Barclays Premier League

FT: SUNDERLAND 1 TOTTENHAM 2

Spurs come from behind to notch an impressive victory at the Stadium of Light, their sixth in eight games. Andre Villas-Boas' men showed great character after trailing to a close-range strike from Sunderland captain John O'Shea just before half-time. The visitors were doubtless feeling hard done by at the break, having created two great chances that were both spurned by Emmanuel Adebayor, the second from three yards out with only the goalkeeper to beat. Instead, they were rewarded with a gift within three minutes of the restart, when Carlos Cuellar misjudged a Kyle Walker corner from the left and headed into his own net. The comeback was complete just two minutes later when Aaron Lennon used his pace to torment the Sunderland defence before producing a fine finish beyond Simon Mignolet. But for an impressive performance from the Sunderland goalkeeper it could have been many more. The only dampener on the afternoon for Tottenham was the booking of Gareth Bale for diving which will see him miss the New Year's Day game with Reading through suspension.

WICKHAM SHOT BLOCKED

Wickham takes the ball down well and his snap-shot is bravely blocked by Dawson.

STOPPAGE TIME

We are into the first minute of five minutes of added time.

TOTTENHAM SUBSTITUTION

Tottenham's final change sees Bale replaced by Gylfi Sigurdsson.

FINE DEFENDING FROM NAUGHTON

Naughton shows great composure to deal with a wicked pass from the left by Johnson. That had goal written all over it.

SHOT BY BALE

Bale cleverly manufactures space on the edge of the box, but Mignolet saves his left-footed strike.

TOTTENHAM BOOKING

Just clearing up one loose end from earlier, Mousa Dembele was booked for pulling on the shirt of Gardner a few moments ago.

TOTTENHAM SUBSTITUTION

Tottenham make their second change, with Scott Parker coming on to shore up the midfield in place of Lennon.

ADEBAYOR MISSES AGAIN

Dempsey sets up Adebayor for another one-on-one, but Mignolet saves again with his leg. The Spurs striker could have had a hat-trick today.

BOOKING FOR BALE

Bale is booked after going to ground under challenge from Gardner and is shown his fifth yellow card of the season for simulation. That will mean a one-game suspension.

SUNDERLAND SUBSTITUTION

Connor Wickham replaces Larsson for Sunderland. He has not netted for 14 months for the Black Cats.

MIGNOLET SAVES AGAIN

Spurs win a corner on the right. Dawson leaps highest and Caulker then heads goalwards, but Mignolet is well positioned to make a comfortable save.

TOTTENHAM SUBSTITUTION

Spurs make their first switch, with Clint Dempsey replacing Jermain Defoe.

BALE A CONSTANT MENACE

Bale shows Usain Bolt-like speed down the left to create another chance, but having done his job the Welshman sees his attackers make a real pig's ear of what should have at least resulted in a shot at goal.

BEWARE DANGER FROM LARSSON

Michael Dawson is a terrific whole-hearted defender, but he gives away too many free-kicks in my opinion. It's not something you want to do with Larsson in the opposition line-up.

TOTTENHAM BOOKING

Dawson clips Sessegnon near the left-hand corner flag and is shown the yellow card.

SUNDERLAND SUBSTITUTION

Injury-prone O'Shea has a problem with his left leg and has already handed over the captain's armband. He makes way for Titus Bramble.

GOALS ALWAYS GUARANTEED

Dating back to the end of last season, Tottenham have now scored in 12 straight away matches, the longest current mark in the Premier League.

SUNDERLAND SUBSTITITION

Matt Kilgallon is replaced by Fraizer Campbell. Jack Colback will go to left-back.

PANIC FROM SESSEGNON

McClean finds Sessegnon with an incisive ball forward, but the Benin man sees an ambitious effort slide off the side of his foot.

BRILLIANT SAVE FROM MIGNOLET

Bale leads a brilliant Tottenham counter-attack. He leaves Gardner on the seat of his pants before squaring for Defoe, whose point-blank shot is kept out by a quite brilliant save from Mignolet. The Spurs man will feel he should have scored.

BETTER FRONT-RUNNERS

Sunderland have only gained one point from losing positions this season - the joint-worst record in the division.

FLETCHER NEEDS TREATMENT

Fletcher needs treatment after a collision with Dawson. It's a twisted knee, but it looks as though he will be fine.

LLORIS DENIES JOHNSON

Sunderland mount a response and Lloris dives to his left to keep out a near-post shot from Johnson.

GOAL DETAILS

Kilgallon failed to clear his lines just outside his own box and Lennon pounced in a flash, jinking past the static Sunderland defence and slotting a lovely finish into the corner.

GOAL: SUNDERLAND 1 TOTTENHAM 2

Aaron Lennon puts Spurs in front. What a turnaround!

GOAL DETAILS

Walker delivered an inswinging corner from the left, Gardner and Cuellar both went to clear and the Spaniard got caught under the ball. It skimmed off the top of his head into the far corner, the type of finish that Adebayor could only dream about.

GOAL: SUNDERLAND 1 TOTTENHAM 1

Tottenham level. It's an own goal from Carlos Cuellar.

SUNDERLAND BOOKING

Cuellar is booked for a mistimed tackle on Lennon and can have no complaints.

RARE SUNDERLAND CORNER

Sessegnon wins Sunderland an early corner, which is their first of the match, a further indication of how dominant Tottenham were in that first half.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Sunderland get the second half under way.

HT: SUNDERLAND 1 TOTTENHAM 0

Sunderland lead at the break thanks to that 40th-minute strike from John O'Shea, his first goal for the club on what is his 53rd appearance. The defender was on hand to slot home after Steven Fletcher had seen his initial effort kept out by Hugo Lloris. It was no surprise that the Black Cats' opener came from a set-piece, because dead balls have been the only time they have looked remotely threatening. Spurs will feel hard done by. Sunderland started brightly, but as the game wore on the visitors got a grip and created two clear-cut chances around the half-hour mark which were both spurned by Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togo striker got on the end of a through-ball from Jermain Defoe but saw his close-range effort saved by the legs of Simon Mignolet. He then somehow managed to shoot against the crossbar from three yards after being gifted a gilt-edged chance by a mistake from Carlos Cuellar.

QUIZ ANSWER

The seven players to score more than Jermain Defoe's 132 goals for Tottenham are: Jimmy Greaves (266 goals), Bobby Smith (208), Martin Chivers (174), Cliff Jones (159), George Hunt (138), Len Duquemin (134) and Alan Gilzean (133). Well done if you got them all.

GOAL DETAILS

It's the captain's first goal for the club. Spurs failed to clear a wicked free-kick from the left by Larsson, Lloris made a brilliant save to deny Fletcher, but was powerless to do anything about the close-range follow-up from the former Manchester United defender.

GOAL: SUNDERLAND 1 SPURS 0

John O'Shea gives Sunderland the lead.

HEADER JUST OVER

Johnson floats a free-kick to near the penalty spot where it is met by a flicked back-header from Cuellar. Lloris is more than a little relieved when he sees the ball drop the wrong wide of the crossbar.

IT'S QUIZ TIME

Jermain Defoe's goal at Villa on Boxing Day took him to 132 goals for Tottenham in all competitions. He ranks eighth on the all-time list, within one goal of seventh and two of sixth. But who are the seven players above him? Spurs fans, we need them in descending order, while for others, seven correct names will do just fine. Answer in a few minutes.

OFF THE SUNDERLAND CROSSBAR

Cuellar makes a real mess of a cross from the left by Defoe, leaving Adebayor with the goal at his mercy only three yards out. Somehow, he manages to miss the net and hit the crossbar. It's an incredible miss. If only the roles of the Spurs strikers had been reversed in that move.

BALE HEADER WIDE

Spurs are right on top at the moment. This time Lennon gets the better of McClean and his deep cross is perfect for Bale, who heads disappointingly wide of the upright.

ADEBAYOR DENIED

The first real chance of the match falls to Spurs. Lennon slides a pass from a central position through to Adebayor. Gardner opts not to make a tackle for fear of conceding a penalty and a red card, and the Togo striker's prodded effort is saved by the leg of Mignolet.

CUELLAR TO THE RESCUE

Lennon uses his pace to get past Kilgallon down the right and his driven cross is cleared for a corner by Cuellar, who appears to have shaken off that knock.

KNEE INJURY FOR CUELLAR

Carlos Cuellar needs treatment on an injury to his left knee. He will soldier on for now.

BUTTER FINGERS FROM MIGNOLET

Now Sunderland suffer an anxious moment as Mignolet fumbles an innocuous-looking long-range shot from Sandro, and is relieved to see that no Spurs striker had gambled on following up.

ESCAPE FOR SPURS

Spurs are a little lucky to still be level. McClean drops a pass beyond the back post, Johnson does superbly to hook the ball back into the danger area, but Fletcher and Sessegnon are slow to react and caught on their heels, allowing the defence to clear.

SAFE HANDS FROM LLORIS

Sunderland have started impressively. Sessegnon finds some space on the right, but his cross for Fletcher just does not have enough elevation to clear Lloris.

GARDNER MUST BE CAUTIOUS

If you're looking for a bet on the first yellow card today, Craig Gardner has the joint-most number of cautions in the Premier League this season. Who's he marking today? Gareth Bale.

TOUGH TO BEAT

Want to know why Sunderland are proving hard to beat just now despite their lack of goals? They have blocked more shots (91) than any other Premier League team this term. John O'Shea, who returns today, is something of a specialist in that department.

GARDNER EFFORT DEFLECTED

Sunderland win an early free-kick, in a central position. Gardner's effort deflects off Defoe and again that is easy for the goalkeeper to deal with.

HOW SUNDERLAND LINE UP

John O'Shea is playing in the centre of defence for Sunderland, with Matt Kilgallon moving over to fill the left full-back position vacated by Danny Rose, who cannot play against the club who own his contract.

BALE THREATENING ALREADY

Bale skins Gardner as if he is not there and marauds down the left. He squares the ball for Adabayor, who scuffs a shot that Mignolet saves with ease.

WAKE UP, ANDRE

Let's hope Spurs are more wide awake than their manager with this early kick-off. AVB just stifled a huge yawn on the touchline.

HERE WE GO

Tottenham kick off, attacking the goal to our left.

TODAY'S TEAMS

Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, O'Shea, Cuellar, Kilgallon, Johnson, Larsson, Colback, McClean, Sessegnon, Fletcher. Subs: Westwood, Campbell, Wickham, McFadden, Vaughan, Ji, Bramble. Tottenham: Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Naughton, Lennon, Sandro, Dembele, Bale, Adebayor, Defoe. Subs: Friedel, Dempsey, Vertonghen, Huddlestone, Parker, Sigurdsson, Livermore. Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

TEAM NEWS

Sunderland make just the one change, with John O'Shea coming in for Danny Rose, who is ineligible. Spurs make two changes from the side that won at Villa Park. Both are in defence, with Steven Caulker and Michael Dawson replacing Jan Vertonghen and William Gallas.

PREVIEW

Sunderland and Tottenham meet at the Stadium of Light in Saturday's early kick-off in the Premier League with both sides coming off one of their best results of the season. Martin O'Neill's side continued their improved recent run of form with a stunning victory over Manchester City on Boxing Day, while Spurs went to Villa Park and ran out resounding winners. True it was only Villa, but a 4-0 win away from home is not to be sniffed at, however mediocre the opposition. It promises to be a fascinating match, with Sunderland having looked much more solid defensively over the past few weeks, but pitted against one of the most devastating counter-attacking sides in the Premier League spearheaded by the twin threats down the wing of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon. With so many teams hovering around the same points total it looks like there will be another dogfight for fourth place and going to places like Wearside and coming away with a victory are the sort of results than can turn a Europa League place into a Champions League spot come the end of the season. Today's game kicks off at 1245GMT, so join us around 30 minutes beforehand when we should have the confirmed team news, which will be followed by a match commentary.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Adam Johnson netted his third of the season in the win over Manchester City, but the man Spurs know they will have to be most wary of is Steven Fletcher, who scored the Black Cats' first five goals of the season and now has eight goals to his name. Stephane Sessegnon made a disappointing start to the campaign, but the Benin-born midfielder has looked much better in recent weeks and his improved form has coincided with Sunderland's rise up the table. Sessegnon has a goal and two assists in his last four games. Spurs have threats throughout the team, but Gareth Bale will again be the centre of attention after his superb hat-trick at Villa Park. Some of the papers are suggesting Real Madrid will test Tottenham's resolve to keep hold of the Welshman in the January transfer window, but the London club are no fools and will not entertain any offers. Bale now has nine goals, one fewer than leading scorer Jermain Defoe, who was also on target against Villa.

HEAD TO HEAD

Tottenham just have the edge in head-to-head league meetings between the sides with 36 wins to 35 by Sunderland and 27 games being drawn. At the Stadium of Light and its predecessors, the Black Cats have 22 wins to 13 by Spurs, with a further 14 meetings ending up all square. The corresponding match last season on Apr. 7 finished as a goalless draw. Spurs had won the earlier meeting at White Hart Lane 1-0 with a 61st-minute strike from Roman Pavlyuchenko.

FORM GUIDE

Sunderland sit in 13th place, with 22 points from 19 games. Tottenham are currently fourth, one of three teams on 33 points. They are ahead of Everton on goals scored and West Bromwich Albion on goal difference. Since dropping into the relegation zone following their home defeat by Chelsea on Dec. 8, Sunderland have won three of their last four matches without conceding a goal in any of those victories. They beat Manchester City last time out, and are looking for a third successive win, having preceded that success with a win at Southampton. The Black Cats have collected as many points in their last two home games as they had done from their opening seven. Some 15 of Tottenham's points have been collected away from home and only Manchester United boast more away victories in the top flight this season. They comprehensively beat Aston Villa 4-0 on Boxing Day, and have collected 16 points from their last seven games since their 5-2 defeat by Arsenal on Nov. 17.

EARLY TEAM NEWS

On-loan Sunderland full-back Danny Rose is not permitted to play against his parent club. The Black Cats are likely to welcome back John O'Shea, who missed the Boxing Day win over Manchester City through illness. David Meyler has been recalled from his loan spell at Hull and may make the bench. Tottenham are hoping Clint Dempsey (groin) and Tom Huddlestone (knee) will be available after injury and the game may see Benoit Assou-Ekotto return after a lengthy absence with a knee injury. Scott Parker could also make his first start of the season after coming off the bench in the last three games following his recovery from an Achilles injury. Midfielder Mousa Dembele should be fit despite coming off against Aston Villa with a recurrence of his hip injury, but defender Younes Kaboul (knee) is still out.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

Taking charge of today's game is Martin Atkinson, who has been a member of the Premier League's elite group of referees since 2005 and who became a FIFA referee a year later. The West Yorkshire-based official showed nine red cards last season, by far the most of any Premier League referee. Four of those dismissals came in his first seven Premier League games, though Atkinson has been much more restrained this time around with Newcastle's Cheick Tiote on this ground in the Wear-Tyne derby his only sending off to date in 15 Premier League outings. Atkinson's assistants today are Peter Kirkup and Stuart Burt, while Mike Dean is the fourth official.