Keane penalty sends Spurs up to sixth

Tottenham 1 Reading 0

A controversial first-half penalty earned Tottenham a hard-fought victory over Reading and moved them up to sixth place in the Premiership.

Reading defender Greg Halford was harshly adjudged to have handled inside the penalty area six minutes before the interval and Robbie Keane scored the decider from the subsequent spot-kick.

The win was a boost for Martin Jol’s side, who face Sevilla in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final on Thursday.

Spurs dominated the game and but for the first-half heroics of goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann would have won by a much bigger margin.

Tottenham were unlucky not to take a second minute lead when they carved Reading’s defence open with a slick four-man move.

Pascal Chimbonda’s long ball was nodded down to Aaron Lennon by Dimitar Berbatov and when the England winger laid the ball into the path of Steed Malbranque, the French midfielder’s shot cannoned off the outside of the post.

Seconds later Keane was denied a certain goal by the brilliance of Hahnemann.

Bulgaria striker Berbatov was again the architect of the chance when he chested the ball into the Irishman’s path.

However, Keane’s volley was superbly saved by Hahnemann at point-blank range.

In the 11th minute it was the turn of Berbatov to be denied by the Reading goalkeeper when he pushed away the striker’s effort.

But the visitors hit back moments later when Leroy Lita’s firm header struck Paul Robinson’s left-hand post.

Keane wasted another chance to put the home side in front in the 19th minute when Malbranque had again put him in the clear.

This time Keane tried to chip the ball over the Reading goalkeeper but his execution left a lot to be desired and Hahnemann comfortably dealt with it.

Moments later Tottenham defender Ricardo Rocha collected the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Lita.

The subsequent free-kick almost brought Reading an opening goal but Dave Kitson’s powerful shot was superbly saved by Robinson.

Tottenham’s approach play was often far too intricate and Reading continued to deal with the best the home side could muster.

Time and again Jol’s side wanted to make one pass too many and their attempts to find a way through the Reading rearguard were thwarted by their own over-elaborate ambitions.

Spurs finally took the lead in controversial circumstances in the 39th minute.

Halford was adjudged to have handled the ball just inside the penalty area – a decision disputed at length by his team-mates.

But Alan Wiley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Keane despatched the penalty easily to put the home side in front.

Spurs almost made it two just before the break when Berbatov drove a free-kick over the defensive wall and towards the top corner but once again Hahnemann was equal to the task as he flung himself to his right.

The American’s exploits in the opening half had obviously left him with an injury as he failed to appear for the second period and was replaced by Adam Federici.

Tottenham continued to be the dominant force and Aaron Lennon deserved better following a 60-yard run in the 51st minute.

The England winger appeared to have run out of ideas when he reached the edge of the Reading penalty area but his low drive flashed wide of the far post with Berbatov unable to provide the required touch.

In the 64th minute, Berbatov wasted a glorious chance to increase Tottenham’s lead when Lennon put him in a clear scoring position with a clever pass.

The Bulgaria striker, one of the successes for Spurs this season, fired wide of the target to the dismay of the home fans.

In the 68th minute, Spurs wasted a further chance when Malbranque sent a rising drive just wide of Federici’s right-hand upright.

Federici demonstrated his own agility with a fabulous save to deny Berbatov in the 76th minute as Tottenham failed to take their chances.

The England striker Jermain Defoe, on as a replacement for Keane, then wasted two glorious opportunities in the final 10 minutes as Jol’s side were made to hang on for all three points.