Berbatov penalty puts Spurs through

Uefa Cup/Anderlecht 1 Tottenham 1:Didier Zokora was struck on the head by a missile thrown by an Anderlecht supporter last night as Tottenham secured the point which guarantees them a place in the next round of this competition.

The midfielder was hit towards the end of the match and while he was receiving treatment the Spurs goalkeeper Paul Robinson handed to the fourth official a number of objects which had been hurled from the stands, including what looked like a metal bar.

Zokora played down the incident afterwards but Uefa can be expected to investigate and a punishment for Anderlecht looks likely.

The Spurs manager started with Darren Bent in attack but had to rely on the substitute Dimitar Berbatov to score the 71st-minute penalty which earned Tottenham a draw. Spurs had fallen behind four minutes earlier in typically calamitous fashion, when Michael Dawson and Jermaine Jenas virtually ignored Ahmed Hassan's cross and the veteran Belgian international winger Bart Goor volleyed home.

Ramos' decision to leave Younes Kaboul, an £8 million summer purchase and one of two fit centre halves at the club, at home while selecting just four specialist defenders in a 19-man squad, left him unguarded against any criticism that might follow.

One of those - the full-back Paul Stalteri - started on the bench while Didier Zokora was pressed into a starting central defensive role for the first time in his Tottenham career.

Perhaps tellingly for a side who had conceded 28 goals in 15 Premier League games this season - the tenacious but slight Ivorian midfielder was to become Dawson's fifth centre-back partner this season.

Bent came into the side at the expense of Dimitar Berbatov with the aim of giving the former Charlton striker match practice before Robbie Keane starts his three-match domestic suspension on Sunday.

The visitors looked initially becalmed after another turbulent week and took early advantage in pressing down the flanks, with Pascal Chimbonda's forward surge engineering a close range shot for Keane, which the Czech goalkeeper Daniel Zitka saved at his feet.

Clear cut opportunities were rare though, and it took half an hour before either side could force a corner.

Four minutes later Anderlecht tested Paul Robinson's boxfresh gloves for the first time, but the Argentinian striker Nicolas Frutos' shot lacked sufficient power.

Their next attack was far more incisive, with the marauding right-full back Marcin Wasilewski breaking into the box and forcing a save from the England goalkeeper, who was also equal to Frutos' close ranger follow-up.

Ramos had abstained from his usual half-time tinkering, but his conservatism lasted only 58 minutes, when he introduced Berbatov in favour of Keane, purportedly to bring more out of the willing but detached Bent and put pressure back on a home side that was beginning to dominate possession.

Within seconds the Bulgarian had cruised into box and primed his foot for a shot, only for the former Southampton defender Jelle van Damme to cover tackle. Minutes later his punt of a free-kick was too hot for Zitka to handle, who palmed the ball over his crossbar.

ANDERLECHT: Zitka, Wasilewski, Juhasz, Van Damme, Deschacht, Hassan, Biglia, Polak, Goor, Mpenza (Baseggio 72), Frutos (Thereau 55). Subs Not Used: Proto, Sare, Triguinho, De Man. Booked: Polak, Goor, Wasilewski, Hassan. Goals: Goor 68.

TOTTENHAM: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Zokora, Lee (Stalteri 81), Lennon, Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Keane (Berbatov 59), Bent (Defoe 72). Subs Not Used: Cerny, Tainio, Boateng, Taarabt. Booked: Jenas, Zokora. Goals: Berbatov 71 pen.

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia).