Spurs' dream over as West Brom hand the title to Leicester
Foxes need just one win to clinch league as nervy Tottenham are held to a draw
Tottenham Hotspur 1 West Bromwich Albion 1
Leicester City are just one win away from clinching the Premier League title after Spurs were held to a 1-1 draw at home to West Brom. The result leaves Tottenham seven points adrift of the Foxes, who were 5,000-1 outsiders at the start of the season but will be crowned champions on Sunday if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
It was a nervy Spurs display at White Hart Lane, a performance far removed from the slick 4-0 demolition of Stoke the previous week.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The tension felt by the home side was characterised by midfielder Dele Alli, who was crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year on Sunday night but appeared to land a punch in the midriff of Albion midfielder Claudio Yacob as they clashed in the first-half. He's likely to be summoned to the Football Association to account for his actions.
Spurs hit the woodwork twice in the opening minutes but their goal came from Baggies defender Craig Dawson, who put the ball into his own net on 33 minutes while attempting to clear Christian Eriksen's wicked cross.
Albion, with just one point from their previous five matches, emerged after the break with renewed vigour, manager Tony Pulis exhorting his men to "get into them".
Spurs began to fret at the physicality of their opponents and Salomon Rondon softened up the home side with two near misses before Dawson delivered the sucker punch on 73 minutes. Outjumping the Spurs defence, the player made amends for his own goal by heading Craig Gardner's corner past Hugo Lloris for the equaliser.
The goal failed to galvanise Spurs and instead, they played with the imprecision of a team trying to stop the sands of time. They didn't muster a single shot in target in the second half against the club who have scored fewer league goals this season than anyone bar relegated Aston Villa.
"We still need to believe," said Spurs manager Maurico Pochettino. "Mathematically it is still possible. I have nothing to complain about and we need to be strong in our mind and prepare for the next game. It is difficult, but we need to fight for the points. We are not going to give up."
Baggies boss Tony Pulis described Spurs as "an exceptional side", but said: "I just want Leicester to win it. No disrespect to Tottenham, but it is such a wonderful story. It can't happen anywhere else but in this country. The Premier League is such a tough league and Leicester can dig results out. They have played exceptionally well and won games but when they haven't they have dug them out."
Leicester have three games to find the win they require to lift the title, while Tottenham must follow their manager's instructions.
"All we can do is keep fighting," said their leading goalscorer, Harry Kane. "We have Chelsea next. Hopefully Man United can do us a favour."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
By Mike Starling Published