Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle completed the £7million signing of striker Robbie Keane and then saw his unbeaten team climb to the summit of the Premiership with a 2-1 victory against Southampton at White Hart Lane.

	Les Ferdinand smiles after a scrambled goal. Saints defenders comiserate. (StuForster/GettyImages)

The win came courtesy of skipper Teddy Sheringham's dramatic injury-time penalty when it looked as if Hoddle was going to have to settle for a draw as Gordon Strachan's battling Saints matched them for 90 minutes.

It was ironic that defeat for Keane's former club Leeds at Birmingham earlier in the day meant a point would have been good enough to lift Spurs to the top of the table.

Les Ferdinand gave Spurs the lead after nine minutes, but Mauricio Taricco turned a cross into his own net 20 minutes later to level the scores.

A draw looked a fair and likely outcome until man-of-the-match Michael Svensson, Saints' Swedish international midfielder, blocked substitute Steffen Iversen's shot with his hand, for which he received a red card.

That left Sheringham to show a cool head and stroke the ball past Paul Jones and give Spurs their third successive victory of the new season.

Ferdinand, starting his first game of the season following a wrist injury, showed new signing Keane what will be expected of him when he stabbed home the opening goal.

It followed a dazzling run from England under-21 star Matt Etherington - still on the transfer list after asking for a move this summer - which won a corner on the left.

Milenko Acimovic's deep cross was nodded back across the face of goal by skipper Teddy Sheringham who was completely unmarked beyond the far post. Ferdinand stabbed the ball towards goal and it hit Chris Marsden before crossing the line.

Three minutes later Ferdinand was in his own six-yard box to win an important clearing header from Anders Svensson's free kick.

Strachan's men should have equalised in the 24th minute but were denied by a superb save from American Kasey Keller.

Rory Delap sent in a deep cross from the left and Paul Telfer was in yards of space at the far post. He met the ball with a side-foot volley but Keller managed to push the ball round his right post.

There is bad blood between these clubs after first Hoddle left the south coast to become manager of Spurs, then Dean Richards was signed last season.

It was Richards who was guilty of some poor defending which led to the equaliser.

Richards was skinned down the right by the lively Brett Ormerod who then delivered a teasing low cross. Taricco tried to scoop the ball behind for a corner at the far post as he was under pressure from Beattie, but he succeeded only in slicing it into his own net.

Gary Doherty came to the rescue for Spurs after 36 minutes when Ormerod was teasing the defence. The versatile Republic of Ireland international stuck out a long leg to win an important tackle in the box and Keller smothered the loose ball.

Ormerod was proving to be a handful and after 41 minutes he had his back to goal but managed a smart turn and shot which Keller saved.

It was end to end stuff and when Ferdinand then nodded down a free kick, Paul Williams did well to nick the ball away as Sheringham raced in.

The final minute of the half saw a good double chance fall to Simon Davies on the edge of the box. His first shot was saved by the legs of Paul Jones, and when the ball came back to him the young Welsh international scooped it over the bar.

Richards almost made amends for his earlier error within a minute of the restart.

Etherington delivered another fine cross and Richards had got forward to send a header narrowly beyond the far post.

Saints' keeper Jones may feel under pressure after the arrival of Antti Niemi from Hearts before the window closed, but he showed he will fight for his place when he produced a brilliant save to deny his international team-mate Davies.

Sheringham's clever pass found Davies in space just eight yards from goal, but his shot was blocked thanks to the goalkeeper's heroics.

Wayne Bridge was denied by another good save from Keller after 75 minutes. A minute later Doherty might have won it for Spurs when he powered a header over the bar from a right wing corner.

By now, Iversen had replaced Ferdinand and he won the penalty which settled the game.

His first shot struck a post and his follow-up effort was blocked by the hand of Svensson. The Swede was shown a red card and Sheringham stroked home the spot kick to send Spurs to the top of the table.