BENT HAS TROUBLE WITH THE MISSES

SPURS fans sang "That's why we'd rather have San-der-a, that's why we sold ya" after Darren Bent's weak penalty was saved.

The 52nd-minute spot-kick miss brought an end to the Black Cats' hopes of getting back into the game.

And not for the first time, Spurs reject Bent was left feeling humiliated in front of goal at White Hart Lane.

Sandra? That was a witty reference to Harry Redknapp's wife.

Remember earlier in the year when Bent suffered this taunt from an exasperated Redknapp: "Even my missus could have scored that." It came after Bent had missed a sitter in a match against Portsmouth.

Bent took the jibe badly. The relationship between the pair never recovered, leading to the striker's £12million departure to Wearside in the summer.

Tottenham boss Redknapp resisted having another dig at Bent after the game.

But I suspect he would back his missus to hit a penalty with a bit more power than the Black Cats striker managed to muster with the score at 1-0. Although trailing to Robbie Keane's 12th-minute opener, Sunderland were the better team.

The visitors knocked the ball around with far more menace and enterprise than Spurs.

Seven minutes after the break, Kieran Richardson cut centre-halves Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate in two with a superb pass which Bent raced on to.

Heurelho Gomes - otherwise on top form again - hurtled out to the edge of the area and collided with Bent, who had pushed the ball past the Tottenham goalkeeper.

Gomes' act might not have been intentional but it looked a stone-cold penalty. Referee Kevin Friend seemed to judge it all correctly by only booking the keeper as the ball was running away from goal and defenders were running around to cover. But Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was adamant it should have been a red card.

As Bent waited for the whistle to take the penalty, he appeared to change his body shape and probably his mind - a usually fatal mistake.

The curled effort to Gomes' bottom left hand was powder puff and it was a comfortable save.

Bent was never quite the Spurs flop that has been painted as 25 goals in 79 games show.

He escaped the usual vile chants ex-players tend to get until that cutting ditty after the penalty miss.

Yet Bent, who has already scored eight goals this season, must be starting to loathe the Lane - especially seeing as England boss Fabio Capello was there yesterday.

Cunning

Keane had given Spurs an early lead when, having just escaped an offside flag from a Peter Crouch head down, he smuggled the ball past Craig Gordon from close range.

But having changed their formation with Keane in the hole, Spurs - who lacked width - could not get going.

Sunderland were unlucky not to equalise in the 38th minute as Andy Reid hit a superb 35-yard dipping volley which crashed back off a post.

After Bent squandered the chance of a deserved equaliser, Redknapp quickly changed his side by taking off Keane and playing Niko Kranjcar on the left in a straight 4-4-2.

The Croatian instantly gave Spurs better shape and more cunning.

In the 68th minute, Kranjcar's delightful scooped pass instigated a move that saw Jermain Defoe tee up Tom Huddlestone, who rasped a 20-yard drive into the roof of the net.

Redknapp admitted Spurs were fortunate as they moved up to fourth.

Bruce was left to lament: "Since the beach-ball incident, we've had no luck in front of goal."

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