The Tottenham manager George Graham is in hospital with rheumatoid arthritis, apparently on steroids. This match will have done little for his recovery after Aston Villa, from two goals down, scored four of their own in 12 astonishing second-half minutes.

It was a Spurs decline within a decline, their run of four defeats in five games taking them into the bottom half of the table and prompting new calls last night for the chairman Sir Alan Sugar to resign. Within minutes of the final whistle, a group of around 150 angry supporters had gathered outside the main gates chanting ‘We want our Tottenham back.’

It had been planned anyway but its intensity was fuelled by a result that looked unthinkable after an hour, with Tottenham coasting thanks to goals by Steffen Iversen and Chris Armstrong and Villa looking a shadow of the side comfortably sixth in the Premiership as well as FA Cup finalists.

Then Villa got a break, an assistant referee spotting the handball, missed by the referee Rob Harris, that enabled Dion Dublin to pull a goal back from the penalty spot and spark the remarkable revival. ‘We were grateful to the linesman,’ said Villa manager John Gregory, unlike his counterpart in rude health and due to run the London marathon this morning. ‘He was 35 yards away to the ref’s 10 and spotted it. Still, Mr Harris got the minute’s silence for Hillsborough right.’

It was a moment that showed again the brittle character of this Tottenham team; potentially fluent when things are going for them, usually porous when the going gets tougher. The first hour showed the former, the last half hour was all about the latter.

They had the fillip of an early goal, too. David Ginola’s pinpoint cross found the head of Iversen who had only to guide the ball home from six yards. It should have been more before the interval, with Armstrong chipping Stephen Carr’s through ball into David James’s arms before looping an overhead kick on to the bar and Villa looked grateful for the break.

The gratitude was short-lived, however, as a minute into the second half Armstrong made amends, this time clipping Carr’s ball round James before sliding home. Then controversy, then amazement, then acrimony.

As Paul Merson’s corner came in, Gareth Barry appeared to push Iversen and Ugo Ehiogu headed down for Dublin to shoot goalwards. Iversen’s arm intervened but it took the Villa players’ protests to send Mr Harris to his assistant for the penalty to be awarded.

After consultation, Mr Harris also looked about to send off Stephen Clemence but then decided against it, he and the linesman unsure as to the identity of the offender. His indecision upset both John Gregory, who thought Iversen should have been sent off, and the Spurs assistant Stewart Houston, who conceded the handball but lamented the Barry foul.

Dublin duly stroked home the penalty and Villa scented reprieve. Soon he had volleyed home the hitherto subdued Benito Carbone’s cross with a brilliant overhead kick and Spurs were reeling. Next, the towering Dublin returned the compliment, heading down for Carbone to drive a curling shot into Ian Walker’s top right corner. Finally, Walker’s 250th Spurs appearance was further spoiled by Alan Wright’s arrow-straight 25-yard half-volley into the goalkeeper’s top left corner.

After that, James grabbed Ginola’s shot on his line at the second attempt and tipped over Clemence’s shot but the Spurs’ fans anger was reaching boiling point. ‘It’s not nice but it’s part of football,’ said Houston. ‘We are trying to rectify the problems and we have just got to get out on the training ground and work with the boys.’ He and Sugar might reflect that there are good games to miss.