They say the table doesn’t lie. Sometimes, though, it can be economical with the truth. Three points here and events at the City of Manchester stadium combined to return Tottenham to fourth place this morning, but for all the perfunctory-sounding nature of a 2-0 home victory, only the bravura brilliance of goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who saved both a penalty and his team’s bacon, prevented a third successive Premier League defeat.

If last Saturday’s Emirates fiasco and Stoke’s purloining of three points the week before painted a picture not entirely indicative of Tottenham’s myriad strengths, yesterday’s scoreline and the Gomes heroics hid a multitude of sins. Indeed, Sunderland were left wondering how they could control almost everything and leave with precisely nothing.

“I’m delighted by our performance,” noted visiting manager Steve Bruce. “We were the better team, but we lost. That’s football and since the beach ball incident we’ve had no luck in front of goal.”

Manager Harry Redknapp began with Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch for only the second time this season, an experiment that stymied the gifts of all three and meant Tottenham were outgunned in midfield until Niko Kranjcar emerged to offer craft and width.

“I started with the diamond but it didn’t sparkle,” lamented Redknapp. “We were very fortunate today and I can see why Sunderland feel hard done by.”

Further back, Sebastien Bassong’s indisposition forced Redknapp to test the dubious physiques of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate against the fleet-footed Darren Bent, who sorely missed his suspended sidekick Kenwyne Jones. All of which gave the watching Fabio Capello much to ponder.

Sunderland fielded four former Spurs and had a fifth on the bench.With so many having much to prove, Sunderland swamped midfield and were both hard-running and insouciant. Jordan Henderson screwing Bent’s early cross wide set the tone for what was to come.

Tottenham went ahead after 13 minutes with their only coherent first-half attack. Benoit Assou-Ekotto lolloped up the left and crossed deep. Crouch headed forwards and as the visiting defence appealed as one for an offside that would never come, Keane bundled home from point-blank range after his first effort had cannoned off Craig Gordon.

With Vedran Corluka and Assou-Ekotto peculiarly reluctant to overlap and Keane an ineffective link between midfield and attack, much of Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios’ toil was in vain in Tottenham’s understaffed midfield. Kieran Richardson and Phil Bardsley both sent Gomes scrambling across his goal, but the Brazilian needed lengthy treatment after diving at Bent’s feet. Sunderland struggled to craft real opportunities until the 39th minute when Andy Reid launched a vicious dipping volley from 30 yards that beat Gomes, but not his post.

Sunderland promptly fashioned a hatful of chances. Moments later, Gomes saved at Richardson’s feet.

Yet, when Sunderland were given a gift horse they looked it in the mouth. Steed Malbranque’s defence-splitting through-ball found Bent, who hurtled towards goal and tumbled theatrically under a Gomes challenge to secure the penalty Redknapp regarded as more jerrybuilt than stonewall.

“Irrespective of whether Bent was going away from goal, it was a goalscoring opportunity,” argued Bruce. “Although the rule is a load of crap, by that rule Gomes should have been sent off.”

The sweetest of returns beckoned, but neither Bent nor Gomes had read the script. The striker’s spot kick was weak, the goalkeeper’s guess correct and the home side’s relief was palpable.

The afternoon still had more blessings to bestow on Gomes.

Soon, he was expertly clinging onto Malbranque’s wickedly deflected piledriver and then Bent’s deft header. Somewhere amid the one-way traffic Gordon hurt himself diving at Palacios’ feet and with the goalkeeper flat-out, Bardsley deflected Huddlestone’s goalbound howitzer wide.

Sunderland were still pressing like men possessed when Tottenham scored their magical clincher. Kranjcar played the ball of the match to Defoe, who collected exquisitely and squared for Huddlestone to belt home first-time from the edge of the area.

Sunderland were just about spent, although Gomes took one further opportunity to ice his cake when he reacted athletically to keep out Michael Turner’s downwards header.

Kranjcar almost hit a third with a volley that just failed to dip under Marton Fulop’s bar, but even Sunderland’s malevolent fates couldn’t bring themselves to be that cruel.

TOTTENHAM: Gomes 9, Corluka 5,Woodgate 5, King 5 (Dawson 60 min, 6), Assou-Ekotto 5, Jenas 6, Huddlestone 6, Palacios 7, Keane (Kranjcar, 63 min) 6, Defoe 7, Crouch 6

SUNDERLAND: Gordon 6 (Fulop, 67 min), Bardsley (Ferdinand, 78 min) 6, Turner 6, Da Silva 5, McCartney 6, Campbell 7, Henderson 6, Reid 7, Richardson 7, Malbranque (Healy, 78 min) 7, Bent 6