Bale at the double as Spurs return to winning ways

Tottenham overwhelmed Blackburn 4-2 at White Hart Lane on Saturday to secure their first league win in five games and climb to sixth in the Premier League standings.

Goals from Gareth Bale and Roman Pavlyuchenko gave Spurs a 2-0 half-time lead that was scant reward for their dominance, before second-half efforts from Peter Crouch and Bale put the game well beyond their opponents.

Defenders Ryan Nelsen and Gael Givet claimed late consolations for Blackburn, who remain 13th after their first defeat in three league outings.

Spurs broke the deadlock in the 16th minute when Rafael van der Vaart swung in a corner from the right and Bale rose unmarked to plant a header high into the net past Paul Robinson.

Brett Emerton responded for Blackburn by curling in a left-footed shot that Heurelho Gomes had to touch behind, with Christopher Samba heading wide from the resulting corner, but from then until the break it was all Spurs.

The hosts had two penalty appeals rejected, after first Pavlyuchenko and then Luka Modric went down in the area, with the latter unfortunate to be booked for diving following an apparent foul by Michel Salgado.

Pavlyuchenko then poked the ball wide after seizing onto a loose Phil Jones back-pass, and worse was to come for the Russian striker moments later when he slammed a penalty kick wide after Robinson had brought down Crouch.

Blackburn threatened again, with Nikola Kalinic testing Gomes after a lovely turn, before Pavlyuchenko atoned for his penalty miss by ghosting in at the back post to dispatch Bale’s cross with a bullet header.

Crouch had an effort from the edge of the box parried by Robinson early in the second half, while Blackburn came desperately close to pulling a goal back when Morten Gamst Pedersen’s strike was blocked on the line by William Gallas.

It was to prove a costly near-miss for Blackburn.

Crouch converted a rebound after Pavlyuchenko’s shot was saved by Robinson to extend Spurs’ lead in the 69th minute, before Bale claimed his second of the match despite a hand-ball by van der Vaart.

Nelsen replied for Rovers with 10 minutes to go, drilling home after a spot of penalty box pinball, before Givet slammed home in the 90th minute to give the travelling fans a late cheer.