Tottenham 2 QPR 1:Jermain Defoe scored his sixth goal of the season as Tottenham came from behind to beat QPR and register their first home win under Andre Villas-Boas.
A dreadful first-half performance meant Villas-Boas left the pitch at half-time to a chorus of loud boos, but his team turned things around after the break, with Defoe’s strike and an own-goal from Alejandro Faurlin handing the Portuguese his first win at White Hart Lane at the fourth attempt.
Bobby Zamora, who scored one goal in 18 appearances at Spurs, put QPR ahead in the first half after Faurlin’s brilliant slide-rule pass, and had it not been for a couple of brilliant reaction saves from Brad Friedel, Tottenham could have gone in 3-0 down at half-time.
The home team regrouped after the break and put in a much better performance with Gareth Bale, who had started at full-back, pushed up to his natural position on the left wing.
Faurlin somehow chested the ball into his own net at the back post from a Steven Caulker header and, less than two minutes later, Defoe scored the winner after coolly finishing from 10 yards.
Spurs had conceded in the latter stages of all their previous games, but they held firm this evening to leave Villas-Boas punching the air with glee at the final whistle.