Craig Dawson scored at both ends in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane on Monday to earn West Brom a point that makes the title challenge very difficult for Tottenham Hotspur.
The hosts led at halftime through a Dawson own goal. coming when Christian Eriksen played a dangerous and deep free-kick that was mostly challenged by Jan Vertonghen, but the defender got the unfortunate last touch. The 25-year-old then redeemed himself by nodding a corner home in the 73rd minute to give the Baggies a well-earned point against a now deflated Spurs side.
Harry Kane had led the attacking efforts previously, including a low drive that Boaz Myhill saved with a dive down to his right-hand side. He had also hit the post before that after a lovely weighted pass from Dele Alli, proving he is a worthy PFA Young Player of the Year.
Eriksen had also skimmed the crossbar before providing the kick that led to that first goal. West Brom were very resilient, though they did not see much of the ball in the first 2o minutes. After this initial stage though, Spurs did not have a solid shot on target.
Mauricio Pochettino was visibly frustrated, and even with five added minutes at the end, his team could not find the win. Leicester now only have to win on Saturday against Manchester United in order to secure the Premier League title.
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Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris – 6: The low score means he did not have much to do. Although the Frenchman made a critical save to deny Salomon Rondon, he was in no man’s land when Dawson then netted from the resulting corner.
Kyle Walker – 7: Got into a small scuffle with Rondon, but defended well against a West Bom that would not give in.
Toby Alderweireld – 6.5: Tried to lead a charge in the dying five minutes to get Spurs back in front.
Jan Vertonghen – 6.5: Was the main culprit when forcing the own goal, but essentially knew it was not his to celebrate.
Danny Rose – 7: An unusual mistake that almost allowed Craig Gardner in, but recovered well to get the ball away in time.
Christian Eriksen – 8: Delivered the dangerous and difficult ball to defend from the free-kick which allowed Spurs to go 1-0 in front.
Dele Alli – 7.5: Consistently involved in play around the box and provided a beautiful ball that almost saw Kane score. A big player now and for the future.
Eric Dier – 7: Played well, but a sad sight saw Dier leave the pitch with an injury.
Moussa Dembele – 7: Fired a powerful left-footed shot just wide of the post.
Erik Lamela – 7: Desperately unlucky to hit the post after a storming run from Eriksen allowed Lamela to tuck the ball beyond Myhill.
Harry Kane – 7: Had a couple of shots in the first-half, but Myhill did very well to deny him.
Substitutes
Ryan Mason – N/A: Come on with around 10 minutes to go for an injured Eric Dier.
Son Hueng-min – N/A: Did not see enough of the ball.
Nacer Chadli – N/A: Had little chance to make an impact on the match.
West Bromwich Albion
Boaz Myhill – 7: Had two strong saves before the first goal, and denied Kane by getting down fast to his right. Made a brave save with his head to stop a Spurs counter.
Gareth McAuley – 6: West Brom played very well to keep Tottenham at bay. There were moments where McAuley and the defence threw their bodies behind every tackle and block.
Craig Dawson – 7: Was unlucky to concede the own goal, even if Vertonghen originally thought it was his. Provided a lovely cross, but no one was on the end of it. Also scored the equaliser.
Jonas Olsson – 6: Got himself into a scuffle which then led to Jonny Evans getting booked.
Jonny Evans – 6: Delivered a very good, dangerous cross in the first-half, but was eventually dealt with by Spurs.
Darren Fletcher – 6.5: Was always there in the middle, involved in most of the attacking play from West Brom.
Claudio Yacob – 5.5: Struggled to deal with Eriksen during his run that almost put Tottenham 2-0 in front.
Stephane Sessengon – 6.5: Had to do a lot more defending then he had originally wanted to in the first 20 minutes. Hit the side netting in the closing stages.
Craig Gardner – 6.5: Delivered a delicious ball that Rondon almost put into the back of the net. Also gave away the free-kick that led to the goal.
James McLean – 6: Sprinted back to make an extremely good block on Danny Rose in the first-half, as well as being involved in some good attacking play for the visitors.
Salomon Rondon – 6.5: Came very close to levelling with a header, but nodded just wide.
Substitution
Sandro – N/A: Never really had the chance to influence after his introduction.
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