Tottenham Hotspur climbed to fourth in the Premier League table on Sunday thanks to a 1-0 victory over Hull City.

It proved to be a difficult afternoon for the hosts at White Hart Lane as a determined Hull side proved to be tough opposition.

However, a converted penalty from Roberto Soldado in the 80th minute secured all three points for Andre Villas-Boas and his team.

Below, Sports Mole takes a look at the key talking points from the match.

Match statistics:

Spurs:
Shots 15
On target 6
Possession 66%
Corners 6
Fouls 13

Hull:
Shots 10
On target 4
Possession 34%
Corners 4
Fouls 10

Was the result fair?

On the balance of play, the result probably was fair. Hull could have easily claimed something from the game but the home side deserve the victory due to the amount of pressure they put on their opponents in the second half. It's harsh on Steve Bruce's team but they just invited too much pressure and Spurs finally found a breakthrough.

Tottenham's performance

When Spurs are at their very best, they can tear sides apart with their pace and intelligence in the final third of the pitch. However, we didn't see too much of that at White Hart Lane this afternoon. Instead, it took a determined display from the home side to claim all three points.

Hull's performance

It won't come as any consolation to the Hull supporters, but their team fought bravely throughout the match. The visiting defence stubbornly kept out Spurs for 79 minutes and Bruce can be incredibly proud of their performance. If they can continue to produce these displays, there will be plenty of points coming to the KC Stadium.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Curtis Davies: This honour is usually given to a player that ends up on the winning side but I simply couldn't do that today. Davies was tremendous at the back for the visitors and he barely put a foot wrong all afternoon. These type of performances will earn him a lot of praise but it could also alert other clubs.

Biggest gaffe

I could have pointed to the decision from the referee which saw the penalty given but I've resisted that particular temptation. In truth, there wasn't too many big mistakes during the afternoon but Sandro's first-half display is certainly one he will be eager to forget.

Referee's performance

It seemed like it would be a fairly routine afternoon for Michael Oliver until he was forced to respond to a penalty appeal in the latter stages of the match. Steve Bruce was furious with the decision and Ahmed Elmohamady couldn't believe his luck when the ball deflected off his leg before striking his hand. On another day Oliver will ignore the appeals but his decision to point to the spot will be the main talking point from this game.

What's next?

Hull will not have to wait long to avenge this defeat as they return to White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening to face Spurs in the Capital One Cup.