Keane rivalry spurring on Tottenham

13 April 2012

Robbie Keane's fierce competitive streak will ensure that Tottenham's season is not allowed to drift towards an unsatisfactory anticlimax in the wake of their Carling Cup triumph.

Juande Ramos has made it clear that there will be no experimental teams on his part and Jermaine Jenas expects proud striker Keane to give Tottenham's run-in an added edge.

Dimitar Berbatov: On the scoresheet again

Keane is not only a strike away from his best return since a £7million move from Leeds nearly six years ago, but the Republic of Ireland forward is also duelling goal-for-goal with partner Dimitar Berbatov.

Berbatov's opener at Ewood Park, courtesy of a Jenas cross, hauled him level with skipper Keane on 22 goals for a season in which none of their team-mates has even cracked double figures.

Tottenham's League position looks likely to benefit from a healthy rivalry that threatened briefly to spill over when the Bulgarian and the Irishman had sharp words over Keane's rare mistimed run.

Midfielder Jenas said: "I'm sure they both want to finish top scorer and it's great to have that competition between them. They've been fantastic."

While there were spells here as flat as old Wembley champagne, manager Ramos is determined that Tottenham will not simply settle for their cup medals and daydream about the beach.

He said: "We have to put out our best sides in the remaining games to get the best results possible. We also have to respect the competition. We will be putting out a strong team and carry on what we did today."

Blackburn, desperate to book their own European place next season, were grateful once more to David Bentley for creating Morten Gamst Pedersen's 30th-minute equaliser to keep them in the hunt.

Little wonder Tottenham are among clubs who will challenge Liverpool if Bentley does leave Ewood. Pedersen, groggy from the flu that stopped him training most of the week, said: "David is England's best right-sided player. He can score goals, he can deliver. It's time he was given that place in the team."

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