FORGET comparisons with The Special One — yesterday Andre Villas-Boas was The Lucky One.
By PAUL JIGGINS
The coach who learnt his trade under Jose Mourinho grabbed his first win at White Hart Lane as Spurs boss at the fourth attempt.
But only after the fickle hand of fate had dealt him a flukey hand.
Villas-Boas, who saw his new team held by West Brom, Norwich and Lazio in his first three home games since taking charge in the summer, was staring a demoralising defeat in the face as QPR deservedly led through Bobby Zamora’s 33rd-minute strike.
Spurs were fortunate not to be further behind after a dreadful first-half display that earned them boos from their fans at the break.
It was 51 minutes before AVB’s men managed to conjure up their first meaningful shot on target.
They never looked like scoring until Rangers midfielder Alejandro Faurlin unluckily put the ball into his own net on the hour mark to turn this game.
Jermain Defoe then grabbed the winner 73 seconds later to lift the pressure that was mounting on his new boss.
Tottenham could have won by more and were probably just about good value for the points.
Villas-Boas will undoubtedly attribute his team’s late comeback to the tactical switch he made at half-time.
With Tottenham trailing and on the ropes, he replaced the ineffective Gylfi Sigurdsson with Steven Caulker and switched Jan Vertonghen to left-back so Gareth Bale, who started in defence due to an injury to Kyle Naughton, could be pushed forward.
And you have to give AVB some credit for his side’s improved second-half showing. But he is lucky his keeper Brad Friedel was in fine form or else it would have been a very different result.
After being rested for last week’s goalless Europa League draw with Lazio, the American was restored to the starting line-up for his 309th consecutive Premier League appearance.
And it is a good job for AVB he was in goal as he spectacularly tipped over Clint Hill’s header from Esteban Granero’s corner in the 11th minute.
Friedel, 41, then produced another stunning one-handed stop to keep out Junior Hoilett’s volley.
But there was nothing the former Blackburn and Aston Villa keeper could do to prevent the visitors from taking the lead 12 minutes before the break.
Faurlin split the Spurs defence with a sublime slide-rule pass and Zamora clipped the ball over Friedel for his fourth goal so far this season.
It was no more than Rangers deserved as they outclassed the hosts in every department in the first half. Hoilett’s speculative 35-yard shot had Friedel diving low to his right to prevent Spurs from falling even further behind moments later.
And they had a lucky escape six minutes before the break as William Gallas appeared to push Zamora in the back as they both jumped for a ball in the box.
Rangers boss Mark Hughes clearly felt it was a penalty as he threw his arms up in disgust at Phil Dowd’s decision not to award it.
In the other dugout, AVB paced up and down his technical area like an anxious expectant father in a maternity hospital waiting room.
His German assistant Steffen Freund dispelled the myth that all foreign coaches are cultured by constantly jumping to his feet and barking orders from the touchline like a rabid rottweiler with an ASBO.
Clint Dempsey, who was handed his first league start by AVB after his £6million signing from Fulham on deadline day, was fortunate he was not also dragged at the break after his equally abject first-half showing.
The American bucked up a bit and his long-range shot six minutes into the second half forced QPR keeper Julio Cesar into his first serious save, albeit a little unconvincingly.
With the natives getting restless, Faurlin did them a huge favour as, unsighted by Defoe, he bundled Caulker’s header into his own net for 1-1 in the 60th minute.
Defoe then made it 2-1 when he emphatically lashed home the rebound after Cesar had pushed Bale’s shot up on to the underside of the bar.
It was the Tottenham striker’s fourth goal of a season which has also seen him score twice for England.
Defoe and Bale went close as Spurs, playing with relief and new belief, pushed forward in the closing stages.
But they still had to be grateful to Vertonghen who denied Hoilett a certain equaliser for QPR with a brilliant last-ditch tackle.
Villas-Boas, his navy suit soaked by the rain, punched the air so hard at the final whistle, the lucky bracelet made by his daughters flew off his wrist.
Spurs will be hoping it was not his lucky charm.
DREAM TEAM
STAR MAN — JAN VERTONGHEN (Tottenham)
TOTTENHAM: Friedel 7, Walker 6, Gallas 5, Vertonghen 8, Bale 7, Lennon 6 (Townsend 4), Sandro 6, Dembele 7, Sigurdsson 5 (Caulker 7), Dempsey 5 (Huddlestone 4), Defoe 6. Subs not used: Lloris, Dawson, Falque, Mason.
QPR: Cesar 7, Onuoha 7, Nelsen 7, Hill 6, Bosingwa 3 (Dyer 7), Wright-Phillips 6 (Mackie 5), Faurlin 6, Granero 7, Park 7, Hoilett 7, Zamora 7 (Cisse 5). Subs not used: Green, Diakite, Derry, Ehmer. Booked: Granero, Dyer.
