Last-gasp Alli nips in at death to save Spurs
DELE ALLI rescued a late point for Tottenham at West Brom as Spurs missed the chance to go top.
The midfielder struck an 89thminute equaliser to clinch a point after Nacer Chadli looked to have condemned his former club to defeat.
Chadli, the Baggies’ £13million record buy from Spurs in the summer, rammed the ball home with eight minutes left to put the hosts on the verge of a smashand-grab victory. But Alli turned in a scrappy equaliser and Albion were also indebted to keeper Ben Foster after he stopped Spurs from running riot in the first half.
The England international twice saved from Alli and also denied Erik Lamela, Ben Davies and Christen Eriksen.
Foster needed to be at his acrobatic best with Spurs in complete command from the start as Lamela and Vincent Janssen combined for the former to drag his shot across goal.
Eriksen then fired straight at Foster in the opening 15 minutes as Tottenham probed without exploiting Albion, the hosts planting 10 men behind the ball at all times. It worked with the visitors restricted to efforts from
distance as Davies’ drive deflected wide and Eriksen fired off target, before they were left frustrated by Foster three times in eight minutes.
The keeper raced out to save at Alli’s feet after half an hour and then turned Davies’ effort wide as Spurs began to turn the screw.
Alli acrobatically sliced off target and blew an even better chance after 38 minutes when Foster again came to the Baggies’ aid.
Janssen showed good strength to shield the ball and sent Alli racing clear, but with just Foster to beat, the midfielder’s tame effort was beaten away.
And the England international kept the Baggies level again three minutes before half-time, turning Eriksen’s rasping low strike behind after Albion had been opened up by neat interplay.
Yet, after Foster’s heroics, the hosts could have gone into the break ahead.
They had been anonymous as an attacking force with Salomon Rondon a lonely sole striker, but the Venezuela international almost cashed in when Hugo Lloris spilled James McClean’s low shot.
Slowly, the Baggies began to offer more than just their steely first-half resistance and Tottenham’s plans were further skewed when Toby Alderweireld was carried off following a collision with Rondon and replaced by Eric Dier.
Spurs had failed to find their first-half rhythm and, although Moussa Sissoko’s deflected effort dropped just wide after 62 minutes, their level had dropped significantly since half-time.
Emboldened, Albion grew into the game and began to unsettle the visitors and, with eight minutes left, they shocked Spurs.
Jan Vertonghen cleared underneath his own bar and from the resulting corner Lloris turned McClean’s shot onto a post and Chadli slammed his fourth goal of the season into the roof of the net.
But Alli finally beat Foster with a minute left when Eriksen’s shot deflected into his path and he stabbed in from 10 yards to secure a precious point.