Late Poyet strike decides White Hart Lane thriller

Tottenham 4 Portsmouth 3

White Hart Lane is no place for the faint hearted these days.

After their dramatic and embarrassing 4-3 defeat against Manchester City in midweek Spurs gave their fans another rollercoaster ride before this time finishing on the right end of another seven-goal thriller.

Jermain Defoe looked to have steadied the ship when he opened the scoring after only 12 minutes of his Tottenham debut, but Eyal Berkovic equalised after 39 minutes.

Robbie Keane is enjoying a hot scoring streak and restored the lead two minutes later, but that was cancelled out by Lomana LuaLua, who came off the bench after 64 minutes for his debut and scored eight minutes later.

Keane regained the lead with a battling goal after 78 minutes – his seventh in five games and 13th of the season – but another substitute, Ivica Mornar came on and grabbed a debut goal after 83 minutes.

We wondered if one team could win 4-3, just as City had in the FA Cup fourth round replay at White Hart Lane when they came from three goals and a man down at half time.

The amazing happened, but this time it was Spurs who breathed a sigh of relief as substitute Gus Poyet grabbed a last-minute winner.

Defoe scored on his debut for Bournemouth when he was such a sensation on loan there, again on his England Under-21 debut, and again when he made his West Ham bow.

The 21-year-old kept up that fine tradition by marking his Tottenham debut with a typical poacher’s goal to signal his arrival following his £7million move from the Hammers.

Keane fed him on the right edge of the Pompey box and he drilled a low right foot drive inside the far corner.

Portsmouth found themselves level thanks to a bizarre goal after 39 minutes. Berkovic fed Aiyegbeni Yakubu down the right and raced into the six-yard box for the return.

Yakubu crossed deep and low and Steve Carr’s attempted clearance hit Berkovic on the head and went over the line.

Their joy was short-lived as Keane showed his class yet again with a stunning goal after 41 minutes.

The Republic of Ireland striker had his back to goal when he turned on the edge of the box and rifled home a left foot volley.

It was a disappointing return to Tottenham for Teddy Sheringham and he was replaced at half time.

The Pompey skipper was one of the most influential players in Tottenham history during two spells at White Hart Lane, scoring 124 goals in 277 appearances.

Spurs – and in particular Dean Richards – were caught napping to allow Pompey back into the game.

The big defender stood watching as Berkovic looped the ball forward, LuaLua nipped in to win possession and he curled the ball around Keller and into the far corner.

But when you need hero call on Keane, has he restored Tottenham’s lead after 78 minutes, with a battling solo run which took him past two defenders before squeezing the ball beyond Hislop.

There were jeers from the Spurs fans as Gus Poyet came on to replace Defoe after 81 minutes, but they did not know what was yet to come.

Tottenham just cannot keep a lead, however, and after 83 minutes LuaLua crossed from the left and Mornar bundled home yet another equaliser. Steve Stone was then introduced in place of Berkovic.

This time it was Tottenham’s turn to win 4-3, however, as after 89 minutes a left wing Davies corner was headed back across goal by Richards and the ball went in off Poyet’s knee.