Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar inspired Tottenham to a comfortable 2-0 win against Portsmouth.
Spurs seal comfortable win to consolidate fourth place
Goals from Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar inspired Tottenham to a comfortable 2-0 win against basement side Portsmouth as they tightened their grip on fourth place.
Crouch opened the scoring after 27 minutes with a close-range header, before Kranjcar added another just before the interval as Spurs took the points in this dress rehearsal for the FA Cup semi-final clash between the teams next month.
Tom Huddlestone and Crouch both struck the woodwork in a chance-laden first-half as Spurs threatened to run riot.
But injury-ravaged Pompey defended well and could have scored in the opening period, with Anthony Vanden Boore and Michael Brown both coming close.
Avram Grant's men were only able to name six substitutes and suffered more casualties as Hermann Hreirdarsson, Danny Webber and David James all sustained knocks and had to come off in a miserable day in north London.
Bright start
It had been a bright start by Pompey, who were thrashed 5-0 at home by Chelsea in midweek.
Kanu - who scored the winning goal in the 2008 FA Cup final for then Pompey boss Harry Redknapp at Wembley - tried his luck from 25 yards, but dragged the ball wide.
Pompey continued to have more possession, but without making any real threat in the final third.
Spurs captain Michael Dawson had to be alert to cut out a low right-wing centre from Kanu at the near post.
In the 16th minute David Bentley swung the ball over from the Spurs right and found Crouch at the far post, but the former Pompey striker could only guide his header back across goal.
It should have been 1-0 to the visitors when Frederic Piquionne played a clever one-two with Vanden Borre to put the Belgian clear in the area, but Heurelho Gomes came out to smother his shot.
Tottenham grabbed the lead in the 27th minute as Bale charged down the left and chipped the ball into the penalty area and Crouch got ahead of the defenders to nod the ball down past James for his 11th goal of the season.
It was nearly 2-0 when Dawson flashed a header wide after he connected with another fine delivery from Bentley.
Cracking
Huddlestone cracked a 25-yard effort against the crossbar, before Crouch's dipping volley also came back off the woodwork, glancing the outside of the far post, and the second goal came with five minutes of the half remaining.
Luka Modric's shot was blocked and the ball fell kindly to Kranjcar, who flicked it on into the bottom right corner to also net against his old club.
Pompey then almost pulled a goal back immediately when Kanu's downward header found Michael Brown, but Gomes was again out quickly to deny the former Spurs midfielder.
Play was stopped at the start of the second half when Hreidarsson fell awkwardly at a Spurs corner. The Icelander was eventually carried off on a stretcher, taking gas for the pain with his ankle strapped in a protective cast.
Webber, the former Manchester United trainee, came on and Vanden Borre dropped into right-back as Portsmouth regrouped.
Brown then flashed a shot wide from just outside the penalty area as Pompey continued to take the game to the hosts. In the 61st minute, Spurs were forced to make a change as Dawson hobbled off to be replaced by Younes Kaboul - another former Pompey player now at White Hart Lane.
Kanu latched onto a loose backpass, but could only fire his angled shot wide and at the other end James saved well from Sebastien Bassong's downward header.
Pompey's miserable afternoon was complete when Webber also left the field on a stretcher following an innocuous-looking challenge with Benoit Assou-Ekotto, while James was also forced off by injury.
| Tottenham Hotspur |
Team Statistics |
Portsmouth |
| 2 |
Goals |
0 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
3 |
| 12 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
0 |
| 11 |
Corners |
2 |
| 7 |
Fouls |
10 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 80 |
Passing Success |
72 |
| 34 |
Tackles |
21 |
| 82.4 |
Tackles Success |
85.7 |
| 51 |
Possession |
49 |
| 50.4 |
Territorial Advantage |
49.6 |
|
