Sunderland on the rise

Sunderland - 2 Tottenham Hotspur - 0 A rare victory may have been tempered with regret at a departing hero, but this was a fitting manner in which to bid farewell to one era and a splendid way of heralding another. Niall Quinn has left the Premiership; Sunderland are clearly in no mood to follow suit.

Wearside basks this morning in the relatively dizzy heights of 16th place, their home goal tally doubled in a two-minute attacking frenzy that yielded reward for Kevin Phillips and Tore Andre Flo. That was all it took to scupper a desperately disappointing Tottenham and allow Quinn, with a tear in his eye as he announced his retirement at half-time, to leave happy.

Frustrated throughout the first period, their frantic opening having somehow failed to blow the visitors away, it took Simon Davies's uncharacteristically sloppy 55th-minute miss at the other end to spur Sunderland into life.

The Welshman was still red faced, having clipped Teddy Sheringham's delicious pass over Jurgen Macho but wide of the far post, when Phillips, darting between the dithering Chris Perry and Dean Richards, nodded Michael Gray's right-footed cross into the bottom corner.

It was the England forward's first Premiership goal of the season, in his eighth match, and it effectively floored the visitors. Within two minutes Phillips had flicked Flo through on goal for the Norwegian to out-pace and out-muscle the disappointing Perry and slide in a second from an acute angle through Kasey Keller's legs.

"The stadium was bouncing and I was delighted for Kevin, Tore and Proc," said Quinn, who cleared out his locker last week following his decision to retire after a 17-year career taken irrespective of the results of a second scan on his troublesome back.

"I was telling Peter (Reid) 18 months ago that I couldn't go on, that the game was up. Time just ran out," said the 36-year-old, who turned down a coaching role in favour of an ambassadorial brief with the club, for whom he played 218 times.

The Irish international scored twice the last time Sunderland beat these opponents, a solitary success amid nine defeats, but Glenn Hoddle's side rarely threatened to maintain that record. Davies's miss aside, they created little until they trailed - and then Stephen Carr sliced horribly over the bar and the off-colour Sheringham and Darren Anderton missed harder opportunities.

The Londoners should have been blown away in the whirlwind opening that saw Flo hit the side-netting, Gavin McCann strike the Norwegian on the goal-line and Keller react well to prevent Perry's sliced clearance looping into a gaping net.

Thereafter, Sunderland were left to fret until Phillips found his range and Wearside breathed again.

"It's a start for Sunderland and a good way to go out for me," added Quinn. "I'm thrilled for them."

Sunderland: Macho, McCartney, Babb, Craddock, Wright, Gray, Kilbane, McCann, Proctor (Thirlwell 75), Flo, Phillips (Kyle 88). Subs Not Used: Ingham, Stewart, Bjorklund. Goals: Phillips 60, Flo 62.

Tottenham: Keller, Thatcher (Iversen 90), Richards, Perry, Carr, Poyet (Bunjevcevic 65), Freund (Acimovic 79), Anderton, Davies, Keane, Sheringham. Subs Not Used: Hirschfeld, Doherty. Booked: Perry, Davies.

Referee: U Rennie (S Yorkshire).