1-2 v Getafe CF - 25 October 2007 - Home

Martin Jol's reign as Tottenham manager ended in desperate fashion as Braulio struck to send Spurs to defeat in their Uefa Cup Group G opener against Getafe.

As reports filtered through that Jol had been handed his marching orders before kick-off, Spurs shook off a poor start to lead through Jermain Defoe.

However, Ruben de la Red flicked in Esteban Granero's free-kick to level.

And Braulio sealed the win after Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov had missed chances to signal a dire end to Jol's reign.

Hours after the end of the match, a Tottenham statement confirmed Jol had been sacked, along with first-team coach Chris Hughton, ending a reign of nearly three years.

But, with Getafe in the bottom three in La Liga, it should have been the ideal fixture for Spurs to secure a morale-boosting win irrespective of Jol's position.

However, unlike their previous Uefa Cup opponents Anorthosis Famagusta, the hosts soon found Getafe were not at White Hart Lane merely to make up the numbers.

Despite having made six changes to the side that earned their first league win of the season on Sunday, Getafe were the side to create the early chances, Braulio and Esteban Romero both going close with fierce drives.

The hosts were clearly nervous early on, and had Defoe not been denied by Oscar Utari's sprawling save at his feet 10 yards out, it would have been a barely deserved lead.

Still, with Aaron Lennon increasingly getting into the game on the right-hand side, Spurs began to dominate and a period of possession brought swift reward when Berbatov's knock-back from Pascal Chimbonda's cross was headed in by Defoe.

The lead lasted little more than two minutes, though, and, as so often has been the case this campaign, it was a set-piece that proved Spurs' Achilles heel as Esteban Granero's floated free-kick drifted in with the slightest of touches off Ruben de la Red.

The goal prompted a furious reaction from Jol, but did not spark the kind of fireworks from the home side the White Hart Lane faithful might have expected.

Berbatov looked to have regained Spurs' lead with a bullet header from Tom Huddlestone's cross, but it was disallowed with Defoe in an offside position.

Defoe, twice, could also have done better from good positions on the edge of the area, Utari making one good save, but all in all it was an insipid first-half display from the Londoners.

A serious-looking ankle injury to Anthony Gardner capped a poor 45 minutes, but the hosts emerged from the half-time break with renewed vigour.

Getafe keeper Utari had to be at full stretch to deny Malbranque's fierce 20-yard effort and, from the resulting cross, Berbatov nodded inches wide with the keeper beaten.

Tottenham poured forward again minutes later, Berbatov, Malbranque and Defoe linking well before the attack was cleared with the latter about to pull the trigger, and Defoe then ripped a fine effort just over from 20 yards on the hour.

With the home faithful chanting chorus after chorus of support for Jol, Spurs huffed and puffed, but it was Franck Signorino that came close to a Getafe second when his 20-yard drive flew over.

And, with Jol looking increasingly frustrated and desolate on the sidelines, Getafe rubbed salt into the Dutchman's wounds with a sublime winner - Braulio flicking in David Cortes's cross following a flowing move.

Robbie Keane's introduction sparked a late onslaught from the hosts and Defoe, Berbatov and Keane himself all had close-range efforts blocked.

But it was not enough to save Spurs from only their second European home defeat ever, and was not enough to keep Jol in a job in North London.