Heskey strikes again to lift Wigan to 13th position

Wigan got their second draw against London opposition within a week, and it was Emile Heskey who got the all important equaliser once again to help the club towards Premier League safety.

Latics started brightly with some confident passing but Spurs broke away quickly and they scored in the sixth minute as Dimitar Berbatov volleyed cleanly from Aaron Lennon's cross.

But Latics didn't let their heads drop at all and their efforts were repaid in the 12th minute as Heskey levelled the scored. Kevin Kilbane's cross was superb for the big man and Heskey brushed off the challenge of Didier Zokora as his touch killed the ball before turning round and firing past Radek Cerny at the near post.

However, Heskey was forced to limp off during the second half after picking up a slightly strained hamstring half way through of the second half.

There wasn't a lot between the two sides as both looked solid defensively and both wanted tried to catch each other out on the counter attack. But Latics went closest to grabbing a winning goal just before the hour mark through Marcus Bent as he latched onto a brilliant through ball from Wilson Palacios, he was clean through on goal but his shot smacked the underside of the crossbar.

Boss Steve Bruce decided to make just once change since the last outing at Chelsea, with tough tackling midfielder Michael Brown coming in for Josip Skoko.

Bent was a prominent force for Latics in the first half as he tested Cerny from distance with a thirty yard drive, although the shot was relatively easy for the Czech goalkeeper. The Latics striker also did well to dispossess a Spurs man off the ball inside his own half before going on a long run towards the box, but his finish didn't really trouble Cerny.

Palacios was influential in midfield and he tried his luck with a shot outside the box on the half hour, but saw that saved as well.

Heskey had a great chance to grab Wigan a winner in the 72 minute. Antonio Valencia ran into the penalty box unchallenged and slid the ball to Heskey, whose first time effort from point blank range was well blocked by Cerny.

But Latics had to work really hard in defence to keep the score intact, and they did just that. Captain Mario Melchiot produced a sensational tackle on Berbatov in the last five minutes of the first half to concede the corner. Spurs' Michael Dawson directed a header towards the target, but Ryan Taylor was at the far post to clear the ball away.

Chris Kirkland was called into action five minutes into the second half as Lennon raced into the penalty box, and the Latics shot stopper did brilliantly to beat the ball away to safety.

Lennon threatened again after the hour as he only had Paul Scharner to beat before going clean through, but the Austrian defender produced a well timed tackle to gain possession and deny the Spurs winger any chance of getting past.

Although Spurs took an early lead they could have scored just after kick off as Robbie Keane burst through the defence and into the area, but his shot went into the side netting. In the 25th minute, Scottish defender Alan Hutton found space in the box to curl a left-footed shot towards the corner, but Kirkland made the save.

Overall, this was a fair result for Latics as both teams seemed evenly matched despite Spurs' constant threat to break away quickly on the counter attack. It's still not mathematically certain, but Latics are closer than ever to safety. 

LATICS: KIrkland; Melchiot (c), Scharner, Boyce, Kilbane; Valencia, Palacios, Brown, Taylor (Koumas 81); Heskey (Sibierski 76), D. Bent (King 84).

SUBS: Pollitt, Skoko.

BOOKINGS: Valencia, Palacios.

GOALS: Heskey 12.

TOTTENHAM: Cerny; Hutton, Dawson, Huddlestone, O'Hara; Zokora, Jenas, Malbranque; Keane (c), (D. Bent 73) Berbatov.

SUBS: Forecast, Rocha, Gilberto, Tainio.

BOOKINGS: O'Hara.

GOALS: Berbatov 6.

REFEREE: Lee Probert.

ATTENDANCE: 18, 673