Tottenham overcame Younes Kaboul's sending off to secure a 2-0 victory over Newcastle on Tuesday and provisionally dislodge Chelsea from the Premier League's top four.
Kaboul was dismissed for an attempted head-butt on Cheick Tiote in the 65th minute shortly after Aaron Lennon had put Spurs in front.
Despite Newcastle enjoying a man advantage, Gareth Bale completed a speedy counterattack in the 81st to double Tottenham's lead.
''It was hard out there,'' Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said. ''They've played a five-man midfield and their three central midfielders are very strong and aggressive.
''They've got an extra man every time you play through midfield. There was no space to play, so it was difficult. We had to be patient. We're a small side, so you have to pass through teams. They spoilt it and made it difficult.''
Not only did it complete a second successive victory for Spurs in the league, where they are unbeaten in their last eight matches, but it came two days after also defeating Aston Villa with 10 men.
''I'm disappointed with Younes, you can't do that and he knows that - he's sorry for what he did,'' Redknapp said. ''You need to keep disciplined ... and make sure you don't go down to 10 men, but to play again with 10 men we kept the ball great.''
Spurs are two points ahead of Chelsea, but their fifth-place London rivals are still to play Bolton on Wednesday.
''It's going to be hard getting into the top four this year, tougher than last year,'' Redknapp said. ''(Chelsea) had a bad run, but when Frank (Lampard) and (Michael) Essien get back fit, you'll see a different Chelsea. I wouldn't write them off.''
Newcastle, which has lost three of its last four matches, dropped to 12th in the standings.
''We were disappointed with our quality,'' Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said. ''We had a game-plan to disrupt their play, but we lacked that quality in the final third.
''The difference between the sides was the electric pace that Spurs have in their side, which can undo your discipline as a back four. You want that directness in your team.''
The tone for a physical and scrappy encounter was set early on at White Hart Lane with challenges from imposing Newcastle forward Andy Carroll, who came closest when a header from Jonas Gutierrez's cross that went over after 25 minutes.
From the home side, there was a half volley from Roman Pavlyuchenko that was blocked by diving goalkeeper Tim Krul and Rafael van der Vaart had a free kick tipped over, but the best chances came on the stroke of half time.
Van der Vaart skewed a free header wide of the target, while Pavlyuchenko's nodded effort was pushed by Krul on to his left post and it hit the other but there was no Spurs man to connect with the loose ball.
Spurs did find the target in the 57th, with Lennon picking up ball from Kaboul, shifting to edge of the area and sending a low shot into the net from a tight angle via a slight deflection off James Perch.
Both Kaboul and Gutierrez had been booked at the start of the second half and tensions boiled over on the pitch and the touchline after Spurs went in front.
Alan Smith was furious that Anthony Taylor booked him for a challenge on Bale and he bellowed abuse at the Spurs wide man.
And from the 65th minute the home side played with 10 men after Tiote's challenge on Kaboul prompted the Spurs defender to express his fury with an attempted head-butt on the Newcastle man.
Redknapp responded to Kaboul's dismissal by replacing a striker - Pavlyuchenko - with a defender - Sebastien Bassong, formerly of Newcastle.
But when Van der Vaart was brought off in the 71st, the Netherlands playmaker was replaced by another striker: Peter Crouch.
Such positivity from Redknapp was nearly rewarded with 15 minutes remaining when Lennon struck wide from the same spot where he had previously scored.
And the second did come shortly afterward when Luka Modric released Bale to accelerate through the Newcastle defense and cut past Steven Taylor before netting his 10th goal of the season.
