Spurs 0-1 WBA

A second half goal from James Morrison gave West Bromwich Albion the win on a disappointing afternoon at the Lane on Sunday.

The Scottish midfielder headed home Chris Brunt’s corner at the far post in the 74th minute to give the visitors all three points in a game in which we created half chances but struggled to carve out many clear-cut opportunities.

Team news

Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino selected the same starting XI who shared the spoils last weekend at Sunderland as we looked to get back to winning ways.

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But it was the visitors who started the brighter, with Craig Dawson heading over from a Morrison cross, while Saido Berahino blazed wide from a tight angle, under pressure from Younes Kaboul.

Our first sight of goal came on six minutes when Emmanuel Adebayor headed Danny Rose’s cross over the bar, while the Baggies had a great chance three minutes later when a Brunt corner was cleared as far as Joleon Lescott who smashed goalwards, only for his own player Dawson to inadvertently block his shot.

Craig Gardner then brought the best out of Hugo Lloris, the French goalkeeper diving to his left to keep out the midfielder’s 20-yard drive from a short corner. Albion then had shouts for a penalty waved away, as Dawson flicked on a corner and the ball appeared to strike Adebayor’s hand but nothing was given.

Great link-up play shortly after between Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen saw Adebayor through on goal, he looked like he was going to get to the ball first but Lescott’s outsretched leg just denied him and the ball ran through to Ben Foster.

Albion then thought they had taken the lead only for the assistant’s flag to rule Berahino’s effort out for off-side, while we finished the half strongly and almost broke the deadlock.

On 43 minutes, Eric Dier’s ball down the line found Nacer Chadli, he popped it inside to Eriksen whose first time shot deflected for a corner. The Dane took the set-piece, which Kaboul climbed highest to meet but sent his header over the bar.

And on the stroke of half-time, another Eriksen delivery just escaped Adebayor on the edge of the six-yard box and it was goalless at the break.

We started the second period on the front foot, with Chadli unable to divert Rose’s cross goalwards and, from the rebound, Lamela couldn’t squeeze a pass through the Albion defence.

But the visitors always posed a threat and it needed another good stop from Lloris to keep out Berahino’s fierce 20-yard drive, before Kaboul scooped away the loose ball as Stephane Sessegnon looked to pounce.

We made a double substitution just after the hour mark, with Roberto Soldado and Paulinho replacing Nacer Chadli and Mousa Dembele respectively. And within a couple of minutes we went close again, as Eriksen’s clipped ball over the top was spilled by Foster, but Soldado just couldn’t latch on to the loose ball.

At the other end, Lloris was again called into action, diving low to his right to deny Morrison’s 22-yard effort as the game continued to swing from end to end, with Soldado fizzing a near-post effort straight at Foster from Kaboul’s centre.

A goal looked likely but unfortunately it came at the wrong end on 74 minutes, when Brunt’s corner was nodded home by Morrison, unmarked at the far post.

A late flurry of activity at the other end saw Paulinho send his scissor kick well over the crossbar while a succession of corners couldn’t bring about the equaliser.

Mauricio Pochettino said

“We played with a very slow tempo at the beginning of the game and it was difficult after that to go and win,” said Mauricio.

“We need to analyse why because we had a very bad day. Maybe we didn’t deserve to lose the game but we made a mistake from a set-piece and after that the team never showed the belief to get the three points.

“I’m surprised, very disappointed and we need to understand why.

“I think the reason is we played very slowly at the beginning and we need to move the ball faster. After that, without the ball, we need to be more aggressive.

“We have another game on Wednesday, we need to be focused and to show a different attitude.”

Match data

Spurs: Lloris, Dier, Kaboul, Chiriches, Rose, Capoue (Lennon 76), Dembele (Paulinho 61), Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli (Soldado 61), Adebayor. Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Naughton, Vertonghen, Bentaleb.

West Brom: Foster, Wisdom, Lescott, Dawson, Pocognoli, Dorrans, Gardner, Morrison, Brunt, Sessegnon (Anichebe 90), Berahino. Substitutes (not used): Myhill, Baird, Ideye, Gamboa, Mulumbu, McAuley.

Goals: West Brom – Morrison 74.

Yellow cards: Spurs – Rose; West Brom – Sessegnon, Foster.

Referee: Mr K Friend.

Attendance: 35,861.