Premier League: five talking points from Tottenham v West Bromwich

1) Alli may be in hot water after punching Yacob

Tottenham’s 20-year-old midfielder, who knows only one way to play – at full throttle and with maximum expression – began the evening by being pictured on the field with his PFA Young Player of the Year trophy. But it was a moment in the first-half that went undetected at the time but not, predictably, by Twitter, which could have ramifications. Dele Alli is a spiky competitor and he was clearly annoyed by the attentions of Claudio Yacob, the West Bromwich screening midfielder. The flashpoint came off the ball, when Alli turned and gave Yacob a dig in the midriff. “Muhammad Alli” was soon all over social media. The referee, Mike Jones, did not see it and so there could be an avenue for retrospective Football Association punishment. If – and it is a big if – the FA was to deem it as violent conduct, Alli may be looking at a three-match ban. Ouch.

2) White Hart Lane crowd goes down shouting

Last time out, at Stoke City on the previous Monday, Tottenham had the scent of blood. Leicester had dropped points the day before at home to West Ham United and Mauricio Pochettino’s team duly pulverised Stoke. “Leicester City, we’re coming for you,” the Tottenham support sang. It was a different dynamic here, given that it was Leicester who had done the pulverising the previous day and it was obvious that the league leaders’ 4-0 home win over Swansea City had altered the vibe. The White Hart Lane crowd, however, showed their determination to inspire their players. They whipped up a din at the outset and there were bellowed songs about all of their stars – even one about Mauricio Pochettino. What was striking was the love that there is for each of them. Even after the body blow of Craig Dawson’s equaliser they stayed with the team, despite the frustration.

3) Is Eriksen best free-kick taker around?

When Christian Eriksen stands over a dead-ball you can sense the panic in visiting defences and, also, in this case, the extra decibels to Tony Pulis’s touchline exhortations. The Tottenham midfielder is lethal and so is the dip that he gets on the ball. It is a skill that he has honed for hours on training grounds and it is on evenings like this when it can make a difference. He had worked Boaz Myhill early on with his first free-kick and, in the 12th minute, he fizzed his second towards the far, top corner. With Myhill beaten, it grazed the top of the crossbar. And inevitably, it was Eriksen who was behind the Spurs goal. His free-kick delivery was arrowed into the corridor of uncertainty in front of the goalkeeper and behind the defensive line and it was no surprise when Tottenham managed to smuggle the ball in off Craig Dawson.

4) Dembélé tried to make things better for Spurs

It was a move that summed up everything that is good about Mousa Dembélé’s game. Thirty-six minutes in and the Tottenham midfielder sensed Darren Fletcher trying to pinch the ball from him. In one graceful movement he had rolled his studs over it, dropped a shoulder and with that explosive burst of pace, accelerated away up the field. Fletcher was last seen heading off up the Paxton Road. Dembélé has been routinely excellent this season but he does not always grab the headlines. Perhaps, it is because of his unassuming personality. He drove Tottenham here, with zip to his passing and a desire to look forward and get his team there. It was a performance to recall that line from Mark Hughes, his former manager at Fulham. “We called him ‘The Doctor’. Give him the ball and he makes things better.”

5) West Bromwich push title in Leicester’s direction

Anybody who saw West Bromwich Albion at Arsenal last Thursday had to think that a positive performance and result was beyond them at White Hart Lane. Tony Pulis, the club’s voluble manager, was reduced to bewilderment after that lame 2-0 defeat. He blamed himself and said that the unusual scheduling of the game on a Thursday might have scrambled his preparations. In the early running here it was possible to imagine another long night for him. Tottenham hit the woodwork three times and they swarmed all over Albion. And when Tottenham went ahead after 33 minutes, the thought occurred that the game could be over. Certainly, champions close out those sort of situations. But Albion proved to be a tough nut to crack. And, with Salomón Rondón having twice gone close in the second-half, their equaliser had been advertised. There are simply no gimmes in this league.