Source: Telegraph
Sunderland 3 Tottenham Hotspur 1: match report
Darren Bent has had to wait a long time but he finally gained revenge on Harry Redknapp with the two goals that dented his former manager's Champions League ambitions in this hum-dinger of a game that saw him score one penalty and miss two spot-kicks.[LNB]Bent was left hurting after he was publicly ridiculed by Redknapp last season, when the Tottenham Hotspur boss lamented that 'my missus could have scored' after the forward missed a sitter, but he hit back today to have the last laugh on his old manager.[LNB]Sunderland 2 Blackburn Rovers 1: match reportBent, who left Spurs for Sunderland in a club-record £16 million move last summer, after being deemed surplus to requirements by Redknapp, struck an early opener and a penalty before having spot-kicks saved by Heurelho Gomes, before Peter Crouch hit back for Spurs only to see Bolo Zenden seal a famous victory for resurgent Sunderland late on.[LNB]It loosened Tottenham's grip on fourth place and secured Sunderland's Premier League place.[LNB]Just 36 seconds were on the clock when Bent put Sunderland ahead, to leave Redknapp looking stunned in the dug-out, with the fastest Premier League goal this season, seven seconds faster than team-mate Fraizer Campbell's strike in a 4-0 win over Bolton.[LNB]The stadium announcer had barely finished uttering his final greetings when Kieran Richardson curled over a corner to Campbell, whose header was only parried by Gomes into the path of Bent who knocked the bouncing ball beyond the Brazilian.[LNB]Bent took great glee in taunting the Tottenham fans amassed behind the goal and would have no doubt carried on to the away dug-out where Redknapp sat stony-faced as the Stadium of Light reverberated with his former charge's name.[LNB]A smile could have returned to Redknapp's face soon after, because he should have been celebrating an equaliser, but Roman Pavlyuchenko fluffed a half-chance in the 14th minute when his control let him down in the 14th minute with just Craig Gordon to beat.[LNB]With the likes of Michael Dawson, Vedran Corluka and Ledley King sidelined, Tottenham looked weak in defence and their shortcoming were exposed again as Sunderland smelt blood and doubled their lead.[LNB]This time the Tottenham back-four were at sixes and sevens following Jordan Henderson's purposeful run, and when the former Spurs midfielder let fly from 25 yards, Gomes parried and the ball struck Kyle Walker's hand, despite his best attempts to avoid contact.[LNB]Referee Lee Mason had no hesitation in awarding a penalty, and Bent had no hesitation in sweeping a low spot-kick to Gomes' right that beat his dive in the 29th minute, for his 23rd goal this term.[LNB]Spurs finally raised their game and Eidur Gudjohnsen almost reduced the arrears, but his close-range effort was somehow repelled by Craig Gordon following David Bentley's cross.[LNB]Things went from bad to worse for Spurs when Mason incorrectly awarded a penalty when Campbell, who spent last season on loan at White Hart Lane, saw Luka Modric coming and promptly dived into the Croatian's outstretched leg.[LNB]Justice was served, though, when Bent changed his modus operandi and went to Gomes' left, but this time his chest-high effort was pushed away to keep Sunderland just about within sight.[LNB]Redknapp sent on Jermain Defoe and Niko Kranjcar in place of Bentley and Assou-Ekotto at half-time in order to revitalise his team.[LNB]The move worked, but not quite as much as Redknapp would have liked, as Defoe burst through only to have a shot stopped by Gordon before the Scot tipped over Gareth Bale's header following Niko Kranjcar's corner.[LNB]Bent let Tottenham off the hook again in the 64th minute, following the third spot-kick of the afternoon, when Gomes won their battle of nerves as he guessed correctly and pushed his former team-mate's effort on to the post before gathering the rebound.[LNB]The game took a bizarre twist two minutes later, when Anton Ferdinand prematurely celebrated his first goal in Sunderland colours, when he side-footed the ball home only to have his effort disallowed after Campbell impeded Gomes following Malbranque's cross.[LNB]Redknapp sent on Crouch in place of Pavlyuchenko in the 71st minute and he scored within a minute of entering the fray when he rose above Michael Turner to nod in Gareth Bale's cross.[LNB]Bent was taken off in the 78th minute, following his own emotional roller-coaster, but that did not spell an end to the drama as Campbell teed up substitute Kenwyne Jones, only for the striker to air-kick before Bolo Zenden saw his shot cleared off the line by Sebastien Bassong.[LNB]Zenden finally put the contest beyond Spurs in the 86th minute in brilliant fashion when he acrobatically volleyed Henderson's far-post cross in the 89th minute.[LNB]
