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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Tottenham v West Brom, Premier League

We were at White Hart Lane to see if Spurs could keep their faint title hopes going.

Good evening all.

The games are running out for Spurs and you have to feel for them. They’ve had a terrific season and still seem set to lose out to Leicester in the race for the title.

They’ve got two game-winners in Kane and Alli while their supporting cast – like Eriksen and Lamela – is very solid too. There’s a nice, dependable midfield partnership with Dier and Dembele and the defence is really, really, strong.

For the Baggies, their form has been so poor of late – just one point from their last five league outings. You get the impression that this group just want the season to be over and that’s good news for Spurs tonight.

The Spurs’ team is the same group that thumped Stoke 4-0 in their last game. It’s a pretty imposing XI, particularly that quartet up top.

Meanwhile, two absentees for the Baggies. Ben Foster and Saido Berahino are both suffering with ankle injuries so miss out. That means Boaz Myhill gets the nod between the sticks and Salomon Rondon slots in to lead the line.

Bit of Irish interest here with James McClean on the left side of the West Brom midfield. Northern Ireland internationals Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley both feature in defence.

Here come the teams. Odds are that Alli will provide something special tonight…

KICK-OFF! 

Strong from Spurs early on. They do well to pressure West Brom and work hard to get the ball back. And they’ve got a free-kick here.

CLOSE! Ooof. Eriksen curls it towards the near post and Myhill gets a right hand to it and tips it behind for a corner.

VERY CLOSE! What a save that is. Stunning from Myhill. Alli does so well – holds it up and waits for Kane to dart in behind. The pass is perfect and Kane pulls the trigger from close range. It’s quite close to the keeper but, nevertheless, he does so well to get his fingertips to it and push it towards the far upright. It hits the inside of the post and bounces to safety.

Alli has been at the centre of a couple of fouls early on here – the first from Fletcher and then from Yacob.

And moments later, the keeper is called into action again. The cross from the right is close to him but it must have moved in the air at the last minute as he desperately parries away. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt after that save from Kane.

Spurs are camped deep into WBA territory. They have a free-kick here right on the edge of the area after Sessegnon brought down Danny Rose.

VERY CLOSE! And it’s off the crossbar! Eriksen whips the free-kick around the wall, aiming for the side of the goal that Myhill is standing at – essentially trying to give the keeper the eyes a bit. There’s so much pace on it and it dips violently before grazing the top of the bar.

A brief foray forward for West Brom as McClean gets into the game but it’s all very forced. Tottenham with 72% possession right now.

CLOSE! More from Spurs. Just before, Dembele plays a slick pass into Kane and a corner is forced. Moments later, Kane picks it up on the edge of the box, Yacob slips which creates space and the strike forces Myhill into a save low to his right.

West Brom need to be a lot smarter in how they get back up the pitch. When they get a chance to stretch Spurs, they need to get Rondon on the ball and McClean and Sessegnon pushing on. At the moment, they can’t make any forward pass stick.

Doesn’t bode well for WBA. They’re taking an eternity to restart the game from corners and throw-ins. They’re essentially hanging on with an hour of the game to go.

And just as a I type that, they manage to get a low cross in from the right and there’s Craig Gardner, with no-one around him, but he’s not really expecting it and the first-time strike is still probably bouncing around North London somewhere.

Good tracking from McClean there. Danny Rose makes a run right across goal from his full-back position and Lamela clips it forward for him to run onto. But McClean is there to challenge and WBA get it clear.

GOAL! Dawson (o.g)

Jan Vertonghen is claiming it but I reckon this is an own goal. The free-kick is whipped in from the right side by Eriksen and it’s such a dangerous delivery – great dip so that it’s flying low across the danger area. Vertonghen and Dawson challenge and as Dawson tries to get his head to it, it just seems to hit off him and roll right through Myhill. Not very pretty but Spurs in front here.

McClean has done well tonight as he tracks back once more to cover Rose’s run. Moments later, he attempts to steamroll Dembele as Spurs frustrate by keeping hold of the ball. But the midfielder is too sharp for the Irish international, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Ridiculous from Kyle Walker. Rondon chases a throw along the touchline and Walker is tight to him. The pair tangle and the full-back, for some reason, kicks out at Rondon – just a little flick. No action taken though and he’s pretty lucky.

HALF-TIME! 

Strange half, really. Not sure what West Brom expected by sitting so far back, defending in numbers and offering nothing in attack. They did well to last as long as they did before conceding.

Since then, they’ve actually got some passing going up top and looked better but the damage has already been done.

Tottenham will surely rack up a second shortly after the restart and canter to an easy victory.

SECOND HALF! 

Hmmm…a bit of chatter going on about an incident involving Dele Alli and Claudio Yacob. From the footage doing the rounds, it looks like the PFA Young Player of the Year has turned around and punched Yacob in the stomach. It’s very, very silly and he could face retroactive punishment for it.

Free-kick for West Brom in a tasty position here. Thought McClean would take a strike on first time as the ball dropped to the edge of the area. Eventually, Yacob commits a foul and the chance is gone.

Things beginning to creak for Spurs here and West Brom have been much more competitive since half-time. The guests have pushed up higher and have won a litany of free-kicks in decent positions. They’re bossing possession as well now – 55%.

VERY CLOSE! Well, I’d just asked in the office what Spurs were playing at and they must have heard me.  They went straight up the pitch on a superb counter-attack – Alli’s flick releasing Eriksen. He had too much pace and raced towards the area, knocked it inside for Lamela who neatly side-footed to the far corner…only for the ball to hit the upright and bounce back into play.

BOOKING! Jonny Evans becomes the first player to pick up a yellow card here and it’s another really good position for Spurs here. Eriksen standing over it.

Superb delivery but it seems to hit Vertonghen and bounce away from goal. Still, West Brom can’t afford to give away set-pieces close to goal because Eriksen has been nothing but quality from dead balls this evening.

CLOSE! This is the hole that Spurs find themselves in here. Gardner’s hopeful cross – he’s only got Rondon to aim at – and the striker rises high to get up and power one towards the near post. It’s not too far away.

At the other end, Eriksen races through the middle – he’s got runners right and left but they’re well covered. So, as he approaches the area, he just tries to stab it towards the corner but Myhill watches it drift past the near post.

CLOSE! We just spoke of the risk for West Brom in conceding set-pieces. Well, they did it again, Eriksen’s delivery was cleared but Dembele fancied it on his left and the shot just whistled past the past.

GOAL! Dawson!

Well, that’s incredible. At half-time, I predicted how West Brom would fall apart because Spurs were so comfortable in the opening period. That has been completely rubbished by the guests here. They have rode their luck but how ironic they equalise from a corner, after struggling so much with Spurs’ deliveries? Anyway, the corner is pinged to the far post and it’s Dawson who rises up. Lloris comes for it and doesn’t get it – the header drifting to the net.

As it stands, Spurs are seven behind with three games left.

SUBSTITUTION! Mason (on) – Dier (off)

Dier looks to have injured himself when that goal was being scored. He’s headed straight to the dressing rooms.

Free-kick for Spurs here and Pulis is livid on the touchline. It seems a 50/50 challenge as Dembele is trying to get there before Yacob. But Dembele’s foot seems high as both clatter into each other. It goes the way of the hosts though.

High, wide and handsome from Eriksen as the reactions inside White Hart Lane say it all – this is very, very unexpected.

SUBSTITUTION! Son (on) – Lamela (off)

Fresh legs up top but not long for Spurs to conjure something special here.

Things getting very, very nervy here. Two corners in succession for West Brom here…

SUBSTITUTIONS! Chadli (on) – Alli (off) & Sandro (on) – Sessegnon (off)

The new faces will have FIVE MINUTES to make a difference here.

Rose does well to get away from Gradner and heads for the by-line but cross is blocked and goes out for a corner. Eriksen’s delivery…is straight into Myhill’s grateful arms. Terrible.

Surely last chance…free kick to Spurs.

FULL-TIME! 

Certainly a defining moment in the title race. Such a result did not look like happening at half-time.

Spurs absolutely bossed the opening period and had a number of chances that tested Boaz Myhill too.

West Brom attempted to sit back and dig in their heels but conceding so much territory so early was asking for trouble.

But, just a goal behind at the break, they always had a chance and credit to Tony Pulis – they were much improved in the second half – pushing higher and forcing Spurs to try and build attacks from deeper in their half.

And the home side struggled to muster a response. They still managed to create chances and hit the upright again through Erik Lamela but they couldn’t put West Brom away.

Kane and Alli faded as the game went on and Eriksen’s deliveries – which had caused so many problems earlier – began to drop in quality too.

Seven points between Tottenham and Leicester now and a win for the Foxes at Old Trafford on Sunday will confirm them as Premier League champions.

Thanks for staying with us throughout the night – plenty more reaction on its way.

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