Spurs end away-day jinx at Man City

Gary Doherty goes close for Spurs at Maine Road

Man City 0-1 Tottenham

A Sergei Rebrov strike on 90 minutes gave Spurs the points at Maine Road and ended a league goal drought that had lasted seven-and-a-half hours.

Just as it looked as if Tottenham would create an unenviable Premiership record with their fifth goalless draw in in a row, the tiny Ukrainian struck.

Spurs showed their customary tightness at the back and thanks to Rebrov grabbed their first away win of the season.

City, for their part, can be considered unlucky not to have got at least a point after the post saved Spurs on 38 minutes.

Penalty appeal

Both sides set out their attacking intentions early in the game.

City skipper Alf Inge Haaland looked to have held Tim Sherwood in the box after a Darren Anderton cross but referee Steve Dunn dismissed the penalty appeals.

I thought the referee had a good game, but the one decision he's probably got wrong has cost us dearly because if we had taken the lead I couldn't have seen them getting back into it

  Manchester City manager Joe Royle

After the early scare, it was City who looked the most likely to break the deadlock.

Good approach play on the left saw Darren Huckerby and Danny Tiatto combine well before knocking inside for Gerard Wiekens, who shot into the arms of Neil Sullivan from 20 yards on seven minutes.

Darren Anderton eludes a City challenge

Three minutes later, man-of-the-match Tiatto was again at the centre of the action.

The Australian's cross eluded the head of Shaun Goater and Ledley King had to stoop in front of the striker to knock the ball away for a corner.

The pace of Andrei Kanchelskis and Huckerby had the Spurs defence on the back foot and the visitors were left to do most of their work on the break.

However, both sides failed to show a lack of real quality in front of goal or a decisive defence-splitting pass as the game deteriorated into a midfield battle.

Goal disallowed

An Anderton corner on 34 minutes had Doherty diving at the far post but his header went narrowly wide.

Four minutes later, City came close to scoring as Huckerby's cross was knocked onto the foot of the post by King, with Kanchelskis ready to pounce.

The results we've achieved in this eight-match run have been fantastic results with the injuries we've had

  Spurs manager George Graham

In the first minute of the second half, City had the ball in the net from a corner but Goater's goal was disallowed for a push on keeper Sullivan.

Kanchelskis should have broken the deadlock after another Tiatto run. However, the Ukrainian blasted wide from just inside the box.

A venomous Tim Sherwood shot gave Spurs their first chance of the half, but it lacked direction.

With 71 minutes gone, Egil Ostenstad should have scored on his City debut but he headed wide from a Tiatto cross.

However, it was Rebrov who gave Spurs all three points.

Leonhardsen slipped the ball through, and the striker slipped the ball past Weaver to heighten City's relegation fears.

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Man City: Weaver, Wiekens, Granville, Howey, Tiatto, Dunne, Haaland, Whitley, Kanchelskis, Huckerby, Goater. Subs: Prior, Ritchie, Nash, Ostenstad, Grant.

Tottenham: Sullivan, Young, Campbell, Perry, King, Freund, Anderton, Sherwood, Leonhardsen, Doherty, Rebrov. Subs: Walker, Carr, Booth, Clemence, Thelwell.

Referee: S Dunn (Bristol).