Life without Kanoute may not be too bad

Tottenham 4 Birmingham City 1: For Tottenham fans this was a night to savour. Not only did their team lift some of the gloom enveloping the club with this resounding victory, but there was proof of goalscoring life without Frederic Kanoute.

Kanoute may be off to Tunisia to represent Mali in the African Nations Cup, but his French counterpart Stephane Dalmat lifted the mood around White Hart Lane with two goals in the space of 14 minutes to lift Spurs out of the bottom three of the Premiership.

Dalmat scored twice during a first half in which Spurs played some fine football to move 3-0 up. Tottenham then dipped after the interval and were briefly worried when Robbie Savage pulled a goal back, but all doubts disappeared when Robbie Keane found the net from Kanoute's cross.

There was intrigue off the pitch, too, with rumours circulating about the manager's job here. One version had Mark Hughes, the Wales manager, as an imminent arrival.

Another suggested Italy's Giovanni Trapattoni was the board's choice for the summer. A third even suggested Hughes will arrive soon with Trapattoni to join him.

Birmingham started brightly and showed up Spurs' lack of a ballwinner in the early minutes. Only a fine save by Kasey Keller kept out a curling shot by David Dunn with the game goalless.

Yet, a growing confidence and style crept into Tottenham's play once they went ahead, with Dalmat often the prime mover from his role on the right. Darren Anderton, too, showed intelligence in some of his passing and was a willing worker.

It was Anderton's pass which set up the opener. He picked out Dalmat and the Frenchman cut inside Darren Carter, who had been distracted by Stephen Carr's overlapping run, and struck a low shot into the corner from near the edge of the box.

Dalmat's second was less spectacular, but, typically, he had started the move. It finished with Keane outwitting two City players near the byline and producing a cross which Maik Taylor pushed into Dalmat's path. The finish from a few yards was simple.

Keane might have scored after 28 minutes when he raced clear from halfway, but he snatched at his shot from 16 yards and Taylor dived low to his left to save.

And the Ireland striker had another great chance after 34 minutes following Dalmat's looping cross from the right, but somehow failed to connect properly at the far post and knocked the ball wide.

It was almost all Spurs and so it was little surprise when they went further ahead.

A nice move by Keane brought Simon Davies his first goal of an injury-ravaged season. A series of passes ended with Johnnie Jackson crossing for Davies to side-foot into the corner.

Though Birmingham did more of the attacking early in the second half, Gary Doherty and Ledley King looked solid in the centre of Spurs' defence and it was Tottenham who had appeared the likelier scorers on the break.

On another night Keane might have had a hat-trick, but his sights were off again after 51 minutes when he jinked his way between two defenders to the edge of the six-yard box but somehow blazed the ball high over the bar.

And Kanoute hit the bar before City were given hope when Dalmat tripped Dunn and Savage scored from the penalty spot.

It was as well for Spurs that Clinton Morrison then failed to score when put through, with King, Keller and Doherty combining to deny him. But Keane soon made certain for Tottenham.

TOTTENHAM: Keller, Carr, Doherty, King, Jackson, Anderton (Kelly 86), Dalmat (Ricketts 79), Poyet, Davies, Kanoute (Postiga 79), Keane. Subs Not Used: Hirschfeld, Bunjevcevic. Goals: Dalmat 10, 24, Davies 39, Keane 79.

BIRMINGHAM: Taylor, Kenna, Purse, Cunningham, Johnson, Dunn, Savage, Clemence (Hughes 80), Carter (Tebily 45), Morrison, Forssell (Kirovski 83). Subs Not Used: Bennett, John. Goals: Savage 68 pen.

Referee: B Knight (Kent).