ALAN Hutton will undergo a scan today after a recurrence of a foot injury kept the Scotland right back out of Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 win over ten-man Blackburn Rovers at White Hart Lane – a victory that moved the London side out of the relegation zone for the first time since Harry Redknapp took over.
Hutton, who played the full 90 minutes of Scotland's 1-0 defeat to Argentina at Hampden on Wednesday, was forced out of the squad and will be assessed further by Spurs' medical staff.
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Watch highlights from the weekend's Premier League fixturesHis international team-mate Craig Gordon was again absent from Sunderland's squad as he recovers from an ankle injury, and watched from the Sky Sports studio at the Stadium of Light as his side lost 1-0 at home to West Ham United in yesterday's other Barclays Premier League fixture. Valon Behrami got the decisive goal in the 20th minute.
Roman Pavlyuchenko scored the only goal of the game at White Hart Lane in the ninth minute, before Rovers' Martin Olsson was sent off in the 39th minute for scything down goal provider and man of the match Aaron Lennon. Hutton's fellow Scot Joe Jordan, the Tottenham assistant having followed Redknapp from Portsmouth, was at the centre of a bust-up with Blackburn manager Paul Ince, who accused Jordan of trying to get more players dismissed.
"Joe Jordan was talking to the referee about Andre Ooijer and Lennon, (saying) he kicked him two or three times," Ince said. "We've already got a man sent off and he's trying to get another sent off."
It was a wretched day for Olsson, who was guilty of an error in the build-up to Pavlyuchenko's sixth goal of the season.
Ince did not even make eye contact as Olsson made for the tunnel after a second bookable foul on Lennon.
The visitors were left a man short and have now gone eight league games without a win. It was Lennon who set up Pavlyuchenko's strike, and he showed the sort of form that took him to the World Cup for England in 2006. Redknapp has brought the best out of Darren Bent since his appointment as manager last month – and now it appears he has had the same affect on Lennon.
The result meant a day of mixed emotions for goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who was given a warm reception by Spurs fans after leaving for Blackburn in the summer.
Redknapp has inspired a turnaround in Spurs' season but there are still creases to be ironed out, starting with Robinson's summer replacement Heurelho Gomes.
Gomes has been guilty of a series of errors since arriving from PSV Eindhoven – and he looked jittery again when he fumbled a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner in the early stages, with Vedran Corluka hacking clear to save his blushes.
Contrasted to Gomes, Spurs' strikers are full of confidence, although Pavlyuchenko was given a helping hand for his opener after Olsson lost the ball to Lennon. Olsson failed to catch the Spurs winger and the ball was squared to Pavlyuchenko to side-foot into the net, the striker leaving Robinson with no chance.
Pavlyuchenko could have doubled the lead eight minutes later when his header hit the post from David Bentley's free-kick, then Ryan Nelsen cleared off the line when Ledley King steered the rebound on target.
Gomes rushing out of his goal almost offered Rovers a way back in the game – Brett Emerton lobbed the ball over the Brazilian but Jonathan Woodgate beat Benni McCarthy to the loose ball and headed clear.
McCarthy also stabbed over from a promising position when Spurs defenders expected an offside flag as the visitors tried to fight their way back.
They looked to be making progress, with Christopher Samba almost on the end of an Emerton free-kick – but their efforts were undermined by Olsson receiving two yellow cards in 12 minutes.
While Blackburn continue to falter, West Ham battled to their first Premier League victory in eight attempts – and a maiden win for manager Gianfranco Zola – thanks to Behrami's goal, while Sunderland suffered a third successive home defeat. The Switzerland international fired his side ahead with 20 minutes gone and could have made what followed far more comfortable had he not shot against the crossbar from just six yards out on the stroke of half-time.
But in the end, his contribution proved enough to win a game which the home side dominated for long periods, but failed to make the most of the chances they created.
The Sunderland manager, Roy Keane, has admitted in the past that the relative lack of goals his side scores often makes life difficult for them, and that shortcoming was painfully evident once again. Djibril Cisse in particular had a series of chances, but the Wearsiders did not work goalkeeper Robert Green anywhere near often enough and ultimately paid the price.
The full article contains 837 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
