It's a mark of how far Spurs have come this season that sitting in third place, and with a ten point lead over that other team from north London, has a slight tinge of disappointment. A win over Wolves would have meant drawing level - on points if not on goal difference - with Man. Utd. in second.

After the match, the manager was quick to cool expectations, which had been ratcheted up by Spurs taking maximum advantage of their game in hand with a win over Everton:

"I've never said to anybody that we are going to win the league. If we can get a Champions League position again, it will be great for us ... .You can't win every week. Wolves worked their socks off and defended for their lives. They are not just going to roll over. A point's a point."

While it's certainly true that a side managed by Mick McCarthy is unlikely to roll over, Harry Redknapp will still be disappointed that his team were stifled by opponents who flooded the midfield, producing a triumph of application over creativity. Other teams - particularly those struggling in the wrong half of the table - will no doubt have taken note. For all of their possession, Spurs simply could not press home their advantage.

The lack of a cutting edge was a concern, as was some uncertainty at the center of the defence. Kaboul and Dawson remain an uncertain double act, a partnership that looks less than the sum of its parts. Each of them seems infinitely more assured when lining up beside an older or wiser head. The likelihood of signing Christopher Samba seems to have faded, which is a pity. Blackburn's captain is just the kind of commanding, decisive centre half who can bring out the best in those around him.

Kaboul and Dawson were paired together when Spurs lost their opening game of the season at Old Trafford and again when Man. City inflicted a humiliating 5-1 defeat at White Hart Lane. Kaboul in particular had a torrid time against City but has improved immeasurably as the season has moved on. Even so, Spurs fans will be hoping that if he plays in the reverse fixture on Sunday, it will be alongside a fit-again Ledley King. Two other key players did not feature in that 5-1 loss in August. Scott Parker had not signed for the club at that point but his presence in the side this time around will go a long way towards preventing anything like a similar outcome. Emmanuel Adebayor was ineligible for the City game under the terms of his loan deal and the same situation will apply at the weekend. No doubt he will be replaced by up front by Jermain Defoe, who hopefully will turn his frustration at the lack of first team football into a goalscoring performance.

Sunday's match is followed in the league by a home tie against bottom-placed Wigan, but then the fixture list really starts to bite: Liverpool; Newcastle; Arsenal; and Man. Utd. A good display and a good result at the Etihad Stadium would go a long way towards making that run of games look a little less daunting.