Wigan Athletic 3 Spurs 3:Wigan Athletic took the lead three times but were pegged back on each occasion by a Tottenham Hotspur side for whom Ireland captain Robbie Keane was on target twice.

The homeside wasted no time in taking the game to the visitors and were one up after just 54 seconds thanks to Emile Heskey's strike.  Spurs responded well, however, and were level two minutes later thanks to Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov scoring his 20th goal of the season after dribbling past two players inside the area.

A superb strike from left-back Leighton Baines restored Wigan's advantage on the half hour but Keane restored parity from the spot after the referee found goalkeeper John Filan guilty of taking Jermaine Jenas down in the box.

Wigan endeavoured to claim all three points and found the net again via the head of Keane's Ireland team-mate Kevin Kilbane.

Two minutes later Filan dived to save a Jenas free kick that was heading for the top far corner.

Spurs, however, found their third equaliser when Keane latched on to a clearance from Paul Robinson and lifted a first-time effort from 30 metres over the stranded Filan.

The result edged Wigan a further point towards safety. They are now three points above the drop zone but have played a game more than most of their relegation rivals.

Spurs, hoping for a return to the UEFA Cup after being knocked out of this season's competition in the quarter-finals by Sevilla on Thursday, climbed to eighth on 49 points.