1-1 v West Bromwich Albion - 25 April 2016 - Home

Tottenham Hotspur Badge

Spurs 1

  • Dawson
    33'
West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion

1

  • Dawson
    73'
Details
Match Number

7179

Opposition
West bromwich albion

West Bromwich Albion

Competition
Premier League

Premier League

Season

2015/16

Date

25th April 2016

Kick Off

20:00

Venue

White Hart Lane

Attendance

35,923

Referee

Mike Jones

League Position

2nd

Opposition League Position

13th

Opposition Form

LDLWDL

Weather at Kick Off

5.3° - Overcast

Facts & Milestones
  • 7143rd overall match (3399 wins, 1577 draws, 2154 losses)

  • 5566th competitive match (2496 wins, 1309 draws, 1761 losses)

  • team

    146th match vs West Bromwich Albion (57 wins, 34 draws, 55 losses)

  • competition

    921st Premier League match (374 wins, 238 draws, 309 losses)

  • 6535th match in England (3063 wins, 1472 draws, 1987 losses)

  • 2960th match at White Hart Lane (1733 wins, 637 draws, 590 losses)

  • 7th consecutive match with a goal scored

  • 5th consecutive match without losing

Report

Tottenham Hotspur's title ambitions were dealt a severe blow as West Brom defender Craig Dawson's second-half equaliser put Leicester City within one victory of winning the Premier League.

Spurs looked set to narrow the gap to five points with three games left after Dawson bundled Christian Eriksen's teasing cross into his own net.

But he made amends by heading in Craig Gardner's corner from six yards.

Spurs are seven points adrift, meaning Leicester can win the title on Sunday.

Spurs, who hit the woodwork three times, must earn two wins and a draw from their remaining three games to stand any chance of winning their first Premier League title.

Leicester's unlikely ascension to Premier League title favourites has diverted some attention away from Tottenham's search for a first English title since 1961.

Mauricio Pochettino's men have played with freedom and fluency in recent months, thriving on their emergence as Leicester's only credible challengers.

But, while many have expected the Foxes to crack, it is second-placed Spurs who seem to have buckled on the final straight.

Spurs have only lost once in the Premier League since mid-January - a run spanning 14 matches - but dropping two points against a mid-table West Brom side, who have little to play for, could prove costly.

The home team oozed confidence in the first half, pinning Albion back inside their own half as they threatened to run riot.

However, the visitors rallied after the break - presumably after some stern words from manager Tony Pulis - to earn a point.

Spurs midfielder Dele Alli received a rapturous reception from the White Hart Lane crowd when he was handed his PFA Young Player of the Year award before kick-off.

But, by the final whistle, attention had been diverted to the ill-discipline which has occasionally crept into his game.

Alli may find himself facing a suspension after seeming to punch Albion midfielder Claudio Yacob in the stomach as they contested a first-half set-piece.

The England international has won plenty of admirers - not just those of a Spurs persuasion - in his breakthrough Premier League season, impressing with his mature displays.

Alli was instrumental in two of the moves that ended with Tottenham hitting the woodwork, calmly steering into Harry Kane's path in the opening stages and cleverly flicking to Eriksen, who then set up Erik Lamela's drive when Spurs led 1-0.

However, the 20-year-old has also shown a tendency to lose his cool - and his clash with Yacob, which was off-the-ball and later picked up by television cameras, could attract the attention of the Football Association's disciplinary panel.

Few people predicted anything other than a comfortable Spurs win against an Albion side struggling for form.

The Baggies had taken just one point from their previous five matches, including a limp 2-0 defeat at Spurs' bitter rivals Arsenal on Thursday.

Albion manager Tony Pulis insisted before kick-off that his side needed to "hold a flag up" for the competitiveness of the Premier League - and that is what they eventually did.

The visitors offered nothing in the first half, failing to muster a single shot on target as Spurs peppered efforts at their goal.

Albion keeper Boaz Myhill - making his first appearance since January for the injured Ben Foster - superbly tipped Eriksen's free-kick around his right-hand post, then diverted Kane's guided shot onto the same upright.

Another Eriksen set-piece also skimmed the crossbar as Spurs played with freedom in the opening 25 minutes.

But Pulis' side, now 13th, improved dramatically after the break, limiting Spurs to few clear-cut opportunities inside a tense White Hart Lane.

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino on BBC Radio 5 live: "A second goal would have made it very different. In the first half we played very well and it will always happen in football when you allow the other team to believe you can concede.

"But I think I am still very proud for my players. We still need to believe. We know it will be difficult but we need to still believe and fight for these three games.

"We have a chance but it is true that now it is more difficult. We understand that this was a must-win and now we have to lift the players."

West Brom manager Tony Pulis:

"We just watched them dance around us at times but the great thing about the game was we came in just 1-0 down at half-time.

"But second half was much better - more like the performances we've been putting in away from home.

"I'm really pleased with the players. We lack a bit of quality at times but I can't fault their work-rate and they work within a shape that suits them."

Timeline
KO

Craig Dawson

33'
HT

Jonny Evans

60'

Craig Dawson

73'
FT
Location
League Table
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Leicester city
35 22 10 3 63 33 30 76
2
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
34 19 11 4 64 25 39 68
3
Manchester city
35 19 7 9 66 34 32 64
4
Arsenal
35 18 10 7 58 34 24 64
5
Manchester united
34 17 8 9 42 30 12 59
6
West ham united
34 14 14 6 57 43 14 56
7
Liverpool
34 15 10 9 58 45 13 55
8
Southampton
35 15 9 11 49 37 12 54
9
Chelsea
34 12 11 11 53 46 7 47
10
Stoke city
35 13 8 14 37 51 -14 47
11
Everton
34 9 14 11 53 48 5 41
12
Watford
34 11 8 15 33 40 -7 41
13
Afc bournemouth
35 11 8 16 42 61 -19 41
14
West bromwich albion
34 10 10 14 31 42 -11 40
15
Swansea city
35 10 10 15 34 49 -15 40
16
Crystal palace
35 10 9 16 36 45 -9 39
17
Sunderland
34 7 10 17 39 57 -18 31
18
Norwich city
34 8 7 19 35 60 -25 31
19
Newcastle united
35 7 9 19 38 64 -26 30
20
Aston villa
35 3 7 25 25 69 -44 16
# Team PL W D L GF GA GD PTS
1
Leicester city
35 22 10 3 63 33 30 76
2
Tottenham Hotspur Badge Tottenham Hotspur
35 19 12 4 65 26 39 69
3
Manchester city
35 19 7 9 66 34 32 64
4
Arsenal
35 18 10 7 58 34 24 64
5
Manchester united
34 17 8 9 42 30 12 59
6
West ham united
34 14 14 6 57 43 14 56
7
Liverpool
34 15 10 9 58 45 13 55
8
Southampton
35 15 9 11 49 37 12 54
9
Chelsea
34 12 11 11 53 46 7 47
10
Stoke city
35 13 8 14 37 51 -14 47
11
Everton
34 9 14 11 53 48 5 41
12
Watford
34 11 8 15 33 40 -7 41
13
West bromwich albion
35 10 11 14 32 43 -11 41
14
Afc bournemouth
35 11 8 16 42 61 -19 41
15
Swansea city
35 10 10 15 34 49 -15 40
16
Crystal palace
35 10 9 16 36 45 -9 39
17
Sunderland
34 7 10 17 39 57 -18 31
18
Norwich city
34 8 7 19 35 60 -25 31
19
Newcastle united
35 7 9 19 38 64 -26 30
20
Aston villa
35 3 7 25 25 69 -44 16
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