BOLTON WANDERERS...1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR...0:An injury-time penalty from Jay Jay Okocha provided Bolton with a dramatic victory that moved them out of the Premiership's relegation zone last night and two points ahead of West Ham. The Nigerian blasted the ball past Kasey Keller with virtually the last kick of the match after Gary Doherty had brought down Youri Djorkaeff.
West Ham's excursion to the Reebok on April 19th now becomes a defining fixture. Yet Peter Reid, Leeds's interim manager, will also be scrutinising the table, with the Yorkshire club now only four points above the quagmire.
Of the three sides, Leeds are in the most wretched form and Sam Allardyce's players at least showed enough in the final stages of a disappointing match, and they might yet play themselves out of danger.
Bolton's current predicament can be largely attributed to the absence of a forward capable of converting a greater percentage of the chances that have been created. Only once, when Pedersen drove a low shot into Kasey Keller's arms, did Bolton manage a shot on target in the first half. On the other two occasions they exposed Tottenham's defence Okocha succeeded only in reminding everyone how frequently his repertoire of skills is undermined by wayward finishing.
Tottenham had failed to keep a clean sheet in their previous 16 games, and their preparations were disrupted by an injury to Ben Thatcher midway through the opening half. Yet, while struggling to find any fluency, there was better movement and more coherent passing from Glenn Hoddle's players.
Most of Tottenham's potent attacks had been instigated on the left side of Bolton's defence and Allardyce countered this at half-time by replacing Ricardo Gardner with Anthony Barness, a specialist full-back. This, in turn, meant Okocha could push forward more on the left wing.
It also prompted Bolton's best period of the match, although their bad habits were never far away.
For Tottenham, Teddy Sheringham was having one of his more subdued matches and their advances were frequently undermined by Robbie Keane's inability to stay onside.
Pedersen dragged a shot wide and Mendy headed over a gaping goal before Gudni Bergsson directed another effort against Keller's right-hand post.
BOLTON: Jaaskelainen, N'Gotty, Bergsson, Laville, Mendy (Andre 73), Frandsen, Campo, Gardner (Barness 45), Okocha, Djorkaeff, Pedersen. Subs Not Used: Poole, Nolan, Salva. Goals: Okocha 90 pen.
TOTTENHAM: Keller, Carr, Taricco, Bunjevcevic, King, Anderton (Etherington 87), Thatcher (Doherty 21), Poyet, Davies, Sheringham, Keane. Subs Not Used: Sullivan, Slabber, Toda. Booked: Doherty.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
