Atletico raced into a 2-0 interval lead with strikes from Simao Sabrosa and Diego Forlan, only to see that overturned as the hosts came roaring back at the start of the second half.
The visitors had lost Ever Banega to a second yellow card in the 38th minute and Villarreal took full advantage of the extra man, Marcos Senna, Joseba Llorente, Gonzalo and Guiseppe Rossi all getting on the scoresheet.
However, late goals from Simao and Raul Garcia rescued an unlikely point for the visitors from a game in which Villarreal dominated possession and chances.
After falling victim to an early goal in last weekend's Madrid derby, Atletico wasted no time in making their mark on this clash as Simao netted from outside the box with 60 seconds barely on the clock.
The Portugal midfielder latched on to a ball from Mariano Pernia and hammered an instant shot in off the underside of the crossbar with home keeper Diego Lopez still rooted to the spot.
The hosts were shell-shocked but soon responded with a wave of attacks on the visitors' goal.
Rossi got on the end of a Llorente cross but couldn't direct his header on target before Llorente went close with a couple of headers from Senna crosses, the first saved by Leo Franco down to his left, the second dropping wide of the target.
For all the territorial advantage Villarreal were having, it was Atletico who went further ahead after 22 minutes, Forlan hooking home a left-footed shot from a central position inside the 18-yard box.
Atletico's recent troubles showed signs of resurfacing though when Banega was sent off after collecting his second booking for a needless foul on Joan Capdevila.
And worse was to come as, three minutes after the restart, Senna tried his luck with a harmless looking shot from 30 yards and was surprised to see it squirm through the grasp of Leo Franco and into the net.
Three minutes later, Villarreal were level when Llorente poked home a throughball from Rossi to round off a swift counter attack.
Then just before the hour-mark, Rossi lifted a free-kick into the area to find three yellow shirts totally unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box as the Atletico defence attempted to push up and play them offside.
The flag stayed down and Robert Pires cushioned the ball into the path of Gonzalo who smashed the ball into the roof of the net and wheeled away in jubilation.
Villarreal were now threatening to run riot and it was no surprise when they added a fourth when Rossi fired home a left-foot shot on 68 minutes.
At that stage, the points appeared to be going only one way but the complexion of the game changed again when Simao hit a right-footed shot into the bottom corner on 83 minutes.
The hosts suddenly became nervy and were punished when Garcia headed home an in-swinging free-kick from Simao to snatch a dramatic draw.
Samuel Eto'o bagged a first half hat-trick and further goals from Thierry Henry and Dani Alves saw Pep Guardiola's side race into a five-goal lead at the interval.
And Almeria were forced to play the entire second half with 10 men after Alvaro Negredo was dismissed for a frustrated lunge on Rafael Marquez.
It was the Catalans' second 5-0 win in a week after Wednesday's demolition of FC Basle in the Champions League.
And Barcelona came into this came on the back of eight successive victories in total.
The Catalans had scored 29 times in 10 matches to become Europe's most prolific attacking side this season, but Guardiola rejected comparisons with Johan Cruyff's mythical `Dream Team' in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
However, Barca quickly had their fans drooling again with their penetrating brand of touch football.
Just five minutes had elapsed when the first goal went in.
Yaya Toure's ball from deep was only half-cleared by the Almeria defence and Eto'o pounced on the rebound to give Barcelona a perfect start.
Eight minutes later, the Catalans went two up as Messi set up Henry and the Frenchman slotted home from close-range.
Almeria had again failed to clear their lines and were punished once more.
But Barcelona were practically unplayable at this point and raced into a three-goal lead after 20 minutes.
Andres Iniesta found Xavi in the area and the star of Spain's Euro 2008 win waited for Almeria keeper Diego Alves to commit himself before sliding a perfectly-weighted ball across to Eto'o, who rolled his shot into the empty net.
It was all too easy for the home side and three became four shortly afterwards, when Messi got to the byline and rolled the ball back for the advancing Eto'o, who finished at the second attempt from close-range with an improvised back-heel.
Already four goals down, Almeria's early misery was compounded on the half-hour mark, when Negredo scythed down Marquez close to the corner flag and received a straight red card.
Barcelona continued to look like scoring with every attack and duly went five goals ahead after 37 minutes.
There appeared little danger as Dani Alves lined up a free-kick from long-range, but the Brazil full-back unleashed a vicious low drive which found its way through the wall and bounced just in front of his namesake Alves in the Almeria goal before flashing into the keeper's bottom right-hand corner.
With the game well and truly won, Barca began the second half at a slower pace.
And Almeria created the first chance of the second half, when Guilherme rifled a shot against the crossbar from long distance after 47 minutes.
Barcelona remained a joy to watch, though, and Henry brought the ball down gloriously in the area after 51 minutes, but was unable to hit the target on the turn.
Two minutes later, the former Arsenal forward set up Iniesta in the area, but the Spain midfielder unselfishly pulled the ball back across goal instead of shooting himself and Almeria cleared.
Bojan Krkic, Alexander Hleb and Victor Sanchez all came on in the latter stages, but Barcelona were unable to add to their tally.
Eto'o came closest with a low shot after being set up by Carles Puyol, but Alves made a fine save with his left foot.
Barca were nevertheless given a rapturous ovation on leaving the pitch and the win sees the Catalans move provisionally to the top of the Primera Liga, where they sit level on points with Valencia, who travel to lowly Recreativo Huelva on Sunday.
Almeria remain in sixth, but could drop several places after Sunday's matches.
A lively Genoa dominated the first half and went close to scoring on two occasions, but a red card to midfielder Ivan Juric allowed the home side to take control.
Despite their efforts, the Nerazzurri came up against a brick wall of determined Genoa defenders who more than deserved a point for their efforts.
Inter coach Jose Mourinho paid his compliments to Genoa on the eve of the game and he would have been further impressed with his opponents from the bench.
The Rossoblu dominated the first half, showing no fear against the defending champions after a brief period of containment.
Inter had the first chance of the game when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was caught off guard when the ball reached him at the far post and he was unable to direct his header goalward.
But the rest of the half belonged to the visitors.
The first moment of danger in front of Julio Cesar's goal came when Giuseppe Sculli headed across goal to Marco Rossi, who failed with his acrobatic effort, but was adjudged offside anyway.
Diego Milito should have done better with his header from eight yards from Sculli's cross minutes later.
But it was Giandomenico Mesto who missed the best chance of the half.
The Genoa winger was free in front of an open goal after Milito's shot was only parried by Julio Cesar, but he blazed his shot wide.
He proved he is capable of better minutes later when he unleashed a 25-yard pile-driver which cannoned back off the underside of the crossbar with Julio Cesar beaten.
Mourinho was clearly not happy with what he had seen from his side and he made two changes during the break to form a four-man attack with Victor Obinna and Mario Balotelli coming on.
He added Julio Cruz in an all-out assault, and things swung in Inter's favour when Genoa were reduced to 10 men as Juric was shown a second yellow card.
While the visitors had more than matched their rivals with 11 men, playing half an hour with only 10 changed the complexion of the match.
Giuseppe Biava deflected a shot against his own crossbar with Balotelli unable to convert the rebound as Inter stepped up their search for a goal.
All the home side were able to do was send cross after cross into the arms of Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho and, for the first time this season, they failed to score at the San Siro and lost their place at the top of Serie A as a result.
Captain Antonio Di Natale shook off a knee injury he picked up in the UEFA Cup win over Tottenham in midweek to score a brace while Antonio Floro Flores added a first-half goal.
Roma also got their captain on the scoresheet as Francisco Totti netted a late penalty, but the goal was unable to inspire a comeback.
The defeat will no doubt pile further pressure on Giallorossi coach Luciano Spalletti, whose side are now just a point away from the relegation places in 15th position with only two wins to their name this season.
They were hardly short of chances to get more out of this game, and could have gone ahead as early as the eighth minute when Simone Perrotta latched on to a long pass forward from Cicinho but Udinese keeper Samir Handanovic made the save.
But immediately after that early sight of goal Roma fell behind. Max Tonetto brought down Floro Flores in the area, the referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Di Natale made it 1-0 with 10 minutes played.
The Udinese captain then turned provider 12 minutes later as the home side struck again. Floro Flores got on the end of Di Natale's long ball before taking on Simone Loria and firing a diagonal shot past a hesitant Alexander Doni in the Roma goal.
The frustration told on Roma who, finding no luck in front of goal, went looking for a penalty of their own on the half-hour mark as Mirko Vucinic went down under a challenge from Maurizio Domizzi, but got nothing except for a yellow card for his troubles.
The capital club continued to look for an opening, but by piling men forward they always looked likely to let Udinese in again, and they did just that six minutes into the second half.
A swift counter-attacking move ended with Di Natale in acres of space, and he was able to pick his spot and fire the ball past Doni again from inside the box.
They were nearly caught again after 56 minutes, this time Floro Flores made his way into the Roma area on the break but Doni was equal to the shot.
But Roma's chance did finally come when Matteo Brighi was brought down in the box by Handanovic with 15 minutes to play. Totti stepped up to convert the spot-kick.
The goal looked like it might breathe some life into Roma, and they came very close to adding a second with 10 minutes to play when Handanovic had to react quickly to tip a rasping long-range effort from Totti over the bar.
From the resulting corner Jeremy Menez found himself with a chance to shoot and again Handanovic had to be at his best to push the ball onto the woodwork.
The Frenchman shot wide from another scoring chance as time ticked away, while Daniele De Rossi also missed the target in injury time, but in the end Udinese held on to go level with Internazionale on 17 points and top of the standings on goal difference.
A disputable Grafite penalty put Wolfsburg ahead in the 31st minute and Edin Dzeko grabbed a second just two minutes later.
Franck Ribery gave the home side hope four minutes before the interval and goals from Mark van Bommel (54), Tim Borowski (63) and Bastian Schweinsteiger (80) completed the turnaround for Jurgen Klinsmann's defending champions.
Wolfsburg had Grafite in their starting XI despite the fact the Brazilian forward had spent the week back in his homeland mourning the death of his father.
And he deservedly put the visitors ahead, albeit in controversial fashion.
Dzeko seemed to seek contact with Martin Demichelis' foot just after entering the area and fell for a penalty. Grafite sent Michael Rensing the wrong way from the spot.
Bayern barely had time to regroup before they were two behind.
Dzeko this time provided a finish which nobody could query, heading Makoto Hasebe's cross unstoppably past Rensing.
The champions appeared to be slumping back into the poor form which two consecutive wins seemed to have curtailed.
But Ribery gave them hope shortly before the interval, taking the ball off Schweinsteiger before firing accurately into the bottom-left corner.
Bayern were level within 10 minutes of the restart when Van Bommel slotted home from just inside the area after Diego Benaglio had denied Miroslav Klose.
Christian Gentner missed the chance to put the Wolves back ahead on the hour mark as he closed in on Rensing. Demichelis covered to rescue his goalkeeper and clear the ball before it crossed the line.
Three minutes later, Bayern went ahead for the first time thanks to substitute Borowski.
Neither Lukas Podolski nor Klose were able to convert Ze Roberto's left-wing cross, but Borowski was on hand to grab his fourth goal of the season, making him Bayern's top Bundesliga goalscorer.
Wolfsburg's Marcel Schafer hammered a left-footed shot off the crossbar from a tight angle after Christian Lell invited him forward, with Rensing appearing to get a vital touch as the visitors pressed the the equaliser.
But Schweinsteiger gave the home team some breathing space 10 minutes from the end as he tapped in from close range after Klose headed the ball back across goal.
Referee Webb calls skippers Gerrard and Terry to calm their players.Alonso struck in the ninth minute when his 20-yard shot deflected off Jose Bosingwa and left Petr Cech wrong-footed.
It was Chelsea's first defeat under new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, but Liverpool were always in charge of a pulsating contest at Stamford Bridge and look real title contenders on this form.
Chelsea had not been beaten at home since Arsenal's 2-1 success in February 2004 but Liverpool deserved their triumph with an impressive display.
Chelsea began the brighter of the two sides and their initial thrusts almost resulted in an opening goal.
Nicolas Anelka dribbled his way into the penalty area in the third minute but was tackled before he could test Jose Reina.
The ball fell to Deco but the Chelsea midfielder's shot was deflected to safety.
Liverpool went ahead in the ninth minute with their first attack of the game.
Chelsea failed to deal with a thrown-in when John Terry could only half-clear Dirk Kuyt's clever back-header.
The ball fell to Alonso on the edge of the penalty area and his shot deflected off Chelsea right-back Bosingwa into the net.
Liverpool were now in commanding form and dominating the game.
In the 17th minute, Albert Riera beat Bosingwa on the left flank but fired his shot into the side netting.
Chelsea, hoping to stretch their unbeaten home league sequence to 87 games, struggled to get back into the game.
Bosingwa tried to run at the Liverpool defence in the 21st minute but was chopped down crudely by Riera who received a booking from referee Howard Webb as a result.
Liverpool continued to look dangerous and in the 24th minute they almost increased their lead when Cech was forced to tip a glorious volley from Steven Gerrard over the bar.
Chelsea began to find some consistency as the first half wore on but they were struggling to produce a telling final ball into the penalty area.
Bosingwa sent over a number of crosses from the right flank but Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher were inspired at the heart of the visitors' defence.
In the 36th minute Deco was given time and space to run at the Liverpool defence but his left-foot drive from 18 yards was wide of Jose Reina's right-hand upright.
In the 38th minute Gerrard looked to be heading for an early bath for a foul on Bosingwa.
However, referee Webb elected to show the England midfielder a yellow card for his challenge.
Liverpool's speed on the counter-attack almost opened up Chelsea again in the 43rd minute but, despite some confusion in the home defence, John Mikel Obi managed to clear their lines.
Chelsea began the second half in a much brighter fashion and it required an interception from Carragher to prevent a cross from Florent Malouda reaching its destination in the six-yard box.
In the 53rd minute Malouda was booked for checking a fine run by Alvaro Arbeloa.
Kuyt then tried his luck from 20 yards but his effort was wide of the target.
It was the catalyst for a Chelsea to make a double substitution with Malouda and Kalou replaced by Juliano Belletti and Franco Di Santo.
It was another indication of Chelsea's growing frustration and it prompted Liverpool to replace Robbie Keane with Ryan Babel.
The Reds were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out in the 60th minute when Belletti kicked Riera in the face.
Chelsea then had a massive escape when Alonso's effort rebounded off the foot of the post for Ricardo Carvalho to clear.
Babel was brought down by Cole as he tried to collect the ball but referee Webb decided to book Javier Mascherano for attempting to persuade the official to dismiss the left-back.
Cole squandered a great chance to level the scores in the 73rd minute when Di Santo nodded Lampard's cross into his path.
But the defender screwed his effort wide of the post from eight yards. Moments later Carragher rescued Liverpool when he deflected Deco's effort for a corner.
At the opposite end, a 25-yard drive from Babel was only just wide of the target.
end
Boton boss Gary Megson and new Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp prowl the side lines at the Lane.Roman Pavlyuchenko and Darren Bent grabbed the goals against Bolton at White Hart Lane but all eyes were on Redknapp after his appointment to succeed Juande Ramos as Spurs boss.
They are still bottom of the table but have made up ground with other strugglers and crucially have a morale-boosting first league win of the season, at the ninth attempt.
Bolton, who had Gavin McCann sent off, gave Spurs nervous moments but there is enough for Redknapp to work with when he gets to work this week, with key contributions coming from players who struggled under Ramos.
Ramos' hasty departure came too quick for the club to change the matchday programme, so fans were given a chance to read the Spaniard's final notes.
"If you believed everything that was being speculated on then your perception of the club would be far removed from the reality,'' he wrote.
The reality was Ramos heading back to Spain and Redknapp in the dressing room and dugout, even though reserve-team coach Clive Allen picked the team.
Redknapp was unveiled to the Spurs fans before kick-off - something not afforded to Ramos due to the embarrassing manner of Martin Jol's departure a year ago.
The encouraging sign for Redknapp was skipper Ledley King being available, four days after playing in the defeat to Udinese - it was the first time he had been ready for games in such quick succession for 10 months.
As expected of a team with a new manager, there was an extra zip to the hosts, something missing so far this season.
Jamie O'Hara had an early shot from long distance deflected over, then from the resulting corner it took a brave header from Andy O'Brien to prevent Pavlyuchenko from tapping in.
Luka Modric has struggled to make an impact since his £16.5million signing in the summer, but he was given a free role behind the striker and resembled a new player.
Like Modric, Pavlyuchenko has struggled since an impressive Euro 2008, and the Russian desperately needed the 18th-minute opener to bring his belief back.
David Bentley, back in the team after being dropped for Ramos' final game following an outspoken assessment on Spurs' start to the season, set it up when he picked the ball up on the right flank.
After exchanging passes with Alan Hutton, the early cross came and was met with a downward header from Pavlyuchenko 12 yards out, with the finish going in off the post.
"Harry Redknapp's white and blue army,'' sang the Spurs fans after watching two players who struggled under Ramos combine for the strike.
Confidence was returning to Spurs but their lapses in concentration still remained, and were never far away.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto, hauled off at half-time in Ramos' final match in charge, made a mess of a simple clearance to put goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes in trouble - the ball fell to Kevin Davies on the edge of the area and his finish dropped just wide.
Matt Taylor then saw an effort, from a similar distance but more central, curl wide, before Johan Elmander got a shot on goal that required King to clear off the line - after Spurs failed to clear a free-kick.
Tom Huddlestone had a couple of efforts before the break, the first when Jussi Jaaskelainen failed to hold a Bentley free-kick, then after O'Hara wriggled inside from the left and passed neatly.
Redknapp had said he wanted more steel in the midfielder - and Bolton were giving them a genuine battle.
Kevin Nolan picked up a booking and was fortunate not to get a second when he tripped Modric, while fellow midfielder McCann also went in the referee's notebook before the break.
The latter was dismissed 11 minutes into the second period, his second yellow card after he caught the ankle of Huddlestone.
Gomes' punching was erratic and Fabrice Muamba lobbed onto the roof of the net after one poor clearance.
Bent came on for Pavlyuchenko and should have added a second when Modric slipped him through, then Aaron Lennon - another substitute - fired over after Huddlestone had an effort saved.
Jaaskelainen brought down Bent with 16 minutes left, and the striker smashed the penalty into the bottom corner.
Bolton boss Gary Megson then endured abusive chants from his own fans after a double substitution - it really was Redknapp's day.
Emmanuel Adebayor scores the final goal in Arsenal's 2-0 win.Following Liverpool's victory at Stamford Bridge earlier this afternoon, and United's failure to beat Everton, Arsene Wenger's side knew just what was at stake as they looked to keep pace with the Barclays Premier League leaders.
The Gunners - fresh from a fine 5-2 Champions League trashing of Fenerbahce in Turkey - certainly had to dig deep for their win, which came courtesy of an own goal from Julien Faubert when he deflected a shot from substitute Emmanuel Adebayor late in the second half, which was harsh on inspired West Ham keeper Robert Green, before the African wrapped things up in stoppage time.
Nevertheless, it is these such keenly-contested clashes which Wenger's young squad will have to come through if they are to have a say in the destiny of the title come May - and on this afternoon's evidence, they could still just have the final word.
Arsenal were led once more by captain William Gallas, fit again following a thigh problem.
However, both he and fellow France veteran Mikael Silvestre were given plenty to concern themselves during the opening stages by a busy West Ham frontline.
After 10 minutes, it needed a fine tip over from Manuel Almunia to deny the lively David di Michele, who powered in a 20-yard drive which looked set for the top right-hand corner.
Arsenal were being out-manoeuvred in midfield, were Alexander Song, pushed forwards from defence, and Spanish maestro Cesc Fabregas were yet to strike up an understanding.
Winger Theo Walcott had been anonymous, but burst into the game on 20 minutes.
The England man turned his marker just inside the West Ham half before scampering away towards goal down the right.
After riding two challenges on the edge of the box, he darted inside and unleashed a fierce drive which cannoned off the top of Green's crossbar.
Although both Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner were both well placed in the middle, given his current form, Walcott could perhaps be forgiven for being somewhat selfish.
The all-action teenager was in the thick of things again when an intelligent chest down from Van Persie 12 yards out put the ball into his path. However, despite getting a shot away, Green somehow pulled off a superb reflex save down to his right.
West Ham - who were out to avoid a third straight league defeat - needed something to relieve the pressure as the half-hour mark approached.
It came following a quick break when Craig Bellamy chased down a long ball ahead of Silvestre.
The Wales striker drilled in a low, first-time effort from the edge of the penalty area - which Almunia deflected over with his legs.
Bendtner chased what looked a lost cause on the left, before cutting inside to force another fine save from Green at full stretch.
After a low-key start to the second half, the visitors again maintained a spell of patient build-up.
It was almost rewarded when Samir Nasri picked out Walcott on the right, and his low centre was put up over his own bar by the back-tracking James Collins.
The West Ham defender then made a timely intervention to out-muscle van Persie as the Dutchman looked to get on the end of a long ball into the penalty area.
As the hour mark passed, Bellamy got in down the West Ham left - but Gallas was on hand to scramble the loose ball away.
Arsenal went close again when first Collins blocked Walcott's angled effort and then Van Persie's follow-up flew through a crowded six-yard box and hit Lee Bowyer.
With 25 minutes left, Wenger made a double change as Adebayor and Abou Diaby - who had played so well in Turkey - were introduced, replacing Nasri and Walcott.
Green was having an inspired afternoon and made another fine one-handed save to keep out Van Persie's low, angled drive.
When the England stopper was finally beaten by a stinging 25-yard free-kick from the Dutchman, his luck held as the ball cannoned off the base of the post and bounced away.
Arsenal, though, finally got the breakthrough with quarter of an hour to go when Adebayor weaved his way into the area and hit a low shot back across goal.
With Bendtner lurking in the six-yard box, the unfortunate Faubert stuck out a boot which diverted the ball past Green.
Adebayor should then have done better when following up his own shot, only to stab over from close range.
The Togo frontman eventually made sure of what could yet prove to be three vital points in an intriguing title race when he latched on to a long pass up field from Bendtner to round Green and smash the ball into an empty net.
To compound the misery for West Ham, referee Phil Dowd showed striker Carlton Cole what seemed a somewhat harsh straight red card for a sliding tackle from behind on Song.
"It was a big win for us today,'' Wenger said. "To come out of it with a frustrating 0-0 would have felt like a wasted opportunity to get closer to the top. We knew before the game we could not drop points today.
"West Ham can also feel frustrated because they defended well and gave everything today. Green always has the game of his life against us, it is unbelievable and he repeats that every year.
"We had some strikers on the bench and in the end that made the difference when we got some openings as they fatigued in the last 20 minutes.''
Wenger revealed he had taken a conscious decision to give Adebayor, who was last season's leading scorer, a rest.
"Last year I over-used him and now we go into a period where we play every three days, which is why I want to rotate a little bit," said Wenger. I have a short squad, a compact one, but of quality. I can only show that by trusting the players.''
Adebayor was a target for AC Milan during the summer, but eventually decided to stay at the Emirates Stadium. Wenger feels the Togo striker is showing his commitment to the Gunners cause.
He said: "He fights very hard and came on with 25 minutes left, and fought for every ball - that shows more than all the speeches I can make. We have a great spirit in the side, great quality and are very determined to come back to the top.''
Arsenal are now four points off leaders Liverpool, and have closed the gap on Chelsea to just one. Wenger feels this season will be "tight''.
He said: "One week ago everyone made Chelsea super-favourites, now it is Liverpool. Things change very quickly, which is why it makes it very interesting. We were very close last year and with 83 points, many times you would have been champions.
"However, Manchester United had a fantastic second half of the season, we dropped a little bit of our quality and that is it - I still feel any weakness will be punished.''
LONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur appointed Harry Redknapp as their new manager on Sunday after the Premier League club sacked Juande Ramos late on Saturday.
Empics
Ramos: No win in the league this season.
Redknapp, 61, leaves Portsmouth after a successful spell at the south-coast club that included steering the club to their first FA Cup triumph since 1939.
In a more than 2000-word open letter to fans on Tottenham's website, chairman Daniel Levy said he had been left with no choice but to remove Ramos, and his assistants Guy Poyet and Marcos Alvarez and director of football Damien Comolli, after the club's worst ever start to a season.
Going into Sunday's home match against Bolton Wanderers they are bottom of the league with just two points from eight matches.
"Unfortunately, our record of just three league wins since our memorable League Cup victory against Chelsea last February, combined with our extremely poor start to the season, led the board and I to determine that significant change was necessary as a matter of urgency," Levy said.
"We are grateful to Juande, Gus and Marcos for all their hard work -- they are incredibly professional, committed individuals and I regret that their time in the Premier League has not gone as well as we had all hoped."
Ramos won the League Cup for Tottenham after replacing Martin Jol a year ago but after the departure of several senior first team players, including strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, in the summer, they have endured an abysmal start.
Defeats against the likes of promoted Hull City and Stoke City have seen many tip Spurs for relegation for the first time since 1978.
"The English Premier League is an unforgiving competition and time was no longer on our side and was a luxury we simply could not afford," Levy added.
"In appointing Harry Redknapp as our new manager, we are delighted to have secured the services of someone we have long since admired and whose track record and knowledge of all levels of football, including importantly the Premier League, is outstanding.
"With his great knowledge of the game and his excellent motivational skills, Harry has inspired his teams to consistently over-perform, whilst his preferred attacking style of playing the game sits comfortably with our club's history, heritage and the type of entertaining football our fans want and expect to see."
Levy said Comolli would not be replaced, signalling the end of Tottenham's continental-type structure where a director of football is responsible for transfer dealings.
"In Harry, we are also accepting with his appointment that now is the right time for us to move back to a more traditional style of football management at our club," said Levy.
Portsmouth said they were sorry Redknapp was leaving and had tried to do everything to keep him at the club where chief executive Peter Storrie said he had "performed a near miracle" in keeping Pompey in the top flight when he first arrived.
"He made it clear that although he has achieved great success here at Fratton Park, apparently Spurs is one of the only clubs he would consider leaving for," Storrie told the club's website.
"We have subsequently agreed a substantial compensation package with Spurs, although our overwhelming desire would have been to retain the manager."
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