Triple salvo from big guns save Spurs from Shamrock shocker
TOTTENHAM 3 vs SHAMROCK ROVERS 1
`TOTTENHAM striker Jermain Defoe insisted justice had been done after they survived a huge scare at home to Irish part-timers Shamrock Rovers.
Spurs looked set to suffer a humiliating Europa League defeat when Stephen Rice diverted a long-range shot to give the visitors a shock lead.
But the Premier League side crushed Rovers’ dreams with three goals in the space of five minutes from Roman Pavlyuchenko, Defoe and Giovani dos Santos.
Defoe said: “We were the better side throughout the game. They had one chance and they scored but you have to stay positive. Once Pav [Pavlyuchenko] scored we were in full control.”
Despite wholesale changes there was no shortage of pedigree in a Spurs attack that included seasoned internationals Pavlyuchenko, Defoe and Aaron Lennon.
Tottenham dominated from the start, visiting goalkeeper Richard Brush tipping a Defoe shot onto the bar and midfielder Danny Rose also hitting the frame. Pavlyuchenko’s header was cleared off the line and Brush thwarted attempts by the Russian and Dos Santos, but Spurs could not score. So White Hart Lane was stunned on 50 minutes when Gary McCabe shot from long range and Rice flicked it home.
Staring down the barrel of one of Europe’s biggest recent upsets, they rediscovered their scoring touch, Pavlyuchenko equalising within 10 minutes from a Dos Santos cross.
Moments later Defoe put them ahead from Andros Townsend’s delivery and Dos Santos quickly applied gloss to the scoreline.