Gyan ensures sloppy Spurs pay for their wastefulness

Their debut season in the Champions League has been mightily impressive but if Tottenham Hotspur are to have anything more than a passing acquaintance with the Champions League, they will have to stop defending like this.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claimed, with some justification, that referee Howard Webb cost his side two points, with a terrible decision when he failed to give a penalty after David Bentley had clearly been fouled by Bolo Zenden early in the second half. He could also have pointed out that Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon had one of those outstanding games that goalkeepers can have.

But the blame must really lie at the door of Tottenham's centre halves Younes Kaboul and William Gallas, who were guilty of atrocious defending in allowing Sunderland to equalise just two minutes after Tottenham's dominance had been rewarded.

Rafael van der Vaart had put Spurs ahead with his seventh goal of the season, a close-range finish after a cross by Gareth Bale had been headed back across goal by Peter Crouch. Sunderland claimed the Dutchman had used his arm to control the ball. But as the home crowd celebrated what they thought would be the game's turning point, after an hour of almost total Spurs domination, they saw their defence gift Sunderland an equaliser.

Danny Welbeck ran at the defence but both Gallas and Kaboul failed to prevent an innocuous ball going straight through them to Asamoah Gyan, and Sunderland's record signing rolled the ball into the far corner.

A few boos rang round White Hart Lane at the final whistle, a situation that clearly angered Redknapp who, heavy with sarcasm, said: "They have had it so good here. When you win league championships every year, it's hard when you don't win."

Redknapp's frustration with the crowd was justified, for only seven days earlier he had masterminded one of the greatest victories in the club's history, their 3-1 demolition of European champions Internazionale.

However his condemnation of Webb for failing to give his team a penalty for Zenden's foul on Bentley, only masked his own side's shortcomings. Webb not only waved away the home side's claims for a penalty but rubbed salt into the wound by booking Bentley for diving.

Redknapp on the touchline was furious, and TV replays showed the manager was right. Redknapp said: "It was a blatant penalty. I don't know how he can book him for diving. If we'd have got the penalty it would have made a big difference." Redknapp was also appalled that Webb failed to dismiss Lee Cattermole for an over-the-top challenge on Luka Modric. "He could have broken Luka's leg easily. It should have been a red card."

This was a game that Tottenham should have won, and their failure to convert the many chances they created was not the fault of Webb. They are simply being too careless at both ends of the pitch. Spurs have managed only 14 goals from their 12 Premier League games and have not kept a clean sheet since the season's opening day.

Tottenham were unlucky to run into an inspired Gordon, back on the ground where he broke his arm last November. They were also unfortunate that Tom Huddlestone only hit the bar with a 30-yard howitzer.

Sunderland could have been given a penalty at the end, when Heurelho Gomes tripped Steed Malbranque but Webb ruled the challenge had occurred outside the penalty area.

Manager Steve Bruce said: "Our centre halves and goalkeeper were terrific and they needed to be because we were under the cosh."

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-1-1): Gomes; Hutton, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Bentley, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale; van der Vaart; Pavlyuchenko (Crouch, h-t). Substitutes not used Cudicini (gk), Corluka, Bassong, Palacios, Jenas, Kranjcar.

Sunderland (4-4-1-1): Gordon; Onuoha, Turner, Bramble, Ferdinand (Bardsley, 18); Henderson, Cattermole, Riveros (Welbeck, h-t), Zenden; Richardson (Malbranque, 86); Gyan. Substitutes not used Mignolet (gk), Angeleri, da Silva, Elmohamady.

Referee H Webb (S Yorkshire)

Attendance 35,843

Man of the Match Gordon

Match Rating 6/10