0-0 v Wigan Athletic - 2 April 2011 - Away

Wigan earned a point in their bid to avoid the drop and dealt a blow to Tottenham's hopes of a top-four finish.

The visitors produced an uninspiring display three days before they face Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final first leg in Spain.

Jermaine Jenas forced Ali Al Habsi to save and Peter Crouch headed over, but Wigan looked the likelier to score.

Heurelho Gomes saved well from Charles N'Zogbia, before Sebastien Bassong's brilliant block denied Hugo Rodallega.

Substitute Conor Sammon almost won it in the closing minutes but the 24-year-old - who is yet to open his Wigan account - could only fire at Gomes when well-placed inside the Tottenham box.

Spurs are now three points behind Manchester City in the race for fourth place, having played the same number of games, and this result is a blow to their hopes of playing top-level European football once again next season.

Three days before their mouth-watering trip to the Bernabeu to face Jose Mourinho's Real, Spurs looked suitably distracted and they comprehensively failed to stamp their mark on proceedings.

They began in laboured fashion and, despite the occasional flurry of crosses to second-half substitute Crouch, they never really exerted any serious pressure on the Wigan goal.

With Gareth Bale missing through injury and Aaron Lennon restricted to a 22-minute cameo at the end, Spurs' lack of width and predictable forays forward made them look anything but the heavyweights they have been on the European stage this season.

Wigan, buoyed by their 2-1 win over Birmingham last time out, looked the likelier of the teams to break the deadlock and the quality of their display will have given them renewed hope of staying in the division.

With so much at stake at both ends of the table, it was little surprise to see such a nervy start but it took an age for there to be any real improvement and when there was, it was the visitors who almost went ahead against the run of play.

The recalled Jenas went close first as his right-foot shot from 20 yards stung the palms of Al Habsi, before Jermain Defoe narrowly failed to reach a Luka Modric cross from the right.

But Wigan rarely looked in trouble, with Tom Cleverly and James McCarthy impressing in midfield and the always dangerous N'Zogbia and Rodallega ready to pounce if Spurs gave them a sniff.

Rodallega almost took advantage of some careless defending from Bassong on the stroke of half-time but after the French centre-back allowed a high ball to bounce, the Colombian - who was then hauled to the ground - was correctly adjudged to have handled.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp will have demanded more from his side during the interval but they almost fell behind less than a minute after the restart when N'Zogbia cut inside from the right and forced Gomes to save low down to his left.

Wigan were asking far more questions than the team 15 places above them and Bassong had to be at his alert best to throw his frame in the way of Rodallega when his shot appeared to be flying in.

The introduction of Crouch and then Lennon momentarily gave Spurs some impetus but aside from a couple of tame headers from the England striker, it was not Tottenham's day in an attacking sense.

Instead they had to rely on Gomes for their point, with the Brazilian stopper getting fingertips to Cleverly's cute 15-yard curler and then getting down well to deny Sammon a heroic late finish.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez: "We had to be at our best to stop them. The players were very clever tactically, and we were only missing a goal.

"We had two chances we should have taken at the end to give us the win.

"The whole performance was pleasing. We stopped them dictating the game. The whole team were strong and showed great determination and maturity."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp: "We drew 0-0 with West Ham last time and played terrific. But [this time] we never kept the ball well enough, we didn't play well enough.

"We got into some good positions, but the final ball wasn't good enough.

"We played with two front players and two attacking midfielders, but we didn't create enough of a threat on the pitch."