Brilliant Berbatov finishes off Charlton and keeps Spurs on track

Dimitar Berbatov stunned Charlton after just seven minutes with his 22nd goal of a magnificent first season in the Premiership before former Charlton schoolboy Jermain Defoe, after being set up by the Bulgarian, sealed the comfortable win in the 90th minute.

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It will no doubt stick in the throats of the Charlton faithful that a player West Ham spirited away as youngster delivered the killer blow in the white shirt of Tottenham.

Although Charlton's fate was sealed last night, it was the manner in which they began the campaign that really did the damage, first under Iain Dowie then briefly under Les Reed.

It is only down to the managerial skills of Pardew, who was deemed not fit to save West Ham by their Icelandic owner Eggert Magnusson, that Charlton stood any faint hope of beating the drop at all - not that Pardew was ever in it to gain revenge over his former employers by sending them down.

Charlton chief executive Peter Varney certainly appreciates Pardew's talents even if Magnusson does not.

And in Varney's programme notes, blame was firmly placed on Dowie's shoulders for blowing £11m on new players that were supposed to ensure a comfortable mid-table finish.

But since taking over from Reed on Boxing Day, Pardew remarkably offered Charlton a fighting chance of survival despite the team spending the vast majority of the season in the bottom three.

He even managed to lift Charlton out of the drop zone, albeit briefly. But heavy defeats by Everton and Blackburn saw his side sucked back in, leaving them with the unenviable task of needing to beat Spurs and Liverpool to stand any chance of taking Charlton's stay in the top flight into an eighth year.

Seeing off Spurs was always going to present a stern test, given that Martin Jol's side are determined to mount a late charge for a UEFA Cup spot after their experience of reaching the last eight this season only to lose out to holders Sevilla.

Jol is fully aware that expectation levels have been raised at White Hart Lane after last year's fifthplace finish.

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Spurs were dominant from the kick-off while a stunned Charlton took until the fifth minute to launch an attack . . . which culminated in a Marcus Bent air shot.

Spurs striker Berbatov simply does not suffer from such lapses in control, and moments later he had put his side ahead with his 22nd goal of the season.

The Bulgarian latched on to Ledley King's pass, spun away from Talal El Karkouri on the left wing then held off the Charlton defender before striding into the box and dispatching an angled shot past Scott Carson.

It was the worst possible start for Pardew and the fact there was little reaction from his players as Spurs indulged in some slick possession football did not bode well.

Charlton did at least warm to the task as the half wore on, El Karkouri going close with a clever back- heel while Marcus Bent should have tested Paul Robinson with his header from Darren Ambrose's deep cross instead of putting the ball back across goal.

Eight minutes before the break, having upped the tempo considerably, Charlton carved out their best chance of the half. Darren Bent collected the ball from Alexandre Song, before sending it in from the left only to see Song put his header woefully wide. Darren Bent then scampered to the edge of the Spurs box but fired well wide under pressure from Ricardo Rocha.

Berbatov went close to adding to his tally three minutes after the restart, stinging Charlton playerofthe-year Carson's palms with a fierce 30-yard drive.

Just before the hour-mark Zheng Zhi thought he had won Charlton a penalty, but replays showed referee Mark Halsey had made the right decision awarding a corner as Michael Dawson had clearly got something on the ball.

With choruses of 'Always look on the bright side of life' ringing out round The Valley, Defoe, on after the break, got the second goal Spurs probably deserved with a dipping 90th-minute strike.

Now starts the planning by Pardew to ensure Charlton bounce straight back, just as they did the last time they slipped out of the top flight under Alan Curbishley.

Pardew admitted that the pain of relegation will take a couple of days to sink in.

When it does, the realities of life in the Championship will hit home, and perhaps most significant will be the likely departures of quality players such as Darren Bent and Luke Young.

Pardew said: "We tried everything. Smoke and mirrors, the whole shebang. But it was just not to be."