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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Tottenham v Swansea City, Premier League

We were at White Hart Lane as Spurs hoped to keep up their hunt for a top four finish against Michael Laudrup’s Swansea.

We were at White Hart Lane as Spurs hoped to keep up their hunt for a top four finish. Their opponents were Swansea, looking to recover from last week’s high scoring defeat to Norwich City.

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Full-Time: Tottenham 1-0 Swansea City

No Gareth Bale for Tottenham today, while Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe start up front together for just the third time this season. It’s Defoe’s 350th Premier League appearance.

Leon Britton comes back in for Swansea after missing the Norwich game, while Michu is the centre-point of the Swansea attack. Danny Graham is on the bench.

Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Gallas, Vertonghen, Naughton, Lennon, Sandro, Dembele, Dempsey, Adebayor, Defoe
Subs: Friedel, Huddlestone, Parker, Sigurdsson, Livermore, Townsend, Caulker

Swansea: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Chico, Williams, Davies, Britton, Ki, Dyer, de Guzman, Routledge, Michu
Subs: Cornell, Graham, Monk, Shechter, Moore, Agustien, Richards

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

The match gets underway. A good start from Aaron Lennon, who runs directly at the Swansea defence before being pushed wide.

Swansea are looking particularly Welsh today, clad as they are in their second gear of red, white and green.

The Swans have made a couple of bright moves towards Hugo Lloris’ goal, but nothing of note to report so far.

Chico Flores has the name, if not quite the aspect, of a disco enthusiast from early 1980s, Scarface-era Miami.

Or Boogie Nights.

A cross from Defoe seems to strike the arm of Ashley Williams, but the defender had his arms tight to his body and Spurs don’t really appeal.

A follow-up shot from Sandro goes out for a throw-in. Yep.

Best chance of the game so far! Adebayor finds Defoe on his left, and the England striker sells a dummy to Flores before shooting straight at Gerhard Tremmel. He could have done better.

In the next wave, Michu saves the day after giving away possession in his own half. Dembele took possession and found Defoe, but the Spaniard got back to block the shot.

Walker and Lennon combine and the latter crosses for Adebayor. His shot is goalbound but Chico Flores gets in the way. Swansea are living very dangerously.

A free-kick from Kyle Walker catches Leon Britton in the face. Are you watching, Samir Nasri?

Tottenham should be getting the ball out to Lennon more. The winger, who has started every Premier League game this season, looks dangerous as he crosses for Clint Dempsey to head straight into the arms of Tremmel.

Lennon and Sandro take Ben Davies out of the game with a brilliant one-two, before the former’s cross is blocked by Williams. Swansea have not started playing today.

Swansea have not won in 14 league matches at White Hart Lane. It looks like it’ll be 15, unless something happens completely against the run of play.

A rare Swansea attack as Jonathan de Guzman sends a brilliant cross over that just misses the head of former Tottenham sub Wayne Routledge.

In the absence of anything remotely resembling excitement in this game, have some quality German humour.

Get that man a fan club.

Whew!

After the ball pings around the Swansea box, Dembele works it out to Kyle Walker and he launches an absolute belter down the throat of Tremmel. Either side? Wonder goal territory.

In the next attack, the Swansea ‘keeper saves a half decent effort from Lennon.

A…men…

Half-Time – not much to see here, apart from a thunderbolt from Kyle Walker that Tremmel saved with his shoulder, and a nice piece of improvisation from Michu that sailed over Hugo Lloris’ bar, after a mistake from Mousa Dembele.

In case your UPC/Sky box fails in the second half…

(1. Yes, we stole this idea from another media outlet on the premise that talent merely borrows. 2. We’re also fully aware that you’re unlikely to be reading this liveblog if you have the sports packages. Now, enough with the disclaimers…)

We’re back, and optimistic – both sides have the habit of being late starters this season.

Swansea have an early chance as Routledge’s cross with the outside of his foot is just missed by Nathan Dyer. Looking at the replay, he really should have done a lot better.

Adebayor comes… and comes… and Defoe is screaming for the ball… but the Togolese shoots from all of 30 yards and Tremmel tips the ball away. Good effort, but Defoe is not happy.

Yep. Bang.

Dembele has just received his first booking of the season. We’re not quite sure for why, as we were checking our French to English dictionary at the time. Sorry about that.

The Belgian tangles with De Guzman shortly afterwards and this time the Swansea player goes into the book.

Kyle Walker gets it horribly wrong!

A magnificent counter-attack from Spurs. Defoe advances and, as Lennon draws Ben Davies away from his position, Walker has loads of time to take the ball from the Spurs striker and test Tremmel.

Instead, he skies his effort completely. Bleuch.

The first substitution of the game sees Kemy Agustien replace Jonathan de Guzman.

Chance! Defoe spins on the ball and sends a left-footed shot wide of the Swansea goal. Surely they outnumber Swansea’s chance by around 7:1, but it’s still scoreless.

Swansea spend some time in the Spurs area but Lennon gets hold of the ball before slaloming up the pitch. His race is run, though, by the Leon Britton sticks his boot in. The Swans midfielder did well to slow Lennon down there.

The chances of a muted goal celebration have gone up by a factor of 50, as newly terrible footballer Gylfi Sigurdsson enters the fray for Spurs against his former team. You just know he’ll score his first of the season today.

Andros Townsend replaces Adebayor, who has picked up an injury – there are around 20 minutes remaining.

Swansea bring on a striker – Luke Moore – for a playmaker – Ki, before Tottenham open the scoring!

Kyle Walker’s delivery from a free-kick is not the best. It fairly bobbles into the box but Davies’ touch brings it into the path of Jan Vertonghen, who scores his first goal in Premier League football.

AVB is a relieved man on the touchline.

The Belgian gets above Chico from Sigurdsson’s corner and almost has his second goal of the game, but heads over.

Free-kick for Spurs in a dangerous area – Vertonghen, Sigurdsson and Walker line it up.

Vertonghen takes it, blasts it over, waste of a chance.

Chico Flores goes down and seems to be in some distress, but he gets back on his feet. Seemed either like he’d done his cruciate or it was the worst dive in history. As he has suddenly returned to the fray unencumbered, we’re calling shenanigans.

Townsend tries a few stepovers before passing inside the Sigurdsson. The Icelandic player, true to form, shanks it disgustingly.

Danny Graham is on for Swansea. His last goal was 11 games ago against West Ham.

As I type, Tremmel saves brilliantly from Defoe, one-on-one, after the 30-year-old beats Flores for pace.

Scott Parker is about to get the briefest of appearances for Tottenham, his first of the season after an Achilles problem.

The Sky Sports commentator coins the word ‘tamefully’ as the fourth official tells us to endure four more minutes of this. OK so.

Parker is on for Dembele.

Swansea have chosen the 93rd minute to attack attack attack. After a game of head tennis, a particularly long throw from Davies and a woeful corner from Agustien, Spurs can go back to shrugging this game off.

Man of the match goes to Ashley Williams, and it deserved. He has been brilliant, the team’s captain.

Drama!

Michu is flat out on the ground after he collides with Lloris. Play goes on and Chico Flores is absolutely furious that he was forced to defend when his team-mate was down.

The fault lies with the referee, Mike Dean, who should have stopped the game. Dean books substitute Jake Livermore (who is not even on the pitch) for getting involved.

Spurs manage to run the clock down, and go back to fourth in the Premier League.

Jan Vertonghen gets the game’s only goal as Swansea, who have still never won at White Hart Lane, remain in tenth.

A poor enough game, truth told, but still better than any match involving Stoke City this season.

Thanks for keeping up, we’ll be back soon for West Ham v West Brom…

Corinthians beat Chelsea to win in Yokohama >

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