A fighting performance that featured a remarkable series of top drawer saves by Bo Myhill sees City gain a goalless draw and valuable point at Tottenham.

Report by Adrian Hoggarth.

Duane Darby. Legend. In the FA Cup replay against Whitby Town over a decade ago, he bagged six goals, including a stunner of a volleyed equaliser with seconds of normal time remaining. On the night, he was a cut above his teammates; a diamond, a hero. Graham Onions, faced with the hostility of Morne Morkel bowling the final over of the Cape Town Test at him last week, the tensest of finales at the end of five days of gripping sport, stood tall and imperious and protected his wicket. Legend. Hero. (Dropped for the next game.) Today it was the turn of Welsh American Englishman Glyn Oliver Myhill, a legend, our hero. Our Boaz. In our previous Premier League game, at least one, if not two, howlers from our man with the gloves almost cost us the game, and certainly cost us the win. But today, nothing got past Myhill in any of the 100 minutes of time played, and nothing was ever going to. Boaz put in the kind of man of the match performance that will be remembered not just this week, not just this season, but for years to come. It was world class goalkeeping of Normanesque proportions.

Under sullen north London skies that had emptied themselves in the minutes before kick off, we lined up something like this:

Myhill
McShane Zayatte Gardner Dawson
Garcia Barmby Boateng Hunt
Geovanni
Fagan

And having arrived late I was pleased to learn that the first few minutes had been largely formless, a pattern that continued throughout much of the first half. We were content to contain what little threat there was from the opposition; they in turn looked as though they'd turned up expecting a walkover, and seemed genuinely surprised not to find themselves a few goals up as they had been at our place at the beginning of the season. In that game they looked like a side that could turn over anyone in this division. In the first half today they looked like a side that could not really be bothered with it. It was a bit cold and wet, and someone else would do the hard work, surely? If I were Harry Redknapp, I'd have been livid with the first half performance of my team, had I not had thoughts of public humiliation and burly men with bars of soap in communal prison showers on my mind.

On 15 a Hunt free kick was cleared for a corner, which our impish left footer sent over as McShane tangled with one of theirs on the penalty spot. It looked like he was being held, but ref Atkinson saw it the other way. For a few moments it seemed as though we might have another north London ruck on our hands as various players squared up, but it soon quietened down.

As early as 29 minutes and the ref had had enough of our perceived time-wasting and booked Barmby for taking a bit too long over a throw in. It was interesting to note that the only noise coming from the Spurs support at this point was audible frustration at the time we were taking over throws and goal kicks.

On 38 the game finally woke up. Palacios picked it up on the right and hit a powerful shot low to Myhill's right. Our heroic custodian began his day's man of the match work with a strong save, but the rebound fell to Keane in front of goal, eight yards out. Myhill's speed in getting up, and then brilliance in tipping over Keane's goal-bound shot, were breathtaking. Awesome goalkeeping to keep us level.

On 44 a McShane ball in was knocked down by Barmby to Garcia, but his shot was wide. Harry got up for a short time to berate his team. And from the City fans a chorus of "Sit down and pay your tax" ensued.

Four minutes of added time, and in the final one Modric put Defoe through with a superb ball and some deft stepovery stuff from Keane. For all our stout defensive work in the first half it looked as though we were going to go behind again just before half time, as we have done so many times in recent games: think Man City, think Man Utd, think Arsenal. Defoe poked a shot to Myhill's left, but our Welsh eagle stood tall and pulled off a magnificent save. The resulting corner was headed behind by McShane. Goal kick apparently. Half time. Nil all.

It was clear at the start of the second half that the Spurs players had been unable to evade the wrath of Harry to as great effect as Harry had before this week evaded the clutches of Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs, and the Spurs came out with more purpose. On 47 a Modric run cut through our midfield, and a neat pass sets up Defoe, but our Dawson blocked his shot out for a corner. Six minutes later and another brilliant Myhill double save. A fine low shot from the edge of the box from Modric is beaten away, but drops to Keane again, this time four yards out. Again, Myhill is up incredibly quickly and flings himself to his left to deny Keane. Incredible goalkeeping.

Spurs brought on Jenas for Palacios on 54, and two minutes later we had our best chance of the game. A loose pass across the face of goal was intercepted by Hunt about 35 yards out. Hunt feigned inside a challenge before slipping a superb pass through to the advancing Barmby, just inside the box on the right hand side. Barmby buried his right foot shot ... into the side netting. Disappointing not to have hit the target from such a good position, and perhaps more was expected from our local hero.

On 58 some skilful play from Fagan on the right resulted in a foul from Bassong that saw the Spurs man booked. Hunt took the free kick short to Boateng, whose shot was blocked out to Barmby, whose follow up was also blocked. No way through.

Three minutes later Jenas played in Defoe but again our Dawson got a block in. Crouch replaced the energetic but ineffective Keane, and there was an immediate change to more evident hoofery. To counter this, we brought on Kilbane for Barmby, another international replacing a (former) international. The quality was there for all to see, as Kilbane quickly slipped into his international quality ability to fail to get anywhere near the game.

On 66 Geo shot wide, and a minute later Hunt got himself fouled by Huddlestone and immediately got in his face. It didn't look nasty, but our man knows how to rile, and referee Atkinson took the bait and booked Huddlestone. Geovanni took the free kick and blootered it straight into the wall. A minute later, Garcia had a run on goal but his shot was high and wide.

On 73 a cross was met by Crouch who headed back across the face of goal to Modric, but his powerful shot was again saved by Myhill, whose performance was becoming legendary by this point. Jan Vennegoor replaced Geovanni. On 77 Myhill again saved from Modric. It was becoming predictable, but no less enjoyable.

Into the final 10 minutes and every time the ball went into our box someone was falling over ludicrously and the home fans were screaming for a penalty. Thankfully the officials failed to fall for any of this nonsense. Mouyokolo came on for Garcia. Fagan took a yellow for holding back Bale. On 87 the most unlikely moment of the game as Kilbane found himself furthest forward and running towards the Spurs goal, and one of theirs took a booking for bringing him down. Quite what they thought Zinedine was about to do, I have no idea. Have a nose bleed seemed the most likely.

In the final minute of proper normal time, Myhill saved the best until last. Kranjcar chipped a free kick into the box and Crouch, free of his marker and towering above everyone, powerfully flicked a header down towards goal from about six yards out. Nine times out of ten that would have gone in and we would have gone home with nothing after such a stalwart display. But this was Myhill's day, and our magnificent goalkeeper got a stiff hand to it and beat it away. Utterly brilliant goalkeeping.

The ref called for six minutes of added time, which seemed a tad harsh on us, but we clung on, and took a heartening point from an unlikely source and moved out of the relegation zone. It is points like these that we need to pick up in the remaining weeks of the season, as well as crucial wins over our nearest rivals. There are points to be had if we play like this. It was a spirited performance, without any great ambition (hence putting Fagan up front on his own, although to his credit he put in a fine hassling performance), and it was effective. True enough, without Myhill having the best game of his life we would have returned home with nothing, but stuff like this will keep the spirits up until our only hope of avoiding relegation, in the form of Jimmy Bullard, returns from injury. We hope.

After the final whistle a song echoed round a swiftly emptying White Hart Lane: "My-hill, in the middle of our goal!" which seemed a bit of an understatement. Myhill is often in the middle of our goal. Today he was all over it.

HULL CITY (4-4-1-1): Myhill; McShane, Zayatte, Gardner, Dawson; Garcia, Barmby, Boateng, Hunt; Geovanni; Fagan.  Subs: Kilbane (for Barmby, 66), Vennegoor of Hesselink (for Geovanni, 75), Mouyokolo (for Garcia, 83), Ghilas, Mendy, Cairney, Duke.

Goals: None

Booked: Barmby, Fagan

Sent Off: None

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: Gomes, Dawson, Bale, Corluka, Bassong, Huddlestone, Krancjar, Palacios, Modric, Keane, Defoe.  Subs: Jenas (for Palacios, 55), Crouch (for Keane, 63), Bentley, Pavlyuchenko, Rose, Naughton, Alnwick.

Goals: None

Booked: Bassong, Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:    M Atkinson

ATTENDANCE: 35,729