Spurs progress with win over Bayer
Dimitar Berbatov enjoyed a winning return to the BayArena
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Thursday, 23, Nov 2006 09:44
Tottenham Hotspur guaranteed their place in the next round of the Uefa Cup as a polished display delivered a 2-1 win away to Bayer Leverkusen.
Dimitar Berbatov was instrumental in the victory, scoring the solitary goal and crafting a series of chances as he returned to haunt his old club.
The 25-year-old targetman should have had the visitors ahead when he met a pinpoint Robbie Keane delivery just six yards out but his header flew just wide of the post in the best chance of the opening stages.
However the struggling Bundesliga side were not to be spared long and fell behind ten minutes from the break when Aaron Lennon's low cross was swept home by the Bulgarian forward.
Just moments before Lennon had seen the Bayer 'keeper Jorg Butt smother his own close-range effort, but the 32-year-old stopper had no chance of getting down to stop his former team-mate's shot.
Midfielder Paul Freier was introduced at half-time as the hosts attempted to gain a foothold in a game that seemed to have passed them by for much of the first period.
The replacement was soon having the desired effect as he rattled in a shot from the edge of the area which warmed the palms of Paul Robinson.
German international Carsten Ramelow was making demands under a minute later, but his tame header found only the goalkeeper's gloves with space either side of the former Leeds stopper.
Having failed to find a leveller during a promising period just after the break, the Germans seemed to lose belief in their ability to find an equaliser and became increasingly restricted to long-range efforts.
But while a win looked increasingly likely for the north London outfit it was never quite secure and Spurs were fortunate to retain their lead when Bernd Schneider thumped a post late on.