Jermain Defoe gave Tottenham a 1-0 home win over Birmingham City.
Tottenham Hotspur continued their fine start to the new Premiership season with a 1-0 home success over Birmingham City.Jermain Defoe's deflected first half strike gave Jacques Santini's side a deserved victory at White Hart Lane, as Blues failed to convert numerous goalscoring chances.
On an overcast day in North London, both sides looked evenly matched during the first half hour of play.
There was plenty of intent going forward, but the lack of a quality final ball cancelled out numerous promising chances, with supporters having very little to get excited about in the early stages.
Tottenham summer signing Pedro Mendes tried his best to make an impact with a long-range shot that failed to catch out Blues goalkeeper Maik Taylor following a poor Birmingham clearance.
Robbie Keane then had an effort on Taylor's goal, but his right foot effort from the edge of Birmingham's box rolled wide of goal.
In fact, the first 30 minutes proved not to be the best advertisement for Premiership football, but it was not long after when the first real chance of the match fell to the visitors.
A ball from the left into Spurs' box found the head of Jesper Gronkjaer and the Dane's knock down found Mikael Forssell, whose close range strike forced a timely block from Tottenham's defenders for a corner.
The chance enlivened the White Hart Lane crowd and with the sun making its first appearance over the ground, a piece of magic from Defoe broke the deadlock ten minutes before the break.
Noe Pamarot's pass to the England striker in Birmingham's half saw the pacey hit-man have a run at his opponents.
The former West Ham United marksman then took the ball on to his right foot before reaching the edge of the box and striking a low shot that deflected off a challenging Matthew Upson and past a diving Taylor into the bottom right hand corner to give Spurs the lead.
The goal brought Tottenham supporters and Defoe to life, and with England coach Sven Goran Eriksson looking on, the young striker caused further problems to Birmingham's back-line on the edge of their box moments after.
Defoe then went down under a seemingly late challenge, but referee Mark Clattenburg adjudged the striker to have dived and promptly gave him a yellow card.
The Spurs hit-man then tested Taylor with a strike straight at the keeper, as the hosts took a one-goal lead into the break.
There was a nasty moment after half time when Birmingham's Damien Johnson challenged Tottenham's Michael Brown with a raised elbow, though punishment was not forthcoming from referee Clattenburg.
Spurs kept up their pressure after the break and it was Keane who rightly had a penalty appeal waved away after falling over Birmingham midfielder Stephen Clemence in the box, as the Irishman tried to control Ledley King's lobbed pass.
The early second half surge from Spurs quickly faded and Steve Bruce's side started to show more promise in attack, but poor finishing from Forssell and strike partner Emile Heskey let the Midlands club down.
The Finland international blasted an effort over Paul Robinson's bar before Heskey missed two quality chances to level the score.
The former Liverpool hit-man had a near post header from a corner on the left cleared by Brown on Spurs' goal-line before Julian Gray was presented with a chance from Gronkjaer's cross on the right, but his side-foot volley was high and wide of goal.
Heskey then had his second effort on the edge of the box fly well over the bar, as it looked unlikely that Blues would find the back of the net on the day.
Brown then went looking for a second goal for Spurs and created a decent chance with a fine cross from the right that Johnnie Jackson reached at Birmingham's far post, but was unable to convert goalwards.
Then a moment of controversy in the dying stages denied Birmingham a penalty chance, as referee Clattenburg adjudged Heskey to have dived under the challenge of keeper Robinson in Spurs' box after being put clean through.
Heskey's awful day in front of goal was summed up in injury time when he headed a free kick from the right over the bar from a couple of yards out.
In the end, Spurs earned a deserved second win of the season and first at White Hart Lane this term while Birmingham rued their lack of finish in front of goal.
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| Team Name | Tottenham Hotspur | Birmingham City |
| Goals | 1 | 0 |
| Shots on target ( Inc Goals ) | 3 | 0 |
| Shots off Target (inc woodwork) | 3 | 7 |
| Blocked Shots | 0 | 3 |
| Corners Won | 2 | 8 |
| Total Fouls Conceded | 15 | 5 |
| Offsides | 3 | 7 |
| Yellow Cards | 4 | 1 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
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