Tim Sherwood's dramatic 88th minute winner put Tottenham in the mood for Wembley just when they appeared to pay the price for a blatant injustice against slumping Aston Villa at White Hart Lane.

Spurs fans and manager George Graham were furious in the 58th minute when referee Peter Jones refused to award a penalty. England striker Les Ferdinand was clearly taken out by a desperate off the ball challenge from Villa's Riccardo Scimeca as he swooped in on a tempting left wing cross.

Tottenham have not been awarded a penalty at home in the Premiership since August 1997 when David Howells missed against Derby, and their spot luck seemed to be right out again as Villa celebrated an extraordinary escape.

But with just two minutes of normal time to go and Spurs running out of ideas of how to break down a battling Villa defence, Sherwood struck at the second attempt in a bizarre goal mouth scramble that gave him his third goal in seven games since moving from Blackburn for £4million.

Allan Nielsen found substitute Steffen Iversen who rammed in a shot which Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich parried brilliantly at full stretch.

It came out to Sherwood whose header cannoned against the post and Villa appeared to have ridden their luck again. However, the combative midfielder followed up as defender Alan Wright tried to clear and forced the ball over the line.

Sherwood is ineligible for Tottenham's Worthington Cup final meeting with Leicester City at Wembley next Sunday, but after this he will be even more of an automatic choice for the FA Cup sixth-round tie at Barnsley on Tuesday.

Sherwood gave a clenched fist salute of derision to his Villa opponents as he celebrated the goal but it was hard not to feel sorry for John Gregory's team whose commitment, after a shaky first half, seemed likely to earn them a point.

As it turned out, however, they stretched their dismal run without a win to eight matches - seven of them defeats - and now even a UEFA Cup place could be beyond them after leading the Premiership with such style earlier in theseason.

They had the first chance at White Hart Lane when Spurs goalkeeper Ian Walker had to charge off his line and crash-tackle Alan Thompson on the edge of the box after the midfielder had been found by a glorious long ball over the top from new £5.5million signing Steve Stone.

Referee Jones ruled Walker's challenge, which left Thompson in a heap, perfectly fair and after that Villa were forced to batten down the hatches for long spells. They succeeded more by luck than judgement to resist the sustained spell of Spurs pressure.

David Ginola teased and tormented them, setting up a stream of chances for strikers Ferdinand, who just missed with a spectacular glancing header, and Chris Armstrong who twice should have done better in a crowded goalmouth.

But Stone gradually got tighter and tighter on his elusive rival and reduced him to only a peripheral threat in the second half.

Villa had little thrust up front, with Stan Collymore looking an isolated figure for long spells and the out-of-touch Paul Merson taken off with more than 20 minutes to go.

Errors by teenage centre back Gareth Barry twice gave Spurs openings they did not even have to work for and there was an alarming frigidity about Villa's work at the back where Gareth Southgate also looked well short of his England quality.

Yet somehow Villa survived, with the considerable aid of that penalty escape, almost right to the end. But just when Tottenham were looking as though they would be forced to settle for their 10th draw in the last 15 minutes Sherwood's tenacity got them through.

And manager Graham will be unhappy to have to do without him for the big Wembley date.

Teams:

Tottenham: Walker, Carr, Campbell, Vega, Taricco (Sinton 79), Anderton, Sherwood, Nielsen, Ginola (Iversen 79), Ferdinand, Armstrong (Dominguez 79).

Subs Not Used: Baardsen, Young.

Booked: Ferdinand.

Goals: Sherwood 88.

Aston Villa: Bosnich, Southgate, Barry, Scimeca, Stone, Draper, Hendrie, Thompson, Wright, Collymore, Merson (Joachim 67).

Subs Not Used: Oakes, Byfield, Samuel, Delaney.

Booked: Barry, Draper, Stone, Hendrie.

Att: 35,963

Ref: P Jones (Loughborough).