The consolation for Sam Allardyce is that he did not do Rafael Benítez a favour. Had Allardyce’s Rovers stunted Tottenham’s push for a top-four finish and, indirectly, helped Liverpool and Benítez, it might have stuck in his jowls. Allardyce cannot see eye-to-eye with the Liverpool manager, to put it mildly.

The Blackburn manager, though, endured a frustrating afternoon as his team’s woeful away form continued. They might have started brightly and had a decent shout for a penalty turned down, but, when you concede the sort of goals they did, you get what you deserve.

Tottenham were not at their free-flowing best, despite another marauding performance from the in-form Gareth Bale, but they did enough. Jermain Defoe plundered his 23rd of the season from close-range and Roman Pavlyuchenko, having initially appeared to have mislaid his shooting boots, might have finished with a hat-trick.

He jammed Tottenham’s second under the substitute Rovers goalkeeper Jason Brown, who wanted the ground to swallow him up. Then, after Christopher Samba’s riposte for Rovers, the Russian plundered his eighth goal in six games from Bale’s wonderful first-time cross. But for an acrobatic goalline clearance by Samba, Pavlyuchenko would have scored again.

Howard Webb, who will be England’s representative at the World Cup finals in South Africa, drew unwanted attention. Having ignored David Dunn’s penalty appeal for Rovers in the 19th minute, he did likewise with Bale’s in the second half after Míchel Salgado’s lunge. Webb also ignored a blatant trip by Morten Gamst Pedersen on Bale, on the fringes of the area, while he disallowed a late Rovers consolation from Nikola Kalinic for handball.

Harry Redknapp could simply savour the result. Tottenham have a difficult run-in, with matches against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to come, and he had to consider this match as a must-win.

His team have slipped up at home to supposed lesser lights this season. Not this time. Blackburn might have felt slightly aggrieved to have been behind at half-time. Their away form this season has held them back, yet, from their position of relative security in mid-table, they carried the fight to Tottenham.

Three times in the early running, Rovers threatened. Dunn was thwarted on the break by Wilson Palacios, who tracked back to tackle; Samba almost met a whipped Gamst Pedersen free-kick and Martin Olsson saw a shot blocked by Sébastien Bassong.

The first half’s major talking point involved the non-award of a Blackburn penalty. Not that many players appeared bothered at the time; perhaps the lack of any appeal was a factor in Webb’s indifference. Dunn had barrelled into the area and, when challenged by Vedran Corluka, went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Corluka was nowhere near the ball.

It was Corluka who played the central role in Tottenham’s breakthrough. From Niko Kranjcar’s corner, he stole, unchallenged, in front of a static Rovers defence to flick towards the far corner. Defoe prodded in at close range past Brown, who had come on for the injured Paul Robinson.

Tottenham, who grew gradually into the contest, might have led earlier had Pavlyuchenko not spurned two presentable chances, while Bale was a potent weapon at left midfield with his pace and adventure.

Salgado, the Rovers right-back at 34 years young, endured a torrid afternoon.

The second half meandered following Pavlyuchenko’s first goal, with Webb’s decisions polarising opinion, until Rovers shocked White Hart Lane by reducing the arrears.

In keeping with the theme of the afternoon, it was a dreadful goal from a defensive point of view, Heurelho Gomes coming for the ball on Gamst Pedersen’s corner, but getting boxed in and allowing Samba to rise, unchallenged, to head home. But Pavlyuchenko ensured the grandstand finish came at the other end.

Premier LeagueTottenham HotspurBlackburn RoversDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk

• Liverpool manager unfazed by criticisms
• Allardyce admits to ill-feeling between pair

Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has refused to bite back at his Blackburn Rovers counterpart Sam Allardyce’s latest jibe at him. The spat between them has been running for a long time and after Benítez mocked Allardyce’s behaviour and Blackburn’s style after their match at Anfield last month the Rovers manager responded in kind.

Allardyce suggested Benitez’s criticism of him is a cover-up for how bad Liverpool are, claiming they have all but blown their chance of finishing in the top four. “Who?” was the Liverpool manager’s initial, half-joking, response when asked about Allardyce’s latest comments after the 1-0 Europa League defeat in Lille. “No comment. No publicity for him.”

Allardyce admitted there is ill-feeling between the two but blamed Benítez for making things “personal”.

“It was a good cover-up by Rafa because he knows how bad his side were and that was repeated against Wigan on Monday night,” said the Rovers manager. “He’s got personal with it for many, many years now. That’s why I don’t like him and the feeling is probably mutual. I don’t get personal with him; I get into him and under his skin, yes, but that’s all part of the game.

“The tit-for-tat between me and Rafa will probably go on until one of us is no longer a Premier League manager. I’ve managed to psych out one or two here and there and that’s how the Premiership has evolved over the last 20 years.”

Allardyce also believes Liverpool’s result at Wigan leaves Benítez’s side unlikely to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.

He added: “The last time one of the big four didn’t finish in the top four it was Liverpool – Everton got that spot – and I think this time it looks pretty difficult having lost against Wigan. They are having to rely on other teams slipping up now. They have a wealth of experience and that may be a telling factor when the nerve ends start jangling.

“We saw what happened to Tottenham a few years ago with the famous “poisoned lasagne” scenario – which was obviously never the case – and they let it slip. But I think it might be more difficult for Liverpool this time around because there are more teams involved. There’s Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham in there and, if Everton keep rolling on, you might be surprised to see them making a late run.”

After the victory over Blackburn at Anfield Benítez had pointed the finger at Rovers’ uncompromising style saying: “I think it is a model for all the managers around the world, their style of football, his [Allardyce's] behaviour. The style of football I think Barcelona are thinking of copying.”

Allardyce claims, however, that this shows he has won the psychological battle. He said: “You do it to try to get your team in a position to get a result. Personal criticism is not the road I go down and I don’t personally criticise Rafa Benítez but I clearly get under his skin and that can be a benefit to my side when we play them.”

LiverpoolBlackburn RoversPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk

David Gold and David Sullivan will hope to witness more affirming occasions than their first home game as West Ham’s freshly ensconced joint-owners.

The pair had entered once the strains of Any Old Iron, Run Rabbit Run and various other cockney melodies had faded. Yet after a rousing reception for what was billed as “Home At Last” by the West Ham programme, the two Davids saw an encounter imbued with a reserve game’s quality and atmosphere until the closing 20 minutes.

West Ham may have about edged possession during the opening period, but the “highlights” boiled down to the odd corner plus too few chances from the teams, who had lined up 4-5-1, and with a seemingly identical intent to cause stupor in the stands.

On 33 minutes Alessandro Diamanti’s free-kick from the right at least worried Paul Robinson, requiring England’s ex-No1 to punch to safety.

Blackburn’s best effort appeared to have also derived from a free-kick on the angle. Morten Gamst Pedersen swung this one in from the left on a low parabola. The ball was allowed to bisect the box, before it was shinned away.

Thankfully, some genuine premium fare did arrive, two minutes before the oranges and teas. This time Pederson lined the free-kick up 25 yards from Robert Green’s goal, and the Norwegian’s sweet left-footed shot rasped the ball beyond the keeper, only for it dip against the bar.

The game stirred after Carlton Cole made a second entrance since recovering from the knee injury that had kept him out since November. He was quickly followed by Jason Roberts, whose opening contribution was to remove James Tomkins with a playground body swerve before the striker unloaded straight into Green’s midrift.

Earlier Gaël Givet would have scored had Cole not cleared off the line. His expertise, though, had been required in front of the opposing goal.

Robinson also tipped over from Diamant but David G and David S retired to their executive lounge knowing West Ham have to start winning soon.

Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedBlackburn RoversJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk