Tottenham keep rolling after harsh red card for Bolton's Gary Cahill

 

Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale celebrates the opening goal against Bolton Wanderers. Photograph: Jamie Mcdonald/Getty Images

Tottenham supporters of a particular vintage continue to wait for something to go wrong. Experience tells them it has to happen and, maybe it would in a game such as this, which had been billed as a home banker. Except that Harry Redknapp's team just keep on rolling.

It was Bolton for whom everything went wrong. Owen Coyle, the manager, led the protests over the 17th-minute dismissal of Gary Cahill for a professional foul on Scott Parker and it was impossible not to feel for him. It was a ludicrous decision.

Tottenham, though, were a cut above and they equalled a club record by registering an 11th Premier League match without defeat. Ten of them have been victories. It very quickly became a question of how many Tottenham would score and, were it not for the heroics of the Bolton goalkeeper, Jussi Jaaskelainen, they would have won by six or seven.

The result and performance did little to allay Bolton's relegation fears and it was possible to fear for them at the outset. Tottenham started at a high tempo, pressing with intensity and they looked in control even before the sending-off. Gareth Bale is in blistering form and he had the added motivation of wanting to honour the memory of Gary Speed, his friend and manager at international level with Wales. Bale was emotional during the pre-match minute's applause and he was able to offer a personal tribute in the seventh minute.

Luka Modric's driven low corner caught Bolton sleeping and Bale was allowed to sneak into space at the near post and flick a shot goalwards, which Jaaskelainen allowed to slip underneath him. For so many reasons, it was a dreadful goal for Bolton to concede. Bale removed his yellow and orange scoring boot and held it up to the crowd. Stitched into the lining was the message: Gary Speed RIP.

The sending-off disfigured the game and when Stuart Attwell flashed the red card, there was palpable shock. Cahill, a transfer target for Tottenham, lost the ball to Parker, then lunged in and brought him down. Parker, though, was 45 yards out, was not making directly for goal and was towards the left wing. Apart from that, Attwell got it spot on.

Coyle and his staff raged on the touchline and even Redknapp offered some sympathy. Upon the half-time whistle, Coyle marched on to the field to confront Attwell.

It was almost as remarkable how Tottenham took only a one-goal lead into the interval. Jaaskelainen atoned for his soft concession with a string of fine saves, the most eye-catching being his double block from Bale and Jermain Defoe. At the other end, on a rare Bolton counter, Brad Friedel did well to tip over Chris Eagles's deflected shot.

The second half brought more of the same. Tottenham on the front foot, creating clear chances; Jaaskelainen defiant. There was also another controversial decision from Attwell, when he ruled that Kevin Davies had not clipped Benoît Assou-Ekotto inside the area.

Aaron Lennon scored the second, cutting inside and shooting home low, and the third was a near rerun of the first, Modric's corner touched on by Bale, who had bolted towards the near post, for Defoe to finish.