Another win for Spurs, all the more valuable for having been achieved against a team in the bottom half of the table. West Ham had not conceded in their last three games and it took a header from a player who had not scored in three years to break the deadlock. Ledley King's opener was followed by a great strike from O'Hara, which killed off the contest and moved Spurs up to 15th in the table.

Although the game was not the prettiest, there were many encouraging signs for the Spurs fans. They had the much-maligned Gomes to thank for a vital double save when the score was 1-0, and the players in front of him restricted West Ham to three shots on target, a statistic which would have dismayed the home crowd. Lennon continued his good run of form, while Modric bossed the game in midfield. All in all, a good team performance, admittedly against one of the poorest teams Spurs have faced so far this season.

Just three of the thirteen Spurs players who turned out at Upton Park failed to spark - Pavlyuchenko, Bent and, inevitably, Bentley. There have been interesting whispers about the possibility of Robbie Keane making a surprise return to White Hart Lane in January, and certainly on the evidence of both strikers' contribution on Monday night, it would be a welcome homecoming. While seeming on the surface to scotch the rumors, Rafa Benitez has couched his intention to hold on to the Irishman in an intriguing way:

"We have confidence in him but he knows he's not playing to his true level. Robbie's future is to be ready, to score goals and to work for the team. The challenge is there for him. When you sign a player for a lot of money, that is it. He becomes another player in the squad and he has to fight for his position. Clearly he has to show character."

It was barely nine months ago that the Liverpool manager was reportedly interested in shipping out Jermaine Pennant and replacing him with another player who has also not been "playing to his true level" so far this season - step forward David Bentley. The disparity between the respective transfer fees paid out by both clubs in July is less than £5 million, and perhaps an accommodation could be reached. An unlikely prospect? Perhaps - but take a look at whose name is on the manager's door at the Bernabeu.

Lastly, a tribute to Darren Anderton, who played his final professional game at the weekend and, in true Roy of the Rovers style, scored a late and spectacular winner for one of Harry Redknapp's old sides, Bournemouth. Although he was somewhat cruelly nicknamed "Sicknote" due to his frequent injuries, Anderton still managed over 300 appearances for Spurs as well as 30 England caps. He showed more loyalty to the club than it showed to him, and was a class act off the field as well as on it. Fitting, then, that his career should end on such a high.