Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur | Premier League report
If you're having problems trying to fill the scoresheet, who better to come up against than Sunderland? Tottenham's modest collective goal effort edged one ahead of the Premier League's leading scorer Luis Suárez – 15 to 14 – with help from the hosts, whose not-so-secret Santas again came bearing gifts. Their unwanted benevolence this season continues, John O'Shea inadvertently making it five own goals conceded by the Premier League's bottom side, more than double any other top flight club.
Surrendering the lead to lose to one former employer is unfortunate, doing it twice within the space of three days is downright careless. Yet that is the uncomfortable scenario faced by Gus Poyet, the Sunderland head coach formerly on the payroll at White Hart Lane, and in the wake of their midweek defeat to Chelsea, the South American saw another opportunity for his side to add to their meagre points tally go begging.
Sunderland failed to build on Adam Johnson providing them with the lead, to leave them five points adrift of safety and their seven-season tenure of English football's top table looking increasingly at risk. For their part, Tottenham are up to sixth, two points shy of the Champions League places after responding to their humiliating defeat at Manchester City with three wins and a draw. Crisis? What crisis?
"It's been a great fortnight since the Manchester City defeat, and we're back on track," André Villas-Boas insisted. Tottenham are three points behind second-placed Liverpool, whom they face next, and the Portuguese manager added: "We knew we needed to do better than we showed against City, and it's credit to the players who've been immense in the situation we've faced. It's their sweat on the pitch and they've honoured the fans and the badge on the shirt."
Tottenham may still not have scored more than two goals in a league game this season but that didn't prevent them from sealing an 11th win in their past 19 away league trips, courtesy of O'Shea's untimely deflection past Vito Mannone as the Irishman was unable to avoid a cross from Mousa Dembélé, after the midfielder easily rounded Jack Colback down the left just after the interval.
Moussa Dembélé of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates with his team-mates after Sunderland's John O'Shea scored an own goal Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Getty Images
Jermain Defoe came close to embellishing the margin of victory, the forward suffering misfortune on two occasions when a close-range header from Aaron Lennon's centre and a deft touch from an Andros Townsend assist both came back off the post. There was no such bad luck when Defoe pulled a shot narrowly wide when released by Lewis Holtby's astute pass, a glaring miss for a marksman usually so assured when there remains only the goalkeeper to beat.

"It's been our problem this season," Villas-Boas conceded. "We've been unlucky in front of goal and we could have extended our lead, but in fairness, there was only going to be one winner. We need to find a ruthlessness in front of goal."
Tottenham's continued wastefulness could have proved costly. The visiting substitute Sandro escaped with what appeared to be handball in the area, and the home substitute Fabio Borini might have done rather better when attempting to direct a close-range chance through a crowd of players in a late goal-mouth melee. Instead, the Italian's effort found the welcoming arms of Hugo Lloris, whose ineffectual punch had landed invitingly for Johnson to break the deadlock eight minutes before half-time with an impressive close-range finish.
Tottenham levelled before the interval, Nacer Chadli underlining his aerial threat by heading Kyle Walker's free-kick back across the six-yard area for Paulinho to stab home a second league goal this season, as O'Shea and Phil Bardsley both hesitated.
Poyet had clearly left his side in little doubt as to his displeasure at the unacceptable level of their performance. "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "I'm running out of words, because the second half wasn't good enough, and there's a long list of basics we're not doing.
"We'll be back in training on Monday morning and I'll keep going at them like a hammer. Either they learn quickly, or they will end up with a massive hole in their head."