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Aaron Lennon scored an injury-time winner as Tottenham maintained their 100 per cent record in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Birmingham at White Hart Lane.

Substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko found the England wideman in the dying moments and he cut inside before unleashing a shot from 18 yards which smuggled under Joe Hart and into the net for the winner.

It was Tottenham's fourth consecutive win and their formidable home record under Harry Redknapp continues: they have now won their last eight league matches at the Lane.

Another sub Peter Crouch had given the hosts the lead on 71 minutes when Lennon was tripped by James McFadden allowing Tom Huddlestone the chance to swing in an inch perfect free-kick. The beanpole striker climbed high above Roger Johnson at the back post to plant a header over Hart and into the net.

However the lead only lasted three minutes as Garry O'Connor's attempted pass deflected off Sebastien Bassong and bobbled around the penalty area. Alan Hutton, under pressure from Christian Benitez, failed to deal with it and nor did keeper Carlo Cudicini, who had come off his line, and Lee Bowyer had the simple task of tapping into an empty net.

Birmingham spurned two great chances to take the lead as they dominated the last 10 minutes only for Spurs to steal a winner at the death.

Redknapp promised that his side would offer open, entertaining games and that was certainly the case in an opening period that saw 18 efforts on goal, 12 on target.

Hart was called into action after just six minutes to claw away Lennon's diagonal shot from 20 yards and the winger then had a shot blocked on the line by Stephen Carr on his return to White Hart Lane.

But the best chance of the period fell to in-form Jermain Defoe. A precise pass from Huddlestone bisected Johnson and Franck Queudrue but the striker, clean through on Hart, pulled his shot wide.

Sebastian Larsson scored for Birmingham in both matches against Tottenham in the 2007-08 season and the former Gunner twice went close on the break.

After 10 minutes, the Swede unleashed a fierce shot from the angle which Cudicini pushed to safety and then an angled shot from 12 yards came perilously close to nestling in the far corner.

Luka Modric was at the hub of all Tottenham's most creative moments and he curled a 20-yard effort narrowly wide of the far corner just before the break.

But skipper Ledley King was forced off at half-time and Modric lasted just a few minutes of the second half after a tangle with Bowyer and was replaced by Crouch.

The tall striker was an instant menace and he met a raking diagonal pass from Hutton at the far post only for his header to be scrambled around the post by Hart.

Then Robbie Keane's cross from the left was met by the frontman but his header came back off the crossbar with Hart beaten. A minute later a towering Crouch header from a corner was goalbound before Carr denied his former team by nodding off the line.

It was not all Tottenham however and Birmingham had strong claims for a penalty when McFadden went down under pressure from Wilson Palacios. The Scot earlier produced a cross which was met by the head of Carsley - but he could only steer his effort from 10 yards wide of the post.

After Bowyer's equaliser, O'Connor spurned a golden chance after Benitez got the better of Vedran Corluka and combined with Bowyer before feeding the Scottish striker who passed his shot into the side netting.

And in the last minute McFadden's deep free-kick was hooked across goal by O'Connor only for Johnson to fail to hit the target from no more than four yards.

That proved costly as Lennon's late strike condemned Birmingham to their seventh consecutive away defeat in the Premier League.

Lee Walker / Eurosport