Spurs lifted by Redknapp's freak strike

Blackburn Rovers 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur won a slightly fortuitous victory at Ewood Park yesterday when Jamie Redknapp's 89th-minute goal deprived Blackburn Rovers of what would have been a deserved draw.

Redknapp's looping finish deceived Brad Friedel and bounced gently into the net after the home side had dominated the second half, with Egil Ostenstad cancelling out Robbie Keane's first-half strike.

Glenn Hoddle, the Spurs manager, said: "There's no question it was a mis-hit from Jamie but we created lots of good chances and didn't take them, so we deserved a bit of luck. It was a good performance and it ends the nasty run that we've been on."

"We started slowly but got better as the game went on," said Graeme Souness, the Blackburn manager. "I'm very disappointed to lose. If you get outplayed then you accept defeat but that wasn't the case and we were beaten by a freak goal."

Spurs went ahead after just five minutes. Tugay Kerimoglu, dwelling on the ball for too long, a crime he repeated throughout the opening period, lost possession with most of his team-mates stranded upfield. Keane took over and was allowed to run virtually unchallenged into the Rovers penalty area before smashing a drive into the top corner for his first goal since his £7m move from Leeds United.

Stirred into life, Blackburn might have drawn level when David Dunn burst through, but, for a team with so many vibrant players, they looked collectively subdued in the first half, perhaps a legacy of their exploits in Sofia on Thursday evening.

"We did struggle early on," said Souness, "and as long as we're in the Uefa Cup I can guarantee that our league performances will be affected."

Spurs were content to rely on the counter attack, with some success, as the pace and enthusiasm of Keane and Simon Davies proved an ideal complement to the subtleties of Teddy Sheringham and Redknapp.

Rovers' best moments, by contrast, tended to be derived from moments of individual skill. Dunn flashed a drive inches wide and then Damien Duff skipped over a couple of challenges before shooting wildly over the bar. Andy Cole, not enjoying one of his happier days, did have the ball in the net just before the interval but his effort was rightly disallowed for offside.

Souness made a double substitution at half-time and changed to a back three, liberating Dunn from the left flank where he had hitherto been a peripheral figure.

Blackburn instantly looked a better team and David Thompson, so impressive since his move from Coventry, also became more prominent and nearly equalised with a drive.

They deservedly drew level on the hour when Dunn's skilful flick sent the substitute Ostenstad through on goal. Kasey Keller hesitated for a fraction of a second, enough for the Norwegian to get there first and lift the ball into the net.

Both sides showed a willingness to push men forward in the latter stages, trading attacks with each other in search of a winning goal.

Blackburn were denied for the second time by an offside flag as Thompson finished from close range and the same player ought to have done better with a header moments later, a miss that was compounded by Redknapp's late winner.

Keane should have scored again in injury time but once more failed to capitalise when through on goal, deflecting attention from what had been an impressive display of quick-thinking and incisive running.

"Robbie's getting a lot of chances and it's just a question of a few going in," said Hoddle. "Now he's off and running and I'm sure there are many more goals to come."

Goals: Keane (6) 0-1; Ostenstad (59) 1-1; Redknapp (89) 1-2.

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Friedel 6; Taylor 7, Berg 5 (Ostenstad 7, h-t), Johansson 6, Neill 6; Thompson 7, Dunn 7 (Grabbi 4, 69), Tugay 4, Flitcroft 5; Duff 6, Cole 3 (Gillespie 4, h-t). Substitutes not used: Kelly (gk), Todd.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Keller 5; Taricco 5 (Perry 5, 69), Richards 5, Bunjevcevic 5, Thatcher 6; Davies 6, Freund 5, Redknapp 7, Acimovic 4 (Iversen 5, 69); Keane 7, Sheringham 7. Substitutes not used: Hirschfeld (gk), Ferdinand, Doherty.

Referee: A D'Urso (Billericay) 4.

Bookings: Blackburn Rovers: Berg.

Man of the match: Keane.

Attendance: 26,203.