Tottenham Hotspur qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League after a 1-0 win in the showdown encounter at nearest rivals for the potentially lucrative prize, Manchester City.

Peter Crouch’s late header gave Spurs a merited victory and the slimmest chance of overhauling North London rivals Arsenal for third place and automatic qualification for the definitely lucrative group stages of European club football’s premier competition.

However, their well-photographed celebrations of the win over City caught up with them, as they threw away a two-goal lead at relegated Burnley to lose 4-2.

 

Tottenham still face the potentially tricky hurdle of a final qualifying round tie before they can access the multi-millions on offer from the competition.

But this season still represents the Lilywhites first qualification for the Champions’ League. Spurs’ double-winning side reached the semi-finals of the 1961/62 Champions’ Cup before losing 4-3 on aggregate to eventual winners Benfica.

Manager Harry Redknapp said: “Finishing fourth gives me a lot of pleasure. It’s fantastic for the club. It’s been a terrific season for us, we’ve played some great football and we deserve it.

“I thought maybe the goal wasn’t going to come and we’d go to Burnley with the extra point in the bag, which would have been a good situation, but this is perfect to finish it here.”

Had they needed a result at Burnley, Spurs would probably have managed it. But Redknapp had to admit they ran out of steam at Turf Moor, after the first-half hour went by the form book.

He said: “We had complete control and looked like we would go on and score more. But it wasn’t to be.”

And he admitted: “Perhaps I should have rested a few, but I wanted to give them the chance to finish the season off.”

Christian Bale gave Spurs the perfect start with his third-minute strike. And Luka Modric doubled Spurs advantage with a left-foot drive on 32 minutes.

But Wade Elliott brought the Clarets back into contention before the break. And after Jack Cork’s first goal for Burnley brought the sides level Spurs wilted, with Martin Paterson and Steven Thompson completing a fine comeback.

Bale’s form and sudden goalscoring prowess underpinned Tottenham’s late-season surge. And he was justly rewarded with a new four-year contract as Spurs looked to fight off reported interest from Manchester United.

The 20-year-old left-sided defender-cum-midfielder signed a new deal which keeps him at White Hart Lane until 2014.

Spurs make up one-fifth of England manager Fabio Capello’s provisional 30-man squad for next month’s World Cup finals in South Africa, the highest number from a single club.

Centre-back pairing Ledley King and Michael Dawson join surprise selection Tom Huddlestone and Aaron Lennon and strike pair Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe.

Four of Spurs foreign stars also feature in the World Cup provisional squads.

Goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has made Brazil’s 30-man squad, while midfielder Wilson Palacios is an expected inclusion in the Honduras line-up.

Meanwhile, defenders Sebastien Bassong and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are in Cameroon’s provisional 30-man squad.