Tottenham Live: Home vs West Brom
By Ryan Wrenn
Welcome to a debut feature here on HotspurHQ: Tottenham Live. We’ll be watching the match along with you, submitting our impressions as they come throughout the course of the match. Feel free to add thoughts in the comments and we’ll respond as best we can throughout the match and afterward.
Newer updates will appear at the top, while everything before it will by included below or on the next slide.
Final Thoughts
A thoroughly disappointing draw for Tottenham, though it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. West Brom played virtually the same defensive game they did back in December’s 1-1 draw – play a physical game in the area just ahead of goal, forcing Tottenham’s creators to work in wider area where they are less comfortable.
Offensively, they came back hard after a lackluster opening 20 minutes, actually managing more shots on target than Tottenham did by the time the final whistle blew. Say what you will about Pulis’ approach, he knows how to balance his side between rugby player defenders, quick wide players and muscular forwards. It doesn’t work all the time, but when it does it can be hard to play against.
Pochettino and the rest of the Tottenham squad will know that the title is all but unreachable at this point. While mathematically still possible, it’s far more likely that Leicester get the win they need to seal the Premier League title either this coming week against Manchester United or the following week against Everton.
FULL TIME Tottenham 1 – 1 West Brom
Pulis engineers another physical brawl of a draw. This might be remembered as the final gasp of Tottenham’s title challenge. For this season at least.
93rd minute…
Danny Rose finds a way into West Brom’s box, but can’t get it toward the center. The resulting corner is caught by Myhill.
90th minute…
Five minutes of stoppage time.
88th minute…
A corner won by West Brom is well-placed, but deflected by Vertonghen. It’s deflected out for a second, which comes to nothing.
Lloris launches the resulting goal-kick down pitch. Dele Alli is off, replaced by Nacer Chadli. Tottenham are out of substitutions.
85th minute…
Heung-min Son comes on for Lamela, who had a good game despite missing out on some chances.
82nd minute…
The crowd is in full force, attempting to will Tottenham ahead. Given how well West Brom have shut up shop so far, though, it might not be enough.
A draw here would put Tottenham seven points back from Leicester City, thus obliging Spurs to get at least two wins and a draw over the remaining three games to win the title – and even that assumes that the Foxes lose their last three.
78th minute…
In classic style, West Brom will now likely try to drain the minutes from the game. A draw might just be enough for them.
Pochettino won’t be resting on his laurels here though. The inclusion of Mason should add some oomph going forward, and we can expect to see one or two other changes sooner rather than later.
74th minute…
Looks as if Dawson’s use of Dier as a step ladder for that goal resulted in the Englishman getting injured. A stretcher is brought out onto the pitch, but Dier is able to stand and walk on his own. He’s subbed off for Ryan Mason.
73rd minute…
…which results in West Brom scoring. Craig Dawson scores his second goal of the game (his first for West Brom). The score is tied 1-1 with less than 20 minutes to go.
72nd minute…
Excellent save from Lloris to deny Rondon!
The Venezuelan striker is unmarked and sends the ball toward goal, only for Lloris to get his fingertips to it, thus conceding the corner.
68th minute…
West Brom seem happy to concede the middle of the pitch to Tottenham so long as they have people back to stand in front of Myhill’s goal. Another chance from Spurs is blunted by Olssen and company.
Kane almost gets on the end of a ball that Myhill has already committed to…only a well-timed intervention keeps the ball out of the back of West Brom’s net.
65th minute…
Alli and Eriksen combine to get the ball quickly back down the pitch, but the Dane isn’t able to get his shot on target. West Brom reclaim the ball for the goal-kick.
64th minute…
Rondon finds the end of a cross with his head but can’t direct it toward Lloris’ goal. It stumbles harmlessly out wide.
60th minute…
Johnny Evans fouls Lamela out wide right, resulting in the first yellow card of the game. The free-kick that follows deflects off the West Brom defender and amounts to nothing.
57th minute…
Kane hits the post a second time! Eriksen drifts in from the left and sets up Kane for a weak but good shot that just barely taps off the upright.
50th minute…
Slowly but surely, Tottenham are finding their foothold again. Dembele attempts to wind his way through the center, but West Brom’s defense remains firm.
Second half kickoff…
Tottenham get us going for the second half.
West Brom plays aren’t lacking for desire. They attempt their own version of Tottenham’s high press, attempting to keep the ball as close to Lloris’ area as possible. Only a hard tackle from Olssen on Lamela breaks things up and allows Spurs to get back forward.
Halftime
Tottenham held 70% possession in that half, recording 249 completed passes to West Brom’s 75. So, yeah, just about how you would expect a match against a Tony Pulis team to go.
They also have had the best chances so far. Twelve shots in total, two on goal. West Brom have managed only six for themselves, none of which troubled Lloris.
There’s not much room to be too comfortable though. Craig Dawson’s own-goal gives Tottenham a lead to take into the second half, but that’s a thin margin. West Brom will know how successful they were in keeping Tottenham contained in that first half. If they can keep that up while also making more of the few chances they get, they might think they can squeeze out another point from Tottenham.
Next: Tottenham Live: First Half