Jermain Defoe scored five goals as Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Wigan Athletic 9-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Spurs were only 1-0 up at the break, thanks to a goal by Peter Crouch before Defoe ran riot after half-time with Aaron Lennon, an own-goal by Chris Kirkland and Niko Kranjcar’s 90th minute effort adding to the North London club’s tally.
Although Defoe grabbed the headlines for his five goal return, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said Lennon had made a key contribution to the thumping win.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“I thought we started really bright, we had 25 minutes where we really got off after them in the first half before they came back into it,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.
“We came in at half-time and said we had to get back to how we started, pressing them all over the park, and we decided to work them and made the opportunities and took them,” he said.
“Their keeper [Chris Kirkland] made some great saves as well,” Redknapp said.
“Lennon is a fantastic talent, anybody would have had a hard day with him in that sort of form. He deserved that goal at the end,” he said.
Of Defoe, Redknapp said: “For Jermain to get five goals was an outstanding performance.”
“”Yesterday in training he looked so sharp and I felt if he could carry that into the game he would be a real handful,” he said. “You don’t get too many nines in the Premier League, it’s a bad day for Roberto Martinez but he’ll come back even stronger.”
Wigan manager Martinez said: “We finished the first half very strongly and looked like a team who were going to dictate things.”
“But we have ourselves to blame for the goals we conceded and after that you are climbing a mountain,” he said.
Spurs went ahead in the ninth minute when Crouch headed home a cross from Lennon.
Kirkland then had to be alert to deny Lennon and Wilson Palacios.
Defoe led a rout in the second half with a hat-trick in seven minutes.
From Lennon’s cross, he got in front of Titus Bramble to shoot into the roof of the net before he slotted home at the far post from a Palacios center.
Paul Scharner then pulled one back for Wigan although he used his hand to control the ball before shooting past Heurelho Gomes.
Barely a minute later Defoe had his hat-trick when he volleyed in Lennon’s cross.
Lennon himself added a fifth before Defoe grabbed his fourth 21 minutes from time by scoring off the post after latching on to Vedran Corluka’s through ball and had a fifth late on when he shot through Kirkland’s legs.
David Bentley’s free-kick then appeared to hit both the bar and Kirkland before going in and, in the closing seconds, Kranjcar’s shot went in off the woodwork.
Also See: Rovers win away at last, Fuller strikes to keep Pompey bottom
English Premier League
Team | P | GD | PTS | |
1 | Chelsea | 13 | 25 | 33 |
2 | Manchester United | 13 | 14 | 28 |
3 | Arsenal | 12 | 21 | 25 |
4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 13 | 14 | 25 |
5 | Aston Villa | 13 | 8 | 22 |
6 | Manchester City | 12 | 7 | 21 |
7 | Liverpool | 13 | 9 | 20 |
8 | Sunderland | 13 | 2 | 20 |
9 | Stoke City | 13 | -2 | 19 |
10 | Burnley | 13 | -10 | 17 |
11 | Blackburn Rovers | 12 | -9 | 16 |
12 | Fulham | 12 | -1 | 15 |
13 | Birmingham City | 13 | -3 | 15 |
14 | Everton | 12 | -5 | 15 |
15 | Wigan Athletic | 13 | -17 | 14 |
16 | Hull City | 13 | -15 | 12 |
17 | West Ham United | 13 | -4 | 11 |
18 | Bolton Wanderers | 12 | -11 | 11 |
19 | Wolves | 13 | -14 | 10 |
20 | Portsmouth | 13 | -9 | 7 |
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care