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Tottenham Hotspur stun struggling West Bromwich Albion with comeback Tottenham Hotspur stun struggling West Bromwich Albion with comeback
(about 1 hour later)
If West Bromwich Albion are to secure their status in the Premier League, they are determined to do it the hard way. Just as in their last home game, against Cardiff City, they went 2-0 up in the opening 10 minutes, only to succumb to sharing a six-goal thriller that they would gladly have seen remain a boring victory. Tim Sherwood may be drowning rather than waving, but at least if he is going down it is with a splash. The Tottenham Hotspur manager – his days at White Hart Lane supposedly numbered – witnessed the best and worst of his erratic team as they went three goals behind before staging a storming comeback that merited at least the point salvaged when Christian Eriksen slammed the ball into the corner of Ben Foster's net, in the fourth minute of added time.
Christian Eriksen – cutting back inside to ram his shot into the top corner, after Aaron Lennon's cross was headed on by Craig Dawson – equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Tottenham Hotspur stormed back from 3-1 down at half-time, with a second-half showing as impassioned as the first was flaccid. As West Bromwich Albion let slip an early two-goal lead for the fourth time this season, evidently determined to stay up the hard way, Sherwood was able to admit his disappointment that Spurs had not claimed the victory that would have kept them within four points of fourth-placed Everton in their diminishing pursuit of a Champions League place.
Tim Sherwood's job security will not be greatly enhanced as Spurs seemed to sink to new depths before raising themselves, but Pepe Mel has been left still seeking his first home victory in English football, as West Brom drew their sixth of his seven home games, to sit three points above the relegation zone with five matches to play. Spurs seem to go behind even when they win – as well as getting biffed on the chin in heavy defeats by Chelsea and Liverpool – so for all the credit they deserve in fighting back for a draw, they bring ridicule for the slipshod manner in which they get themselves into a hole.
This was the third time this season – twice against Aston Villa and in their last home game against Cardiff City – that West Brom have got off to a two-goal opening blast but failed to go on and win. The away fans briefly chanted "We want Levy out" as West Brom scampered wantonly into a fragile lead, but it is more likely to be the manager who departs this season than the chairman, who has reportedly lined up Louis van Gaal to succeed Sherwood after the World Cup finals.
But when Matej Vydra and Chris Brunt both scored inside four minutes, the goals had the added ballast that they were against a Tottenham side who seem to have misplaced their spine, especially away from home. For all the panache displayed in the second half and in the 5-1 dismantling of Sunderland on Monday, Spurs have won 11 and lost nine of Sherwood's 24 games in charge. For a club that invested more than £100m in fresh talent last summer, that will not suffice, even if they were not Sherwood's selections.
Just 27 seconds had elapsed when Vydra swivelled to volley home after Hugo Lloris could only palm out Morgan Amalfitano's cross to the near post. But the ease with which the Frenchman – who has scored in each of West Brom's past two games – beat Danny Rose coming in from the right wing was embarrassing. What Sherwood is responsible for is the slapdash defending that allowed Morgan Amalfitano to beat Danny Rose with such ease that Hugo Lloris could only palm the ball out for Matej Vydra to swivel and volley home the opening goal after 27 seconds.
Rose was not alone. Spurs' defending was atrocious. When Amalfitano laid the ball back for Steven Reid to cross, it was Stéphane Sessègnon – all 5ft 7in of him – who was allowed to win the heading duel in the centre. The ball was flicked on for Brunt, back in for the injured James Morrison, to strike the perfect pose to volley in left-footed. Chris Brunt was left entirely free at the back post to volley home in textbook fashion in the fourth minute, after Stéphane Sessègnon – all 5ft 7in of him – won a heading duel to flick on Steven Reid's cross. And, after Foster had saved Emmanuel Adebayor's penalty – Amalfitano had felled Rose – Younès Kaboul was culpable when he misjudged his leap to head backwards Jonas Olsson's long punt for Sessègnon to run clear of Vlad Chiriches and make it 3-0.
The Hawthorns was a sunny haven of joy. West Brom fans were besides themselves, the prospect of staying up and Mel's first home victory within reach. Trouble was, there were 86 minutes to go. Harry Kane twice shot just wide – the second from point-blank range after Rose's cross to the near post – and West Brom were in no mood to take heed. "Credit to West Brom, they started very well and we didn't," Sherwood said. "It's not good enough, we have to try and stop that somehow. They didn't have to work very hard for their goals and, at 3-0 down, we had a mountain to climb.
On the quarter of an hour mark, Rose got ahead of Amalfitano and went to ground, and referee Neil Swarbrick took his time before pointing to the spot. But Emmanuel Adebayor's penalty was lackadaisical and Ben Foster dived to his left to save with something to spare. Adebayor, having scored twice in the 5-1 win over Sunderland on Monday, was meant to be Spurs' biggest hope – having scored 10 league goals since Sherwood brought him in from the cold –, but this just added to the sense of a club in limbo. "I always believed we would get back into the game. You have to give the fans a lot of credit – they stuck with us and believed we would get back into it. On the balance of play, 20-odd shots to five, we deserved something."
The Tottenham fans barely knew whose head to call for, so they struck up a chant of 'We want Levy out' midway through the half. It is Sherwood's head that looks most destined for a platter, however – a dead man walking, as the Spurs board wait for Louis Van Gaal and the summer. West Brom were guilty of misplacing this kind of lead the last time they were at home, and – just as they allowed Cardiff to battle back for a 3-3 draw – so they relaxed and let the game go out of their control. Liam Ridgewell barely bothered to turn when Harry Kane sent in Kyle Naughton behind him, and the right-back's driven cross looped up off Olsson and over Foster into the net.
When Younès Kaboul could only head on Jonas Olsson's long punt forward for Sessègnon to outpace Vlad Chiriches, compose himself and make it 3-0, Spurs looked leaderless. The second half was an entirely different match. The clouds came over and West Brom went back under cover. Sherwood claims he did not tear any strips of paint off the walls of the visitors' dressing room, but his players responded with a 45-minute showing to match his passion.
West Brom were so relaxed, however, that Liam Ridgewell barely bothered to turn when Kane sent in Kyle Naughton behind him and the right-back's driven cross looped up off Olsson and over Foster into the net. It was a shame, for Spurs, that it came so belatedly. All too often under Sherwood their fight comes after failure. They made it 3-2 when Aaron Lennon wriggled past Ridgewell, with some ease, down the right and from his cross Kane followed up his maiden Premier League goal on Monday by heading the ball just over the line.
The second half was like an entirely different match. The clouds came over and West Brom went back under cover. No doubt Sherwood tore several strips of paint off the walls of the visitors' dressing room and his players responded with a 45-minute showing to match his passion. West Brom replaced Sessègnon with Claudio Yacob but rather than gain a foothold, this seemed to take away an escape valve for the home team.
Shame, for Spurs, that it came so belatedly. All too often under Sherwood their fight comes after failure. They made it 3-2 when Lennon wriggled past Ridgewell, with some ease, down the right and – from his cross – Kane followed up his maiden Premier League goal on Monday by heading just over the line. Just when West Brom thought they had, however, hung on to stay five points clear of the relegation zone, Lennon crossed from the right, Craig Dawson could only head on and Eriksen, Tottenham's go-to man, composed himself by coming inside and slamming home the equaliser.
All of the play in this period was in the Albion half and, 13 minutes from time, they should have equalised. Adebayor held the ball up well and, when it went out left, Rose came steaming in, only to blast his shot high into the Smethwick End. "The players are very cross in the dressing room, we're very cross," Pepe Mel, the West Bromwich Albion manager, said. "No one had been given any orders to play further back. We needed the points."
However, Eriksen finally found the net to complete Spurs' comeback and deny West Brom what could yet prove to be two vital points.