Every team has opponents against whom they always seem to get a result, whatever the circumstances. As far as Spurs are concerned, Man. City have filled that role in recent years, with ten victories for the north London club in the last eleven meetings. City have also been horrible away from Eastlands this season, having won just twice and picking up a meager eleven points in total.

Disappointing to report, then, that this was yet another close-run thing, with Spurs coming out on top thanks to a dubious penalty and a glaring late miss by Benjani. Before the game, it looked like Spurs were lining up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation, with Defoe, Pavlyuchenko and Keane up front. In practice, Keane was deployed on the left hand side of midfield, the position where he ended the game against Everton a week ago. A well-taken penalty aside, he put in yet another ineffective performance, admittedly in an unfamiliar role.

Why Harry Redknapp chose to utilize him in this manner is a mystery, and would suggest in the same way that he seems to view Bentley as unpickable, he regards Keane as undroppable. Whether this is to bolster Keane’s fragile confidence following his nightmare at Liverpool, or because the Irishman has been handed the captaincy, is open to question. If the latter is the case, then it is the bad end result of what was an initial poor decision. Keane’s commitment and workrate cannot be faulted, but at bottom he is an argumentative player, subject to dips in form that lead to his demeanor on the field being one of frustration rather than inspiration. Although less vocal with his teammates, Jonathan Woodgate seems like a much more obvious choice for captain but undoubtedly Spurs are now stuck with Keane in this role for the foreseeable future.

The poor second half showing following a dominating first half display is becoming something of a Spurs trademark, and suggests a couple of things. For all his achievements this season - and lifting the team from the relegation zone to the fringes of European qualification is a considerable achievement - tactics are not Harry’s strong suit. In addition to his own odd substitutions, he often seems unsure how to respond to changes made by his opposite number, as was the case when Mark Hughes introduced both Bojinov and Benjani on the hour. A more prosaic question might also be raised about the team’s fitness, given their propensity to fade. Perhaps the manager’s new temperance crusade will pay dividends in that regard.

Lying two points ahead of Spurs and with a home match remaining against Everton - who play in the FA Cup final less than a week later - Fulham would appear to be favorites for seventh place and the prize of qualification for the Europa League. Spurs might have ridden their luck in recent weeks but an eighth place finish represents a very successful conclusion to a season that started so badly. And whether it makes a difference to the final standings or not, Spurs - and Robbie Keane in particular - will be hoping to end on a high at Anfield.