Just in time

Gardner beats the whistle to help Spurs past West Ham

LONDON (Reuters) -- Anthony Gardner was the unlikely hero as Tottenham Hotspur moved into second in the English premier league with a seesaw 3-2 victory over bottom club West Ham United on Sunday.

The leggy defender drove in a deflected winner, his first goal for Spurs, with a minute left at White Hart Lane to snatch victory against a 10-man West Ham side that had recovered from 1-0 and 2-1 down to equalize.

In Sunday's other game, 10-man Manchester City fought back from two goals down with 10 minutes left to draw 2-2 with Blackburn Rovers in a thrilling encounter at Maine Road.

Spurs' win gave it 13 points from six games, one less than Arsenal, which beat Charlton Athletic 3-0 on Saturday.

Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle was relieved after his side, which threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at Fulham on Wednesday, eventually secured a victory.

"We made hard work of it," Hoddle told Sky Sports television. "We had to churn out the victory. This time we held out but we've got to do some work on trying to close games out."

Striker Robbie Keane made his debut for Spurs but he, like the rest of his team, had a first half to forget.

The game exploded into life after Spurs' Simon Davies calmly swept home a fine Matthew Etherington cross after 62 minutes.

Frederic Kanoute leveled for West Ham four minutes later and then Keane fooled Pearce with some lovely skill to win a penalty. Defender Ian Pearce was sent off, and Teddy Sheringham whacked in the spot kick to make it 2-1 with 19 minutes left.

West Ham bravely equalized again when Trevor Sinclair diverted in Paolo Di Canio's free kick with Spurs' defense asleep but the 20-year-old Gardner saved the home side's blushes when he hammered a deflected shot into the net from 20 meters.

There was similar drama at Maine Road.

Blackburn led 2-0 through David Thompson and Andy Cole before City's Danny Tiatto was sent off for a dangerous tackle.

The home side looked to be finished but goals by Nicolas Anelka (80th minute) and substitute Shaun Goater in the dying seconds salvaged an unlikely point.

Manager Kevin Keegan said Tiatto's sending-off, for an ugly two-footed challenge on Thompson five minutes after he came on as a substitute, had paradoxically helped his team.

"That incident changed the game. The players responded. We came back from the dead really," Keegan said.

But the City boss said he had told Australian Tiatto that his tackle was "unacceptable," adding: "We should fine him as much as we can. He didn't help us at all."

Blackburn Rovers manager Graeme Souness was left fuming and pinned the blame for two City goals on his striker Dwight Yorke and midfielder Tugay Kerimoglu.

"I am extremely disappointed and frustrated as three points have escaped us. I am so cheesed off I can't tell you," Souness said.

"Dwight not running back for the free kick [that led to City's first goal], I blame him for that. For the second, Tugay's been one-twoed [beaten] for the second time in the space of two or three minutes."

 

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