For, despite the joy of his summer move to Sunderland and a goal-laden start to the season, the last two games have been personal disappointments for the would-be England regular.

And after missing a succession of good chances against West Ham last week, worse was to come at White Hart Lane on Saturday when he failed from the penalty spot in front of watching national coach Fabio Capello – though that did not prevent his call-up.

While fellow England rivals Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe both managed assists, if not goals, Bent cut a shell-shocked figure after failing at his most practiced and effective skill: ruthlessly converting penalties.

And that will reopen a debate which he can only close again by rediscovering as quickly as possible the rich vein of goalscoring with which he started the season.

Harry Redknapp sold Bent not because he didn't rate him as a striker but because he felt his finishing ratio was not good enough – hence his remark about "my missus could have scored that", when one too many chances went begging.

Bent disproved that argument in some style at the start of the season, with eight goals in nine games, and he had a chance to ram that fact down Redknapp's throat at the weekend, only to make his previous manager's point for him.

When Bent's big moment came, he blew it – the lethal penalty-taker producing a tame effort by his own standards. And now he must try to use that hurt to drive himself on to greater heights in the games ahead.

The penalty saved proved to be the pivotal moment – had Bent scored and equalised, the match might have had an altogether different outcome.

But to blame defeat on the striker who has done so much for Sunderland
this season would be a nonsense.

And if the fingers are to be pointed anywhere it should be at Bent's supporting cast of characters who do so much to help Sunderland dominate games but, like jigsaws, go to pieces in the box.

Fortune, too, it has to be said, did not favour the brave.
Sunderland opted for a positive attacking strategy and, after dominating the opening few minutes, they might have taken the lead in the sixth minute when Bent crossed from the right and Jordan Henderson could only trail a shot across the face of goal.

Instead, it was Spurs who took the lead in the 12th minute when full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto swung in a cross from the left, towering Crouch inevitably nodded the ball down and Robbie Keane bundled the ball past Craig Gordon from a couple of yards out.

There was a real suspicion of offside about the goal, but replays showed Keane looked fractionally onside and, luckily for Spurs, the goal stood.

Sunderland had opted for a 4-5-1 formation which gave Spurs – intent on fielding three strikers – all sorts of problems in an over-run midfield.
Henderson, Kieran Richardson and Andy Reid swelled the central midfield with Steed Malbranque to the left, Fraizer Campbell to the right while in defence George McCartney was recalled at left-back, Phil Bardsley at right-back and Paulo Da Silva was handed his first Premier League start in his preferred central defensive role.

Despite being without the suspended Lorik Cana and Kenwyne Jones, as well as the injured Lee Cattermole, Sunderland made light of the absentees with that bright start undermined by Keane's goal – the pesky Irishman's fifth goal against Sunderland in six games.

It was to be just about the only time before the break that Spurs were to threaten Gordon's goal, for Sunderland produced a classy display full of attacking endeavour, with the midfield five energetically getting forward to support Bent at every opportunity.

The visitors might have equalised in the 18th minute when a clever Malbranque turn freed him down the left, but Kieran Richardson swept the Frenchman's cross wide, pulling a low first-time shot across goal.
Bardsley tried his luck with an eye-catching right-foot shot from wide on the flank in the 22nd minute, but the ambitious attempt flashed across the face of goal.

Just before the half hour, Henderson had appeals for handball on the Spurs area turned down after Richardson shots had twice been charged down.

In the 33rd minute, Campbell's willingness to chase a challenging Andy Reid long ball earned Sunderland a half-chance, the ball crossed from the right ahead of Ledley King towards Bent.

Replays showed Bent got to the ball a fraction of a second before Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes cleaned him out eight yards from goal. It should have been a penalty, but play was waved on.

Sunderland were then twice unlucky not to take the lead.

In the 38th minute, Reid struck a wickedly looping volley from 30 yards out which completely beat Gomes but bounced out off the keeper's left-hand post.

And Sunderland followed that up with Richardson capitalising on a weak Vedran Corluka back header to nip in on goal, only to be denied again by the in-form keeper.

The second half burst into life in the 51st minute when Malbranque, who had an impressive return to his old stamping ground, flighted a perfectly arced long ball for Bent to run on to and the striker went down as Gomes hurtled out to the edge of the area.

It was very similar to the first-half incident and, in this case, referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot.

Steve Bruce claimed Gomes should have been sent off under the rules; Harry Redknapp that Bent was going away from goal and defenders were getting back to cover.

But the arguments would have been largely immaterial had Bent made the most of his spot-kick.

Usually a penalty for Bent is a "gimme", but perhaps the whole return to Spurs, thing, the twittering episode, the Redknapp slight, the presence of Capello and, above all, the pressure of the situation, suddenly got to him.

He opted for safety, for hitting the target and Gomes dropped smartly to his left to block an effort that was tame by Bent's standards.

Commendably, rather than let their heads drop, Sunderland redoubled their efforts and Malbranque and Reid both had efforts charged down as the visitors played the ball with pace and purpose.

Spurs responded through the ever-impressive Tom Huddlestone and Sunderland were rocked back just before the hour when Defoe chased into the area and allowed his trailing leg to go through on Gordon.

It looked cynical, but whether it was or not, the challenge left Gordon with a broken forearm and he was replaced minutes later by former Spur Marton Fulop.

Before he was substituted in the 66th minute, Gordon watched Malbranque test Gomes with a long-range shot and Bent head straight at the keeper as Sunderland threatened to get something out of the game.

But those hopes disappeared in the 67th minute when Fulop's first involvement was to pull the ball out of the back of the net.

In fairness to the Hungarian, there was little he could do about Spurs' second goal – Defoe holding a long ball up well down the left channel and fending off Da Silva before laying the perfect ball into the path of Huddlestone, who drilled an unstoppable thunderbolt of a shot in off the crossbar from 25 yards out.

Sunderland were not quite finished yet and almost gave themselves a lifeline in the 82nd minute when Campbell's cross from the right produced a brilliant downward header from Michael Turner, but yet again Gomes pulled off a top stop.

For Sunderland there was the scant consolation of once again getting all of the plaudits, but none of the points, on a day when five former players returned to the Lane.

Reid was eye-catchingly inventive, Campbell busy, Fulop solid enough and Malbranque the best of the lot, but the only one anyone was talking about afterwards was Bent.

As he trooped miserably off the pitch, he could console himself with the knowledge that he is still the leading English goalscorer in the Premier League this season.

But the pain was evident and, despite his achievements, he remains a man with a point to prove.