It was a great result for Spurs on Sunday.

Nice football was always going to be difficult on what can only be called a bog and it was definitely a game where the result mattered more than the performance - any thoughts of another 9-1 win were put to one side.

In the end the game panned out pretty much as expected. Wigan looked low on confidence and were toothless up front, though this surely can't be helped by the terrible playing surface, I would hate to play there every week.

The headlines will no doubt go to Pav, whose two late goals sealed the points. The Russian striker has failed to hit the heights expected of him when he moved from Moscow last summer. But with the transfer window closed for now and his other strikers out of form Redknapp will need all the players at his disposal so he would do well to back his man through to the end of the season. He may well start next season at a different club but if he can score a few more crucial goals before he leaves, Spurs fans will wish him a fond farewell.

The result was made doubly vital thanks to the perfect result at Eastlands, where Man City and Liverpool decided to bore us all to death with a 0-0 draw. If you asked someone who didn't know where the two sides were in the division they would never have guessed fourth and fifth. Both sides were dire and on that showing don't deserve Champions League football. Elsewhere Villa romped to victory over Burnley, who just can't win away from home. No real surprise there, the best hope for Spurs is that Villa do their annual end of season collapse sooner rather than later.

Cup games could also distract Villa and although the Carling Cup odds suggest they will not win that competition, an unexpected victory could see their players bask in the glory too long and ease off in the league.

The dark horses though could be Everton who have come from nowhere to suddenly beat United and Chelsea in successive games to throw their hat into the Champions League ring. They travel to White Hart Lane next in what is almost certainly a Champions League six pointer. Everton's poor start means they cannot afford to lose too many more matches from now until the end of the season, so a Spurs win could knock them out of contention completely. They are in the driving seat for now but Spurs being Spurs, there will be plenty of twists and turns yet.

However, the football betting odds suggest Tottenham will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.