Defoe watches on as Spurs impress

Tottenham Hotspur FC celebrated the return of England striker Jermain Defoe on Tuesday by defeating Burnley FC 4-1 in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.

'Delighted'
The 26-year-old England international only joined Portsmouth FC from Spurs in January last year but, after a successful return of 16 goals in 31 Premier League games, has opted to rejoin former Pompey manager Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane. "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Portsmouth for the transfer of Jermain Defoe," said a statement on the Tottenham website today. "Personal terms have been agreed and the striker will today undergo a medical."

Scoring pedigree
Redknapp paid Tottenham a reported €8.5m to bring Defoe to Portsmouth last season and is thought to be ready to pay nearly twice that to take him back to London. Defoe, who has registered six times in 32 appearances for England, spent four years at Tottenham after joining the club from West Ham United FC midway through the 2003/04 campaign, scoring 43 goals in 139 Premier League matches.

Cup comeback
Defoe was presented to home fans before a match in which the hosts had to overcome a half-time deficit after Martin Paterson had given the second-tier visitors a 15th-minute lead. Michael Dawson (47), Jamie O'Hara (52) and Roman Pavlyuchenko (65) then put Spurs firmly in the ascendancy before Burnley defender Michael Duff headed into his own net three minutes after the Russian's goal. Holders Tottenham are now strong favourites to come through the second leg on 21 January and tackle Manchester United FC or Derby County FC in the Wembley final.