Hoddle has high praise for Keane

Tottenham 3 West Ham 2

Keane, signed from Leeds United, produced the moment of the match when he juggled the ball past West Ham defender Ian Pearce to earn the penalty from which Teddy Sheringham scored Spurs's second goal.

“We’ve got some good strikers at the club but he brings creativity and an elusiveness which you don't get in every player," Hoddle said after his side went second in the Premiership.

“He has the ability to get on the back of a defender and get round him which is how he got the penalty. That was a beautiful piece of skill, the sort of thing you see in South America or the continent and you have to admire it.”

It was another youngster, teenager Anthony Gardner, who spared Tottenham’s blushes two minutes from time with his first goal for the club to give them a dramatic derby win.

It rounded off a remarkable final half-hour which brought five goals and a red card for Ian Pearce.

The home side twice allowed West Ham to equalise until Gardner’s late intervention clinched victory. West Ham had only themselves to blame as Gardner was allowed to burst forward unchallenged and unleash a low drive which hit visiting defender Gary Breen on the leg and flew past David James.

The drama was a fitting finale to an exciting second half which sprang into life in the 62nd minute.

Matt Etherington got the better of Trevor Sinclair down the left and curled in a low cross for Welsh international Simon Davies to slide in ahead of Christian Dailly for his second goal of the season. In the 66th minute Paolo Di Canio’s corner was headed back to him by Gary Doherty. The cross was nodded down by Dailly and as Kasey Keller hesitated Frederic Kanoute rammed it home.

Then came Keane’s magic as he showed great skill to get past Ian Pearce in the box and was about to side-foot the ball past James when the defender took his legs from behind.

Referee Uriah Rennie awarded the spot-kick and showed Pearce the red card. It was left to Sheringham to show a cool head for the second home game running as he swept home a great penalty to restore Spurs’ advantage.

However, they were caught by a second equaliser after 76 minutes. Di Canio showed magical vision with a quick free-kick into the path of Sinclair inside the right edge of the box and the England winger diverted the ball past Keller.

TOTTENHAM: Keller, Taricco (Thatcher 45), Ziege, Gardner, Perry (Doherty 32), Davies, Redknapp, Bunjevcevic, Etherington (Iversen 85), Sheringham, Keane.

WEST HAM: James, Repka (Winterburn 10), Dailly, Breen, Pearce, Lomas, Sinclair, Cisse, Cole, Di Canio (Carrick 79), Kanoute (Defoe 85).

Referee: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).