The Hindu : Sport / Football : Keane guides Tottenham to victory

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006

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Sport - Football

Keane guides Tottenham to victory

LONDON: Robbie Keane converted a penalty with two minutes remaining to rally Tottenham past relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion 2-1 on Monday.

It was the Irish striker's second goal of the game and came after Albion's Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak lost control of the ball just outside his penalty area and brought down Jermain Defoe, who was racing toward the goal.

Keane struck home the penalty for his 13th goal of the season and Tottenham strengthened its hold on fourth place, while West Brom remained just above the relegation zone. Spurs have 55 points, three more than Blackburn and five more than sixth-placed Arsenal.

West Brom remains three points ahead of Birmingham and Portsmouth in the struggle to avoid relegation, but has played one more game.

The visitor, which beat Tottenham 2-0 at home in December, went ahead through a well-worked freekick in the 21st minute.

Michael Carrick was harshly judged to have felled Nathan Ellington on the left and, when Jonathan Greening swung in a well-judged free kick, Curtis Davies won the ball in the air to glance a header inside the far post.

Tottenham created few chances in the opening 40 minutes, but Kuszczak had to thwart Spurs twice just before halftime.

Keane stepped over a through ball from Edgar Davids that went to Defoe, who controlled the ball and fired a rising, right-footed shot, which Kuszczak had to push around the post with a diving save.

The result: English Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur bt West Bromwich Albion 2-1.

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