Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- England striker Jermain Defoe scored five times as Tottenham beat Wigan 9-1 today for its biggest league victory in 32 years. Defeats left Bolton and Portsmouth among the relegation positions in soccer’s Premier League.

Defoe, who got all his goals in the second half at White Hart Lane, joins Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer in scoring five times in a match since the Premier League started in 1992.

Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon and Niko Kranjcar also scored for Spurs, with Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland getting an own goal. The win lifts Tottenham one place to fourth, behind its north London rival Arsenal on goal difference.

Bolton stays in 18th spot following a 2-0 home defeat by Blackburn, while last-place Portsmouth slipped to a 1-0 loss at Stoke.

Tottenham’s biggest league win was 9-0 against Bristol Rovers in 1977 while it was playing in the second tier. The record Premier League victory was Manchester United’s 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich in 1995.

Spurs led only 1-0 at halftime today, with Crouch getting his first league goal since August. He headed into the net from close range after nine minutes.

Defoe took six minutes of the second half to open his account, converting a cross from Lennon. Three minutes later he scored again, before Paul Scharner gave Wigan some hope by firing past Heurelho Gomes.

Defoe Volley

Within a minute, Defoe volleyed in his third goal of the game, and Lennon increased the home team’s advantage before Defoe struck again. This one came off a post, with his fifth struck through the legs of Kirkland.

A David Bentley free kick then ended up in the net off Kirkland and Kranjcar made the win even more convincing in injury time. It’s only the second time a team has scored nine goals in the Premier League.

Spurs joins Arsenal on 25 points, although it has played one more match than the Gunners. Chelsea leads the standings with 33 points, Manchester United has 28, while fifth-place Aston Villa is just outside the Champions League spots on 22 points.

Yesterday, Chelsea beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 to record a 12th consecutive home victory, United defeated Everton 3-0, Arsenal suffered a 1-0 loss at Sunderland, and Aston Villa drew 1-1 against Burnley. Manchester City and Liverpool, the next two teams in the standings, tied 2-2.

Bolton Loses

At the other end of the standings, Bolton missed an opportunity to climb as many as three spots after a fourth home defeat this season. Its opponent Blackburn had lost all five of its previous away games.

David Dunn got Blackburn’s opener at the Reebok Stadium, with Bolton defender Sam Ricketts heading into his own net in the second half after a mixup with goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Ricardo Fuller’s first league goal of the season gave Stoke a win against Portsmouth. Kevin-Prince Boateng failed to beat Thomas Sorensen with a weak penalty kick in the eighth minute as Pompey suffered a 10th loss in 13 league matches.

Portsmouth has 7 points, Wolves are on 10, with Bolton and West Ham one point ahead. Hull has 12 points and Wigan remains on 14.

In yesterday’s other games, Birmingham won 1-0 against Fulham, while Hull City and West Ham drew 3-3.

To contact the reporter on this story: James Cone in London at jcone@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 22, 2009 13:41 EST