Tottenham conceded another late equaliser at home as Mousa Dembele's debut goal was cancelled out by Robert Snodgrass in a 1-1 draw.
Snodgrass earns late draw for Norwich at White Hart Lane
Tottenham conceded another late equaliser at White Hart Lane as Mousa Dembele's debut goal was cancelled out by Robert Snodgrass in a 1-1 draw.
Norwich carved out the better chances in the first half but Russell Martin's header crashed off the crossbar and Brad Friedel then showed new signing Hugo Lloris that he has no intention of relinquishing his place in the side with a superb save to deny Robert Snodgrass.
Dembele was introduced as a half-time substitute and it did not take him long to make an impact as he broke the deadlock on 68 minutes with a fine finish that arrowed into the bottom corner.
The Canaries kept fighting, though, and picked up a well-deserved point when Robert Snodgrass fired a well-controlled volley past Friedel with just five minutes remaining.
Tom Huddlestone was then shown a straight red card for a foul on Jonny Howson, and the Spurs faithful made their frustration clear at the final whistle as Andre Villas-Boas' wait for a first win as manager goes on.
Taking hold
There was no sign that Spurs would put in such a poor first-half performance at the kick-off.
Aaron Lennon, fresh from signing a new four-year contract before kick-off, burst down the right flank and cut back for Gylfi Sigurdsson, but he shot wide in the opening minute.
That proved to be Spurs' only attempt on goal for the first 15 minutes as Norwich took hold of the game.
Snodgrass floated in a perfect cross for Martin who headed on to the bar via the fingertips of Friedel.
Martin then made light work of shrugging off Jermain Defoe and released Simeon Jackson, who ran 50 yards before slipping a shot just wide of Friedel's goal.
Defoe looked isolated up front and his only effort at goal was a tame shot that dribbled in to John Ruddy's arms.
The home fans were getting angry with Spurs for their failings on the pitch, the Londoners resorting to passing the ball across their back four on many occasions.
Norwich, in contrast, grew in confidence by the minute. Howson's cross was cleared only as far as Bradley Johnson, who belted a screaming half-volley just over.
The level of Spurs' desperation was summed up 10 minutes from the break when Sandro resorted to a 35-yard shot that sailed in to the stands.
Norwich then almost took the lead just before half-time when Pilkington crossed for Snodgrass who was denied by a brilliant one-handed save from Friedel.
Norwich felt they should have had a penalty moments later when William Gallas clattered in to Jackson, but Mark Halsey waved play on.
Villas-Boas brought on Dembele for Sandro at half-time and the Belgian impressed early on. Sigurdsson also sprung into life, volleying a powerful shot but Ruddy saved with ease.
Cutting edge
Pilkington curled a clever free-kick just wide after a clumsy foul by Gallas, but Spurs hit back through Bale, who thumped a powerful drive just over the bar.
Spurs still lacked a cutting edge however and Villas-Boas turned to Emmanuel Adebayor for inspiration, the striker coming on for Sigurdsson.
Spurs were given a potential route back into the game when Leon Barnett hacked down Defoe on the edge of the box but the England striker could only shoot at the wall from the resulting free-kick.
Friedel once again proved his worth by saving a powerful low shot from Pilkington.
The tense atmosphere inside White Hart Lane was eased after 68 minutes when Dembele opened the scoring.
Defoe drifted into the left-hand side of the box and laid the ball off to the Belgian, who shot beyond Ruddy, whose sight was partially blocked by Howson.
Aware that his team surrendered a 1-0 lead in injury-time last weekend, Villas-Boas looked to pack his midfield by bringing on Huddlestone for his first game in just over a year.
The move did not work, however, as Norwich snatched an equaliser through Snodgrass.
Moments after Kyle Walker had cleared off the line, the former Leeds man seized on a loose ball by smashing home through a crowded box with five minutes left.
Huddlestone thumped a powerful drive wide but his return ended in disappointment two minutes from time when he was given a straight red for a bad tackle on Howson.
Bale was also booked for dissent shortly after as Tottenham lost their discipline.
Johnson almost won it with 30 seconds left when he powered a fierce shot which Friedel did well to save.
The home fans made their feelings clear at the final whistle, greeting their team's draw with a huge chorus of boos.
| Tottenham Hotspur |
Team Statistics |
Norwich City |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 4 |
Corners |
2 |
| 7 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
0 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 1 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 85.9 |
Passing Success |
74.1 |
| 20 |
Tackles |
16 |
| 75 |
Tackles Success |
68.8 |
| 61.5 |
Possession |
38.5 |
| 47.9 |
Territorial Advantage |
52.1 |
| 509 |
Total Passes |
309 |
| 25 |
Total Crosses |
20 |
| 153 |
Lost Balls |
164 |
| 63 |
Recoveries |
34 |
| 59.1 |
1st Half Poss. |
40.9 |
| 66.4 |
2nd Half Poss. |
33.6 |
|
