Tottenham gave recuperating manager Harry Redknapp the perfect tonic after his heart surgery with a 3-1 win against Fulham at Craven Cottage yesterday.
Redknapp, 64, was absent from the dug-out at Craven Cottage but his spirits would have been lifted by Tottenham’s victory, which moved the north London club into fifth place in the Premier League, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea and with a game in hand.
Gareth Bale put Tottenham ahead in the 10th minute when Aaron Lennon’s cross reached the Welsh winger, who scored with a shot that deflected in off Chris Baird.
The second goal came in first-half stoppage time when Lennon’s surging run tormented Baird and ended with a fierce shot that flashed past Mark Schwarzer.
Fulham got one back in the 57th minute when Tottenham defender Ledley King headed Danny Murphy’s corner against team-mate Younes Kaboul’s back and the ball cannoned into the net for an own goal.
But Spurs survived several late scares and Jermain Defoe’s 90th minute goal clinched their seventh win in eight league games.
The defeat left Fulham one point above the bottom three and was especially disappointing for boss Martin Jol, who had been hoping for a win over his former club.
Elsewhere, Wolves boosted their bid to avoid relegation with a crucial 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Wigan at Molineux.
Mick McCarthy’s team started the day just three points ahead of bottom of the table Wigan, but goals from Jamie O’Hara, David Edwards and Stephen Ward secured their third league win of the season.
While Wolves are looking up, Wigan, who had briefly been level thanks to Ben Watson’s equaliser, face a long battle to stay in the top flight after their eighth defeat in 11 league games.
Bolton avenged last season’s traumatic FA Cup semi-final defeat with a 5-0 demolition of Stoke at the Reebok Stadium yesterday.
Owen Coyle’s side remain in the bottom three despite this victory but they are now only a single point from safety after two goals each from Chris Eagles and Ivan Klasnic and one from Kevin Davies secured their first home points of the season.
Summaries
Bolton 5
Davies 2; Eagles 24, 73; Klasnic 61, 82;
Stoke City 0
HT: 2-0. Att: 20,028.
Fulham 1
Kaboul 57 og;
Tottenham 3
Bale 10; Lennon 45; Defoe 90;
HT: 0-2. Att: 25,698.
Wolves 3
O’Hara 31; Edwards 55; Ward 66;
Wigan 1
Watson 42;
HT: 1-1. Att: 20,353.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Man. City | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 10 | 31 |
| Man. Utd | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 12 | 26 |
| Newcastle | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 25 |
| Chelsea | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 15 | 22 |
| Tottenham | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 15 | 22 |
| Liverpool | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 19 |
| Arsenal | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 21 | 19 |
| Aston Villa | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| Norwich | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 18 | 13 |
| Swansea City | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 13 |
| QPR | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 12 |
| Stoke City | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 12 |
| Wolves | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 11 |
| West Brom | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 11 |
| Sunderland | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 10 |
| Fulham | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 10 |
| Everton | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 10 |
| Bolton | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 27 | 9 |
| Blackburn | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 24 | 6 |
| Wigan Athletic | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 5 |
The Championship
Brighton 2 - Barnsley 0
Leicester 0 - Leeds 1
Reading 1 - Birmingham 0