Tottenham assistant manager Joe Jordan admits his team put recuperating boss Harry Redknapp through a unnecessarily stressful finale to his side's 3-1 win at Fulham.
Redknapp missed Sunday's Premier League clash at Craven Cottage as he recovers from heart surgery which is expected to keep him away from football for up to five weeks.
But the 64-year-old was watching the match on television at home and Jordan conceded his recovery would hardly have been helped by the frantic nature of Tottenham's seventh win in eight league matches.
Fifth placed Spurs looked in cruise control after first half goals from Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, but a Younes Kaboul own goal early in the second half set up a grandstand finish.
Only a series of fine saves from Brad Friedel and a rejected penalty claim kept Tottenham in front before Jermain Defoe got the killer third goal in stoppage time.
"We didn't expect to get a third goal the way the game went in the second half. It was just a case of hanging in there," Jordan said.
"In the first half we played well and deserved to be in front, but the second half was entirely different. We showed spirit and had to be resilient.
"Never mind the goalmouth scramble, that last half hour will have been a good test for Harry.
"If he passes that, which I'm sure he will, he may be back a little bit earlier.
"He's got another two weeks during the international break to recover."
The defeat was frustrating for Fulham boss Martin Jol, who had hoped to beat his former club in his first meeting with them since his acrimonious departure fom White Hart Lane in 2007.
It was even worse for Jol as Spurs right-back Kyle Walker clearly handled the ball on the floor during a chaotic goalmouth scramble in stoppage time.
Referee Peter Walton failed to award the spot-kick and Jol insisted it was the wrong decision.
"I felt we were a bit hard done by in the penalty situation. It was a penalty," Jol said.
"We deserved at least a point. I won't say we played them off the park because they're too good a team, but we played well and put them under pressure.
"Everyone played their part. Today Tottenham had seven or eight attempts at goal and scored three goals. We had 28 attempts on goal but scored once.
"Tottenham were very efficient but in the second half they had two attempts on goal."
The defeat has left Fulham just one point above the relegation zone, but Jol is unconcerned by their position.
"We should have beaten Blackburn and Everton and deserved a point today. We're in a false position," he said.
Right-back Zdenek Grygera was carried from the pitch with an injury to his right leg that Jol described as "serious", but striker Andy Johnson should only be out for a week with his ankle problem.
Source: AFP
