Tottenham Hotspur vs. Birmingham City

And it would have been cruel in the extreme if Lee Bowyer's second half tap-in had mugged them just when they had appeared to have done all the hard work.

With Spurs raining shots in on Joe Hart's goal all afternoon,Tottenham should have won this wonderfully entertaining match by a

However, they were thankful to substitute Peter Crouch, who came on and gave them the lead with a trademark towering header.

And Birmingham striker Garry O'Connor found the side-netting instead of the back of the net in the last few minutes, as Spurs narrowly escaped dropping points.

But they did not deserve anything on an afternoon when Redknapp's side clocked up 12 points from their first four matches, a stark contrast from the two collected from the first eight games last season until Redknapp took over.

It was, however, a frustrating first half for Tottenham.

They pressed forward at every opportunity but a combination of poor luck and bad finishing kept the game goalless.

Lennon might have had two goals, seeing one shot palmed away by Birmingham goalkeeper Hart and another blocked when it seemed he must score.

It was Jermain Defoe, however, who was most at fault.

Defoe could not be more confident right now, having scored four goals already in his previous three games this season.

Defoe had done all the hard work, wriggled free, sprinted away from his pursuers. All that was required was a crisp clip to the goalkeeper's right. He overcooked it, dragging it yards wide.

Redknapp was forced to make a change at the start of the second half with Alan Hutton replacing the influential Ledley King, who had picked up a groin strain.

And two minutes later the fourth official was raising his board again after Modric limped off with a leg injury. Crouch entered the fray and Tottenham's work became a shade more direct.

Indeed, in the space of six minutes Crouch could have had a hat-trick, one header crashing back off the bar and another being cleared off the line by Carsley, until he finally found the net.

As it turned out the drama had only just begun. Fortunately for Harry, Lennon was on hand with a crisp right-footer to make sure it all ended happily.