West Brom's dramatic bid to escape relegation from the Barclays Premiership
was given another shot in the arm on Wednesday night when they climbed out of the bottom
three with a battling draw at White Hart Lane.
Bryan Robson's side looked set to extend their impressive run of three
victories from their last five outings when midfielder Zoltan Gera pounced to
give them a first-half lead they richly deserved.
But the arrival of Egyptian striker Mido from the bench in time for the second
half gave Spurs a physical presence they had lacked and he provided the
52nd-minute equaliser for Robbie Keane.
The match was short on quality with West Brom obviously feeling the pressure
of their precarious position in the Premiership - and they had to show real
character to finish with the point.
In contrast, Spurs boss Martin Jol - who replaced Fredi Kanoute with England
striker Jermain Defoe in the only change to the side which drew 2-2 with
Liverpool last Saturday - will be rueing their failure to claim a fifth
successive home league victory.
He will also not have been impressed with the defending which saw Spurs carved
wide open with just a minute on the clock with Kevin Campbell and Richard
Chaplow combining to superb effect.
Their work fashioned an excellent chance for Campbell but he waited too long
before pulling the trigger, allowing Michael Dawson and Erik Edman to execute a
perfectly-timed double tackle which snuffed out the danger.
Gera struck a free-kick inches wide of the right post but there was panic in
the West Brom defence moments later when Thomas Gaardsoe almost headed into his
own net with only a finger-tip save from Russell Hoult denying him.
Sean Davis saw a glancing header sail just over the crossbar before play
swiftly changed ends with Kanu threatening down the right until his light cross
was cleared away by Dawson.
Kanu was in the thick of the action again in the 23rd minute with some slick
footwork supplying the ball to Paul Robinson but his first touch was so bad he
had turn and regain possession.
West Brom were getting the better of their opponents and deservedly took the
lead in the 24th minute when Dawson headed a Richard Chaplow header into the
path of Gera, who picked his spot and rifled home from eight yards out.
Chaplow - making his full debut with Jonathan Greening suspended - was
enjoying a lively game and he nearly made it two with 29 minutes on the clock
after meeting a Kanu cross at the far post only for Tottenham goalkeeper Paul
Robinson to scramble the ball to safety.
Spurs upped the tempo in response to West Brom's control and began to take the
initiative by attacking with more urgency, almost meeting instant reward through
a Stephen Kelly header which slipped off-target.
For all their ambition, however, Jol's side were struggling to unlock a solid
looking West Brom defence with the visitors threatening to pounce for a second
on the counter.
Jol brought on Mido and Thimothee Atouba for Davis and Edman and the
alteration almost paid instant dividends with Mido weaving his way between
Gaardsoe and Ronnie Wallwork and into an excellent scoring position.
But with the all the hard work done, the Egyptian marksman scuffed his shot
badly and it trickled wide of the left post - allowing West Brom to breath a
heavy sigh of relief.
Ledley King and Mido both fluffed tricky opportunities but Spurs could not be
denied for much longer as they found openings with increasing frequency and the
equaliser arrived in the 52nd minute.
A floated pass from Atouba found Mido, who fended off a challenge from
Gaardsoe before finding Keane on the edge of the area - and the Republic of
Ireland international buried the ball in the back of the net.
Atouba nearly set up a second for Keane at the far post but the striker could
not quite reach the ball while Andy Reid's powerful effort soon after went close
to breaking the deadlock.
Gera almost slipped a shot through at the right post after racing in and
meeting Chaplow's superb flick-on but the ball crept agonisingly wide as West
Brom continued to pose a threat on the counter.
Spurs dominated the final 20 minutes as they poured forward in search of the
winner but they were denied by stout defending from West Brom, who refused to
buckle in the face of heavy pressure.
Teams:
Tottenham Robinson, Kelly, King, Dawson, Edman (Atouba 45),
Davies, Davis (Mido 45), Carrick, Reid, Defoe (Ziegler 75),
Keane.
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Marney.
Booked: Dawson, Reid.
Goals: Keane 52.
West Brom Hoult, Scimeca, Gaardsoe, Clement, Robinson, Gera,
Richardson (Inamoto 23), Wallwork, Chaplow, Kanu (Earnshaw 83),
Campbell (Moore 60).
Subs Not Used: Albrechtsen, Kuszczak.
Goals: Gera 24.
Att: 35,885
Ref: C Foy (Merseyside).
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