We rate the players in the game between Tottenham Hotspurs and Stoke City.

Tottenham

Helder Gomes - 5

Did not have much to do as Stoke rarely threatened. Glenn Whelan's shot was unstoppable.

Vedran Corluka - 6

Kept the strikers at bay and made a few dangerous upfield runs. Was denied by an inspired Stoke defence.

Jonathan Woodgate - 6

Made a miraculous save and crashed against the woodwork in the process. Unfortunate that he had to go off after playing for barely 10 minutes on his return from injury

Sebastian Bassong - 4

Misplaced a few passes and failed to close Whelan down - a mistake which ultimately cost his team the match

Benoit Assou-Ekotto - 4

Same mistake as Bassong's. Was lacking his usual flair going forward as well.

Aaron Lennon - 7

Ran rings around the Stoke defence with his pace and trickery. Unfortunate for Spurs that their strikers were not in top form to take advantage of Lennon's briliance. Had to limp off in the latter stages in the game, much to Redknapp's frustration.

Tom Huddlestone - 4

Chose to shoot on ocassions when he would have been better off passing. Was steady in defence.

Wilson Palacios - 5

Started well, but faded away as the game wore on

Niko Kranjcar - 7

Unlucky that his stunning shot hit the woodwork with Simonson beaten. A good all-round performance that will leave Redknapp with a tough choice to make when Luka Modric is fit.

Robbie Keane - 5

Was largely anonymous throughout the game. Had a one decent chance which he failed to convert. Harry replaced him with Pavlyuchenko midway through the second half.

Peter Crouch - 7

It just did not happen for him today. Simonson palmed a looping header round the post  before Beattie pulled off an unbelievable

save.

Substitutes

Michael Dawson - 5

Replaced the injured Woodgate and was solid in defence. Another one coming back from a long layoff but did not look rusty at all.

Blotted his copybook however, along with the rest of Spurs' defence, by allowing Whelan space to shoot.

Roman Pavlyuchenko - 5

Did not have much of an impact on the game. A few half-hearted shots from outside the box were all he contributed. 

Jermaine Jenas - 7

Gave Spurs some hope in the late stages. Won a number of free kicks in dangerous areas but with luck things just not going for them, Spurs could not take advantage of a single one.

Stoke

Steve Simonson - 8

Made some very good saves, most notably from a Crouch header and a curling Lennon shot that was goalbound.

Andy Wilkinson

Heroic defending. Stoke would conceded at least three in his absence.

Abdoulaye Faye - 8

Part of a back four that was at its best today. Repelled wave upon wave of Spurs attack.

Ryan Shawcross - 8

Was brilliant in defence. Made one absolutely crucial tackle when Crouch looked odds on to score from barely 6 yards out.

Danny Collins - 6

Had to deal with the electric Lennon. The latter did skin him a few times, but that was only to be expected. Will be happy with his day's work.

Rory Delap - 5

His ridiculously long throws were a threat as always. Came out unscathed in what could have been a brutal midfield battle.

Dean Whitehead - 6

Combined well with Diao in central midfield. Broke up quite a number of threatening Spurs' attacks.

Salif Diao - 7

Heavy tackles, hard running and good work-rate. Diao gave it his all and was instrumental in the win.

Matthew Etherington

Steady in defence, inspirational at times going forward. Made a few important interceptions with one to deny Corluka a clear shot on goal standing out.

Ricardo Fuller - 7

A lumbering presence who never looked like he would score. He did not, but it was his pass that found Whelan who blasted it into the net.

James Beattie - 6

Was off the boil at the front end of the pitch. However, denied Crouch with a marvellous save that will surely be replayed frequently in the weeks to come.

Substitues

Danny Higginbotham - n.a

Sent on purely as a time wasting ploy.

Glenn Whelan - 9

The key player in one of Stoke's most famous victories. Super sub Whelan's blast into the left corner left Gomes for dead handing Spurs a rare home defeat.

Tuncay - 5

The veteran replaced the injury-prone Beattie and was steady without doing anything spectacular.

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