Birmingham City<\/a> into the Championship at the end of a topsy-turvy Survival Sunday.<\/p>\nThe Russian scored stunners either side of a Craig Gardner strike which looked to have saved the visitors until a late goal at Molyneux forced them to chase the game and leave the door open for the Russian to lash home the hammer blow and send Birmingham down with Blackpool and West Ham.<\/p>\n
Birmingham were on the back foot for large spells of the opening half as they jockeyed for position with those playing elsewhere and above all else, kept Spurs at bay ahead of what would become a frantic second-half.<\/p>\n
It took ten minutes for either side to muster a foray on goal, Spurs obliging when Sandro profited from excellent hold up play by Peter Crouch to drive low at goal from an almost impossible angle, forcing Foster to save with his legs.\u00a0 Two minutes later, the Brazilian was at it again, hitting a snap-shot from 18 yards to this time sting Foster\u2019s fingers.<\/p>\n
McLeish\u2019s men seemed intent on squashing Spurs out of possession in advanced areas, maintaining two rigid banks of four to thwart the North London outfit whenever they ventured into blue territory and Chilean attacker Jean Beausejour regularly funnelled back to complete a full ten man defensive unit for the likes of a typically probing Luka Modric to break down.\u00a0 An approach perhaps befitting of a side with only two Premier League away wins to their name this season.<\/p>\n
The Blues offered only sporadic break-aways \u2013 usually contrived through long clearances toward Cameron Jerome –\u00a0 and thus any theories expectant of a Birmingham onslaught to ensure their own survival were quickly deemed null and void as their supporters finest first-half moment came at the news of Ji-Sung Park\u2019s opener at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n
Spurs continued to look most likely and on 25 minutes, missiles from Sandro and Defoe were blocked before the quickly recycled ball allowed Aaron Lennon to loft a ball into the area for Crouch to divert goalwards and Defoe to head into the grateful arms of Foster.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their side building one way traffic at a relaxed pace, Spurs fans began heckling travelling supporters upon news of a Charlie Adam leveller at Old Trafford and were almost able to celebrate their own cause when Younes Kaboul whipped a ball across goal which Foster was forced to palm away from goal.\u00a0 Minutes later, as first-half injury time ebbed away, the former Watford keeper fielded well from range \u2013 clutching a Luka Modric drive to his chest.<\/p>\n
Sandro looked even more assured in the heart of the Tottenham midfield and only a brave lunging block by Craig Gardener could deny the 22-year-old another effort on goal as he looked to take aim from 12-yards.\u00a0 Gardener\u2019s block the epitome of the Blues defensive determination in an opening 45 minutes in which they added positional discipline to rugged tenacity \u2013 frustrating Harry Redknapp\u2019s troops with only momentary scares.<\/p>\n
If the first-half started tamely, a second-half which almost guaranteed final day Premier League drama started viciously for the struggling away side when Pavlyuchenko arced his first-time effort around the helpless Foster from 25 yards to cast major doubt over the league status of the Carling Cup winners.<\/p>\n
Only introduced on 40 minutes when Peter Crouch departed with a head injury, Pavlyuchenko\u2019s ninth of the season was as instinctive as it was clinical, as the Russian pounced on a loose ball when Craig Gardner stumbled in possession.<\/p>\n
Just as clinical to Blues hearts was the White Hart Lane roar nine minutes later when news of Blackpool\u2019s second goal at Old Trafford broke.\u00a0 A revelation which placed Alex McLeish\u2019s men firmly in the drop zone and prompted a change in stance as they searched for a life saving goal.<\/p>\n
Roger Johnson almost delivered that line on 63 minutes when he powerfully met a Sebastian Larsson corner to head marginally off target, but Blues joy was soon at fever-pitch when Gardener fielded a headed clearance 20-yards from the Tottenham goal before smashing left-footed through a sea of bodies and past a helpless Cudicini.\u00a0 Heaven for Alex McLeish\u2019s men and hell for Midland neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers who were themselves instantly sucked into the relegation cheap seats.<\/p>\n
Blues fans watched on with shredded nerves as each Tottenham thrust represented a dagger to their own Premiership being, but a slightly wayward Sandro volley and a stunning block by the excellent Curtis Davies on a Niko Krancjar strike kept the score at parity.<\/p>\n
There was however to be no stopping Pavlyuchenko\u2019s second of the day as Spurs maximised the spaces left as a result of Birmingham\u2019s need to score and the Russian\u2019s 10th of the season ecliplsed his superb ninth as he smashed the ball in off the underside of the cross bar from 20-yards.<\/p>\n
The strike sparked scenes of finality at White Hart Lane as Roger Johnson sat hunched on the halfway line as the prospect of Championship football became total reality for Birmingham City, despite their own, and Tottenham\u2019s qualification for the Europa League.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Excerpt from:
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![\"EPL](\"http:\/\/u.goal.com\/132300\/132311_news.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n