Tottenham 2
Bolton 0

With 25 years' experience as a manager behind him, Harry Redknapp is far too wise to believe that one Premier League victory has banished the prospect of relegation for Tottenham.

Redknapp's arrival inspired Spurs' most confident performance of the season and there was much about his team's display against Bolton to suggest that better times are in sight.

But Spurs fans should be wary of thinking that Redknapp's presence alone will guarantee top-flight survival. This is the man, remember, who failed to keep Southampton in the Premier League in the 2004/05 season despite taking charge in December of that campaign.

The win over Bolton, achieved thanks to Roman Pavlyuchenko's 17th-minute header and substitute Darren Bent's penalty 14 minutes from full-time, was not enough to lift Spurs off the bottom of the table and they remain three points from safety.

The club's next two fixtures will concern Redknapp. On Wednesday, his team travel to Emirates Stadium for the first north London derby of the season against Arsenal. Then on Saturday, Spurs face League leaders Liverpool, who have ex-Spurs striker Robbie Keane in their squad and who have yet to be defeated this season.

Furthermore, Rafael Benitez's team ended Chelsea's 86-match unbeaten home run in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge yesterday and they are unlikely to be worried by the prospect of facing Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Such concerns are likely to have played a significant part in chairman Daniel Levy's decision to sack in one fell swoop Juande Ramos, his assistants Marcos Alvarez and Gus Poyet, and sporting director Damien Comolli over the weekend. Only hours after he had been appointed, Redknapp was in the White Hart Lane dug-out. Not for 'Arry the comfort of the directors' box for his first match in charge. Alongside reserve-team coach Clive Allen, who picked the team, Redknapp was in the thick of things from the start, barking orders at his players and shouting encouragement.

The players looked much livelier and much less careworn than they did during the final weeks of Ramos's reign.

They were without Jonathan Woodgate due to a groin injury, but Ledley King was included for his first League appearance since 31 August. King played well, but his presence was a mystery.

Ramos had insisted repeatedly that his captain's fragile knee meant he was able to play only once every two or three weeks, yet here was King in the starting XI just three days after he had skippered the team during their 2-0 UEFA Cup loss at Udinese.

David Bentley, who had been dropped from the squad for the midweek defeat in Italy for criticising Ramos' regime, justified his recall to the team with an excellent cross from the right and Pavlyuchenko benefited from Bolton's appalling marking to head in his first League goal for the club.

Another of Spurs' expensive summer signings, £16.5million Croatian playmaker Luka Modric, had his best game for Spurs, looking far more comfortable playing just behind the main striker than he had in central midfield.

Redknapp is convinced that Modric can make the difference for his team. He said: "His best position is just off the front man. That is where he needs to play, because it frees him up.

"It would be a problem playing him in a 4-4-2 formation, because he is not a central midfielder. But if you give him the ball, he will do special things."

Modric produced the best piece of skill of the game in the 69th minute, when he controlled the ball on the half-way line and flicked it over the head of his marker in one movement, before releasing Bent with a perfectly-weighted pass.

Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen denied Bent with a fine save on that occasion, but in the 76th-minute, the Icelander could only parry Modric's powerful drive before upending Bent as the forward chased the rebound.

Bent then beat Jaaskelainen from the penalty spot to seal the win and every one of Spurs' outfield players celebrated the goal in front of the Park Lane End - a clear attempt to display unity within the squad. The only man not to join the party was goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, whose form will worry Redknapp. After his mistake against Udinese in midweek, the Brazilian was a bag of nerves and he failed to claim a clean catch all game.

Kevin Nolan and Fabrice Muamba both missed excellent chances to equalise for Bolton after mistakes from Gomes, although the visitors, who lacked attacking ambition, saw their chances damaged when Gavin McCann was sent off for a second booking in the 56th minute.

His position strengthened immediately by victory, Redknapp chose his first post-match press conference as Spurs manager to let Levy know who would be in charge. Redknapp added: "The chairman will do the deals but I will pick the players. I wouldn't let anyone else buy my players. The chairman said that he had to let people go and that he wanted to give me a clean start.

"In the first 20 minutes, I was wondering how this team could be bottom of the League. When he is fit, Ledley King is a great player. Then there is Vedran Corluka, Modric and Bentley."

The sooner he can put his finger on Spurs' problems, the sooner Redknapp can consign the later days of the Ramos era to history.