Tottenham boosted their hopes of a top-four finish with a 3-0 win over fellow hopefuls Man City.
City slip to second defeat of the season as Spurs get back to winning ways
Tottenham boosted their hopes of a top-four finish with a 3-0 win over fellow hopefuls Manchester City at White Hart Lane.
Two goals from Niko Kranjcar and Jermain Defoe's 14th of the season were enough to give Spurs the three points and help cement their place in fifth spot.
Kranjar broke the deadlock on 37 minutes with a close-range finish after Stephen Ireland had blocked Peter Crouch's header from Aaron Lennon's cross.
Defoe added a second on 54 minutes with an instinctive finish from Crouch's flick-on and Kranjcar put the seal on a good night for Harry Redknapp's men in stoppage time with a fine solo effort.
With both teams having reputations for attacking, it was no surprise to see early efforts flying on goal, firstly with Carlos Tevez firing just wide from the edge of the area after Michael Dawson had blocked his initial effort.
Crouch, returning to the side in place of Robbie Keane, also headed over from a corner while under pressure from Micah Richards, then Kranjcar stabbed wide after a flowing Spurs move that included Crouch backheeling to send Lennon down the right flank.
Tom Huddlestone clashed with Nigel de Jong while tussling for a ball, leading to Hughes and Spurs assistant boss Joe Jordan, both among the toughest players of their generation, exchanging angry words.
It was an interesting sub-plot but there was action on the pitch to keep the focus away from the dug-out, next to where Benoit Assou-Ekotto clashed with a fan at the weekend.
The hosts also had a penalty shout when Defoe went down after Kolo Toure challenged - but referee Alan Wiley immediately waved play on.
Lennon had a running battle with veteran full-back Sylvinho, with Spurs looking to get the England winger on the ball as much as possible. One run led to Huddlestone curling over after a pullback, while Robinho had an effort tipped over by Gomes at the other end.
It was fast-paced without clear-cut chances being produced in the first half-hour, as both teams got vital blocks in to keep things level until Kranjcar struck seven minutes from the break.
Opener
The Croatian started the move that led to his goal by spreading the ball wide to Lennon. Crouch got on the end of the cross and Kranjcar rifled home after Ireland blocked the first effort.
It could have got worse for City when Defoe sent Crouch through - but Shay Given rushed out to bravely block.
Redknapp's 'little and large' attacking pair combined for the second goal, nine minutes after the break, with Spurs going route-one for their simple goal.
Gomes' free-kick went long into City territory, Crouch climbed above Nedum Onuoha to flick on and Defoe hardly had to break stride before poking past Given for his 14th of the season.
Hughes responded by taking off Robinho, who had another quiet game away from Eastlands, and bringing on Roque Santa Cruz. The Brazilian headed straight down the tunnel as his team-mates looked for a way back into the game.
Emmanuel Adebayor, jeered mercilessly despite his acrimonious departure from rivals Arsenal last summer, had sight of goal but sliced horribly over.
City continued to push for a goal, with Ireland lifting a shot softly into Gomes' arms.
Kranjcar then added his second in stoppage time from a short corner where he skipped around Adebayor and finished through Given's legs.
| Tottenham Hotspur |
Team Statistics |
Manchester City |
| 3 |
Goals |
0 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 4 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 13 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 5 |
Corners |
6 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
10 |
| 8 |
Offsides |
4 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 75.6 |
Passing Success |
71.9 |
| 18 |
Tackles |
25 |
| 83.3 |
Tackles Success |
76 |
| 48.5 |
Possession |
51.5 |
| 46 |
Territorial Advantage |
54 |
|
