Christian Eriksen bagged an 89th-minute winner as Tottenham Hotspur beat Sunderland 2-1 at White Hart Lane this afternoon.

Jan Vertonghen's deflected effort helped Spurs into the lead after just four minutes, but Sebastian Larsson struck a fine free kick as the Black Cats went in level at the break.

Gus Poyet's side defended for their lives in a second half that saw Tottenham throw the kitchen sink at their North-East counterparts, before Eriksen struck in timely fashion to snatch the points.

Here, Sports Mole sorts the heroes from the villains in North London.

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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Goal

Hugo Lloris: Could do very little about the goal and had barely anything to do other than that. Very quiet day at the office for the Frenchman overall. (6/10)

Defence

Kyle Walker: Had a relatively quiet afternoon defensively, but should have made more of some attacking positions that he found himself in. (5/10)

Eric Dier: Came through the first half relatively well and without incident, and found himself barely troubled throughout a second half where all the action occurred at the other end. (6/10)

Jan Vertonghen: Very mixed bag for the Belgian, who scored the opener but also conceded the free kick that led to Sunderland's equaliser. He was also lucky to not concede a penalty after fouling Defoe immediately after his opening goal. (6/10)

Danny Rose: Had a little more defensive work to do than fellow full-back Walker, but stood up well to it, as well as looking a real menace in Sunderland's final third. (6/10)

Midfield

Moussa Dembele: Never gave up in his pursuit to win possession and used the ball excellently throughout. Subbed on 75 minutes for Townsend. (6/10)

Benjamin Stambouli: Shielded possession really well under intense pressure from Sunderland at times and overall proved a solid figure in Spurs' defensive midfield. (7/10)

Nacer Chadli: Not at his best, but still fizzed in one or two fantastic low crosses that no Spurs player could convert. Nowhere near his best, though. (5/10)

Christian Eriksen: Far and away Spurs' best player in a game where so many of their attacking quantities were negated by the Black Cats' defence, and struck a late winner to end their stubborn resistance. (8/10)

Attack

Roberto Soldado: Never got going and struggled to really make an impact. Had one chance, but his first touch let him down before he could move one-on-one with Pantilimon. Subbed on the hour mark. (4/10)

Harry Kane: Looked a little too desperate to score at times by taking on shots when perhaps passing was the better option. By no means his best game this afternoon. (5/10)

Substitutes

Emmanuel Adebayor: Was given a lukewarm reception by Spurs fans upon entering the field, and did little to bring them to their feet in appreciation. (4/10)

Andros Townsend: Did his chances of future starting berths no harm at all with a fine cameo that included an assist for Eriksen's late winner. (7/10)

Paulinho: Only had a minute or two on the field. (5/10)

Goal

Costel Pantilimon: The big Romanian pulled off fine saves in both halves and might feel a little aggrieved that he ended up on the losing side. Did nothing wrong in 90 minutes. (7/10)

Defence

Santiago Vergini: True to form, the error-prone defender was mostly at fault for the opening goal after Vertonghen capitalised on his hashed clearance, but he recovered well to his credit. (6/10)

John O'Shea: Gave Kane and Soldado barely a sniff throughout and he is another that can feel especially hard done by by the late defeat. Brilliant overall. (7/10)

Wes Brown: Produced one or two potentially goal-saving blocks to deny Kane in a solid defensive performance overall from the veteran. (7/10)

Billy Jones: Looked a real threat at times going forward and swung in one or two excellent crosses, but struggled against Rose from the second half onwards. (6/10)

Patrick van Aanholt: Did not venture forward as often as he would have liked from that wing-back position, but defended brilliantly and came up with a couple of crucial tackles to snuff out genuine goalscoring chances. (7/10)

Midfield

Jack Rodwell: Went about his business very quietly, and not as effectively as in recent outings, with Spurs allowed plenty of space in and around Sunderland's box. (5/10)

Sebastian Larsson: Got Sunderland back on level terms with a fine free kick and looked a real threat from dead-ball situations. The visitors probably should have made more of those set pieces. (6/10)

Adam Johnson: Looked wasted in a number 10 role and could not put that gem of a left foot to much use throughout. Minimal contribution this afternoon. (4/10)

Attack

Jermain Defoe: He couldn't mark his debut with a goal against his former club, but his first-half performance suggested that, at 32, he still the talismanic qualities that could fire Sunderland to safety. Dipped in the second half, but positive debut overall. (6/10)

Steven Fletcher: Made himself a contender for miss of the season after fluffing his lines from just three yards out in the first half. Ruined what would have been a fantastic assist from Jones, too. (5/10)

Substitutes

Connor Wickham: Lots of running, but very little suggested that he was the man to bring on. (4/10)

Danny Graham: Only had 15 minutes to make an impact, but could, and should, have scored the potential winner after missing a gilt-edged chance on 82 minutes. Defoe - who he replaced - would've scored. (4/10)