It's a measure of how far Spurs have come under Harry Redknapp that Man. Utd. and Alex Ferguson left White Hart Lane well satisfied with a single point. Although Heurelho Gomes made a succession of fine saves - no doubt boosting his confidence in the process - Spurs had their chances too. Tellingly, though, the best efforts on goal came from Bentley, Lennon, Huddlestone and Modric. Roman Pavlyuchenko was ineffective once again, as was his replacement Daren Bent, who was given more than half an hour on the field to make his mark.

There is talk that Juande Ramos is interested in bringing Pavlyuchenko to Real Madrid, especially now that Ruud van Nistelrooy is sidelined with a long-term injury. Like the rumors surrounding Gomes - who is now being linked with a return to his old club, PSV - tales of the Russian striker's imminent departure must be regarded with some skepticism. It would certainly be unusual for a high-profile player to be brought in and then sold on so quickly, especially given the fact that he has clearly not had adequate time to adjust to the pace and rigours of the Premiership.

At the same time, in marked contrast to Bent, his work rate and appetite for the game are starting to look a little suspect. Pavlyuchenko's arrival at the club following the departure of Berbatov always had the slight air of a panic buy. If he could be offloaded for something around the £14 million that was reportedly paid for him, there is a ready-made replacement warming the Liverpool bench.

With the league leaders being held at home by Hull and without Fernando Torres in their ranks, Robbie Keane would surely have expected to make an appearance at some stage on Saturday. Rafa Benitez made three substitutions late in the game but declined to employ the £20 million former Spurs forward. Liverpool may well be Keane's boyhood heroes, but to be treated with this level of disdain is surely not a situation that he will continue to tolerate.

A more immediate need, however, may be another central defender. Ledley King failed a late fitness test before the United match, while Woodgate was taken off after only ten minutes, seemingly with the recurrence of a back injury. It's hard to underestimate the importance of Woodgate to Spurs. Not only is he easily the team's most consistent player, his position is one for which there is inadequate cover. Corluka can play at centre-half but if both King and Woodgate are missing, then the player who will invariably be drafted in as his defensive partner is Michael Dawson. While Dawson came on and did a reasonable job at the weekend, he is a limited and error-prone player who should never be regarded as anything more than a stop-gap solution. If it does prove to be the case that Woodgate is going to be out for any length of time, then the onus will be on Harry Redknapp to work his magic during the January transfer window.