Djibril Cisse scored the winning goal as Sunderland defeated Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane.
Frenchman nets on debut as Tottenham's poor start continues
Djibril Cisse stepped off the substitutes' bench to score the winning goal as Sunderland defeated Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane.
Dimitar Berbatov was left out of Juande Ramos' starting line-up for a 'lack of focus' and the Spurs players who did take the pitch looked strangely subdued in a tight first half.
Steed Malbranque came close to breaking the deadlock when he struck the post from distance, but Sunderland did not have to wait long as Kieran Richardson fired home a ferocious effort from outside the area on 55 minutes.
Spurs responded well and equalised through Luka Modric in the 73rd minute, before laying siege to the Sunderland goal in pursuit of a winner.
However, there was late drama as the Black Cats broke away and Cisse headed home Daryl Murphy's cross to mark his first appearance for the club in perfect fashion.
Lack of spark
Middlesbrough were the beneficiaries of Berbatov's absence last week - he was a substitute at the Riverside - and Spurs missed his spark against the Black Cats.
Darren Bent was prolific in pre-season but has struggled in his first two matches of the season and he barely had sight of goal in a dull first half.
David Bentley, playing as one of the attacking midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 formation, had the first effort at goal but his 25-yard drive went well wide.
El-Hadji Diouf tried his luck from a similar distance for Sunderland but Jonathan Woodgate headed the shot away for a corner. At the other end, Woodgate got his head on a Bentley corner but could not direct his header on target.
Attempting to make something happen, Gareth Bale earned a booking in the 26th minute for a dive as he tried to convince Mike Dean into awarding a penalty when Danny Collins challenged him in the area.
Roy Keane had Andy Reid and Steed Malbranque, both former Spurs players, in Sunderland's starting XI and both received warm receptions from the home fans.
Opening
It was Malbranque who came closest to opening the scoring in the first 45 minutes. The Frenchman struck the foot of the post six minutes before the interval with a low drive from long distance, with Woodgate clearing the rebound.
Bale had a clear opening three minutes after the restart when he met Bentley's corner but his header went over Craig Gordon's crossbar.
Danny Collins also went close with his head for Sunderland when Reid found him with a free-kick.
Heurelho Gomes was then forced into a save when Daryl Murphy met Diouf's far-post cross with a volley.
The visiting fans were not made to wait long for the opener, with Richardson cracking his powerful half-volley perfectly into the side-netting of the goal.
Unleashed
Ledley King had failed to clear and then Richardson won a tussle with Jermaine Jenas 25 yards from goal before unleashing his finish. Spurs fans were still protesting for a handball as Richardson whipped off his shirt and ran towards the Sunderland fans.
Woodgate should have equalised when Gordon could only parry Bentley's free-kick - but the finish from the six-yard box went wide. Gordon also saved when Bent ran through and lashed at the near post.
Bentley had a shot tipped over by Gordon before the equaliser came with 17 minutes remaining. Luka Modric burst into the penalty area and after his shot was saved, Jenas tapped into the empty net.
Then an unmarked Cisse got on the end of Daryl Murphy's cross to score the winner and compound Spurs' problems.
| Tottenham Hotspur |
Team Statistics |
Sunderland |
| 1 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 6 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 8 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 5 |
Blocked Shots |
4 |
| 12 |
Corners |
6 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
15 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
5 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 81.5 |
Passing Success |
72.7 |
| 12 |
Tackles |
22 |
| 66.7 |
Tackles Success |
63.6 |
| 62 |
Possession |
38 |
| 55.7 |
Territorial Advantage |
44.3 |
|
