Pav fires timely reminder to Redknapp
Pavlyuchenko blasted home an early contender for goal of the season with a powerful strike that flew in off the bar, just 24 hours after Redknapp admitted he would consider selling the striker in the January transfer window.
Tottenham were second best for most of the second half, but they held on to register the win that moved them two points clear at the top of Group A.
Elsewhere Cameron Jerome was controversially sent off as Stoke strolled to a comfortable win over Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Britannia Stadium to consolidate their position at the top of Europa League Group E.
It seemed little could go wrong for the Potters after first-half headers from Kenwyne Jones and Jerome and a finish from Ryan Shotton had put them firmly in the driving seat.
They were then reduced to 10 men as Jerome collected a second yellow card in the 43rd minute having been — somewhat harshly — adjudged to have elbowed Yoav Ziv, but the Maccabi player was shown red in a bizarre incident early in the second half.
Frustrated that no free-kick had been awarded when he was tackled by Shotton by the touchline, Ziv kicked out and managed to fire his boot — which had come loose in the challenge — at the assistant referee. His immediate apology was to no avail and he received a straight red card.
Meanwhile Joe Ledley’s second-half header gave Celtic a deserved Europa League point against Rennes at the Route de Lorient but once again Neil Lennon was left to count the cost of a costly defensive mistake.
On the half-hour mark, with the game evenly-matched, a long punt by home keeper Benoit Costil was making its way harmlessly through to Fraser Forster but there appeared to be no communication between him and Cha Du-ri, who helped it on then watched in horror as the ball slipped past the Hoops keeper and in to the net.
But the Parkhead men mounted a spirited fightback and in the 70th minute Ledley flicked a Mulgrew free-kick over Costil to give the visitors a draw although they still remain bottom of Group I on goal difference.
Moussa Dembele’s red card turned a difficult night for Fulham into a frustrating Europa League defeat in Poland against Wisla Krakow.
Dembele’s harsh-looking sending off for a push on Gervasio Nunez paved the way for the Polish champions to secure their first Group K points, with David Biton striking the all-important goal at Stadion Miejski.
Chris Wood scored a stunning winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time to secure Chris Hughton’s Birmingham a 2-1 win at Club Brugge and move the Blues alongside their hosts at the top of Group H.
The Championship side had trailed to Joseph Akpala’s third-minute opener but David Murphy’s slick finish restored parity in the 26th minute.
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