Jol 'a happy customer' with Berbatov

12 April 2012

Tottenham boss Martin Jol hailed Dimitar Berbatov's performance in the 4-1 win over Bolton as the finest he has seen by a lone striker.

Robbie Keane took centre stage for the first 36 minutes, scoring twice then getting sent off, before Berbatov stole the show. The Bulgaria striker, a £10.9million signing from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, gave a masterclass in playing as the only forward.

"I told Berbatov it was the probably the best performance I've seen from a striker on his own against any team," said Spurs boss Jol. "So I'm a happy customer."

He added: "Berbatov can play in any team in Europe, he a top-class player. You look at his record, I don't think there is a player at international level with a better record than his with Bulgaria.

"He cost us a lot of money and then it is always a worry if he can do it in his first couple of months."

Berbatov set up Keane for the opener against Bolton and Jermaine Jenas doubled the lead when he followed up a Keane shot.

Keane extended the lead before he was sent off for handball on the line, with Gary Speed scoring from the spot. Jol will look at a replay of the penalty incident before deciding whether to appeal.

Aaron Lennon added a fourth in added time, giving Spurs renewed hope of qualifying for Europe through the league.

Bolton, meanwhile, missed their chance to climb into the top four, and boss Sam Allardyce believes finishing in the Champions League places is now unlikely.

"It was the difference between still having a chance of Champions League or not, and I think we blew any chance of trying to catch Arsenal or Liverpool by at least getting a point," he said.

"But Tottenham, in the form they are in, was always going to be a difficult task. That was the case, more than I expected."

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