Bent claims winner as Spurs secure first-leg lead
Darren Bent netted the winner for Tottenham
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Thursday, 18, Sep 2008 10:26
Tottenham Hotspur grabbed a much-needed win as they beat Wisla Krakow in the first leg of the first round of the Uefa Cup at White Hart Lane.
David Bentley and Darren Bent grabbed the goals for Tottenham, as they secured a slender lead heading into the second leg.
After a disappointing league start, Tottenham coach Juande Ramos would have hoped for a confidence-building win.
But his side were slow off the mark and created very little for much of the first half.
They only lifted their game towards the end of the first half as their fans became restless.
Chris Gunter played in a through ball for Bent who found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and while the striker would have expected to score his effort was stopped by the onrushing Mariusz Pawelek.
However, with the half petering out Spurs suddenly sprang to life as the fleet-footed duo of Giovani Dos Santos and Aaron Lennon, who found himself playing on the left wing, combined to create a goal for Bentley.
Dos Santos broke from the halfway line before releasing Lennon, whose low cross was expertly finished by Bentley with his left-foot.
Just when it looked as if Tottenham's season was about to get back on track, however, some sloppy defending allowed the visitors to snatch an equaliser and an all-important away goal.
Didier Zokora and Gareth Bale conspired to allow two Krakow players time and space behind the back four, working an opening for Tomas Jirsak, who ran through to clip a delicate finish over the diving Heurelho Gomes.
And Spurs were somewhat lucky to go in 1-1 at half time as Gomes was forced to make a fine diving save from Mauro Cantoro soon after.
Ramos put on new signing Fraizer Campbell in the second half to give Bent a strike partner and the duo combined to score the winner for Spurs.
Campbell, whose tireless running seemed to galvanise Spurs, worked space for himself on the right side of the box before delivering a pin-point ball into the box which Bent headed home after muscling off the defender.
Spurs held on for the win, although both sides had their chances as the north Londoners still looking short of their best form.