 28 Sep 5:40PM

  19. hahahahahahahaahaha barnsley next year?

    From stephen b, on Sun 28 Sep 5:13PM

  20. Typical Spurs, looking sort of neat and decent, but in­ the end they inevitably lose. They should employ a­ psychologist, it's all in their heads.

    From astfgl, on Sun 28 Sep 4:50PM
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