West Brom 1-1 Spurs

West Brom 1-1 Spurs

Home team scorers
Nacer Chadli 82

Away team scorers
Dele Alli 89

In the end Tottenham Hotspur managed to salvage something from what had looked like being a damaging afternoon for Mauricio Pochettino and his players, yet the point that Dele Alli rescued in the 89th minute came at a cost. Toby Alderweireld, who has been so outstanding for Spurs since joining last year, was taken off on a stretcher early in the second half in considerable pain and with what looked like a potentially serious injury.

When Nacer Chadli scored against his former club in the 82nd minute, firing into the roof of the net from six yards, the day went from bad to worse for Spurs and it was tempting to wonder what was going through Pochettino’s mind as the Belgian was mobbed by his Albion team-mates. It was Chadli’s fourth goal in five Premier League games and the applause he received from the away end when he was substituted a few minutes later spoke volumes for how he is regarded by the Tottenham fans.

Spurs, however, were not finished and their unbeaten Premier League record remains in tact courtesy of Alli’s predatory finish in the closing stages. On the balance of play it was the least Spurs deserved at the end of the first of seven games in the space of 23 days. They were far superior in the first half, in what was effectively a game of attack versus defence as Albion got 10 men behind the ball, and only some excellent goalkeeping from Ben Foster prevented the visitors from turning their dominance in that period into goals. In the second half, however, it was a different story as Spurs lost their way a little and Albion played with much more belief.

Come the interval, Spurs had enjoyed 78% of possession and it was not until the stroke of half-time that Albion registered a shot on goal. The home team very nearly scored, too, as James McClean cut inside and thumped a low left-footed shot that Hugo Lloris parried. Salomón Rondón, loitering inside the six-yard box, was unable to turn home.

Up until that point it had been one-way traffic towards the other end of the pitch. Spurs, who were once again set up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Victor Wanyama preferred to Eric Dier in the midfield holding role, had control of the match. The only thing missing was a goal. Alli went close twice in the space of a couple of minutes from close range, with Foster saving the first attempt and managing to do just enough to put the England international off when he tried to hook home seconds later. Next it was Ben Davies’s turn to test the Albion keeper with a raking drive from just outside the area that the 33-year-old, diving low to his left, pawed away with his left hand.

Albion were unable to gain a foothold in the opening 45 minutes and Spurs, with Alderweireld hitting some glorious diagonal passes from right to left, kept pushing forward. Vincent Janssen, who started ahead of Son Heung-min, set Alli free in the inside left channel in the 38th minute. Yet as Alli cut into the penalty area and bore down on goal, Foster once again came out on top and saved at the midfielder’s feet. He produced an even better stop four minutes later after Janssen and Alli combined just outside the area to set up Christian Eriksen. With the time and space to pick his spot, Eriksen steered a low right-footed shot towards the corner that Foster superbly clawed around the post.

Albion played with greater ambition after the interval and Spurs were no longer in such control. Alderweireld’s departure – he was beating the ground in pain after he appeared to fall awkwardly – saw Dier come on at centre-half and Pochettino quickly made another change, replacing Moussa Sissoko with Mousa Dembélé. Sissoko had almost scored two minutes earlier, when his low shot was deflected wide, but Spurs were no longer laying siege to the Albion goal.

Tony Pulis, the Albion manager, introduced Chris Brunt in the second half and the Northern Irishman, who was making his first appearance in eight months after coming back from injury, had a hand in the opening goal. It was his corner from the left that ran through to McClean, whose shot was pushed onto the near post by Lloris. Chadli reacted first and lifted the ball home. Alli, however, was in the right place at the right time at the other end to beat Foster from eight yards and earn Spurs a point.

Guardian