Setback for ambitious Tottenham

FA Premiership/Sunderland 1 Tottenham 1: There are people prepared to argue that Tottenham Hotspur are a good and improving team. Tottenham must have been pretty bad to start with if that is the case. Playing a Sunderland side so low on self-esteem that the late point gained was celebrated like an FA Cup triumph, Spurs squandered the chance to move a potentially decisive six points clear of Arsenal in fourth place.

Having taken a barely deserved first-half lead through Robbie Keane, Spurs lapsed into complacent mediocrity when the opportunity was there to enhance their goal difference, which is slightly inferior to Liverpool above and Arsenal below. It could be a factor come May.

Instead, with Sunderland labouring like hod-carriers with a hangover, Spurs caved in under the pressure of a bulky 22-year-old signed for £100,000 from Waterford United called Daryl Murphy. On as a 75th-minute substitute for Liam Lawrence, Murphy muscled his way past Paul Stalteri near the byline and from a narrow angle managed to squeeze a low shot past Paul Robinson into the far corner.

It was the 89th minute and Tottenham suddenly woke up. Deep into the three minutes of injury-time Jermaine Jenas collected a scuffed drive from Tom Huddlestone, swivelled and from around eight yards blasted the ball over Kelvin Davis's crossbar.

Jenas held his head in his hands and it was a gesture the entire Spurs squad should have copied.

"Two points dropped," said a downbeat Martin Jol. "We are still not a top side."

Jol's weary criticism was directed at his forwards rather than his defence. "Every team in the Premiership is capable of scoring," he said, "so you have to kill them off. You have to score that second goal. It's not about defending, our defensive record is good, it's about scoring goals."

Looking ahead to away days at Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton and Arsenal, Jol also said of the possibility of a Champions League qualifying place: "When the teams around you drop points, you need to win, you need a cushion."

Mick McCarthy needs snookers off a cushion if Sunderland are to stage a comeback. But they have reached double figures in points after 25 games and the target now is to beat the 19 points scrabbled together the last time they were relegated.

McCarthy, terse afterwards, said sarcastically: "Europe here we come, eh?"

He was then deliberately ambiguous about a remark made earlier that had Jenas's shot gone in "it could have been the final nail in my coffin". McCarthy was annoyed by a press report last week about an alleged rift with the chairman Bob Murray. "I'll leave everyone to interpret what they want from that. I'm not doing it for you. But you'll probably get it wrong."

Sunderland go to Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night buoyed by the point and the goal, their first for three matches. It is the first of three consecutive away trips. They will have to play better than this, however, to scrape points at Blackburn, Birmingham and Manchester City.

On a poor surface they had to do yesterday what they have done so often this season: chase. Until the 35th minute when Keane wasted an inviting opening with a wayward volley, the afternoon was more notable for events off the pitch than on it.

Once again there were chants directed at Murray and then came the news that two people had been ejected after being caught in a compromising position in the ladies' toilets.

When the boos and laughter died down attention reverted to the pitch. Michael Carrick sent Jermain Defoe free down the Spurs right and his low centre was tapped in from five yards by Keane. Simple, pass and move.

That should have been Tottenham's moment to kick on but there was no sense of urgency from Jol's team.