tottenham 1-1

Independent:


Stunning stalemate delights Manchester

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1

SAM WALLACE



As the latest John Terry turmoil engulfed his club this week, Andre Villas-Boas would have settled for a draw, a decent performance and getting the hell out of White Hart Lane with a team even remotely still in with a chance of the Premier League title come May.

In the end, the Chelsea manager got just that last night: he got a hard-won point from a team that edged it on the night and showed, once again, that there is life in this club yet. They are 11 points behind the leaders Manchester City at Christmas but no-one was shaking their head in disbelief after the match when Villas-Boas declared after the game that Chelsea were still in contention in the title race.

They fought their way back into the match after going behind to Emmanuel Adebayor's goal in the eighth minute and, until a late flurry of chances for Spurs at the end of the game, it was Chelsea who looked most likely to win the match. It was close for most of it, thrillingly so, and it was played out in an intense, charged atmosphere that the players could not avoid being affected by.

Much of the aggression from the stands was directed, as expected, at Terry who was booed and abused in song by the Spurs fans even more than he usually is when he comes here. He left the pitch at the end of the match shirtless and defiant, his jersey thrown to the away supporters, typically a sign that he believes he has had a good game and, on this occasion, there was no disputing that fact.

But this was not just the John Terry show, even though it was the Chelsea captain who slid in behind Petr Cech to clear Adebayor's shot away from goal in the last minute. This was a much more rounded Chelsea performance from the likes of Daniel Sturridge, the goalscorer, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba. A special mention too, to Jose Bosingwa who deputised admirably at centre-back for the second half.

That is not to diminish the performance of Spurs in the first half who hit Chelsea like a hurricane in the early stages and scored within eight minutes. For those early assaults, marking Gareth Bale became the job of three Chelsea players at times and even they were not enough. Harry Redknapp's team would have put in the performance of the season had they sustained it but Chelsea came right back at them.

It was wonderful to watch. One mistake would have decided it either way but there were none from these two impressive sets of players. Cech made some fine saves in the late stages, amending for his error against Wigan. Ramires wasted a great chance to win the game with a free header in the 87th minute. He is, Villas-Boas said, the player who has had the most one-on-one opportunities this season in the whole squad.

Where does it leave both teams? Even further from the two Manchester clubs. The gap between Tottenham in third and Manchester United in second is seven points. This Christmas, the Premier League's two leading teams are pulling away and if Chelsea and Spurs are to get back into it then they will surely have to take points off the Manchester teams in the second half of the season

Redknapp lost Rafael Van der Vaart at half-time to a hamstring injury which undoubtedly reduced his team's capacity to attack Chelsea. The Dutchman was partly culpable in Chelsea's goal which came from Cole on the right side of Spurs' defence but Van der Vaart does offer more than Roman Pavlyuchenko who gave his team little in the second half.

The Tottenham team that began the game was close to the best team at Redknapp's disposal. In full cry they are a fearsome sight. The goal came from the run of Bale who went past Bosingwa as if he had not noticed the full-back. His cross, hit while going at pace, was beautifully placed and Adebayor came onto it perfectly to score.

Chelsea were leaning into a gale. There was a shot from Juan Mata, hit first time, that was saved by Brad Friedel. Sturridge put the rebound over. Then it was back down the other end for Spurs to continue their siege. A goal down, Villas-Boas was under pressure.

It is a times such as these that you wonder whether the young manager feels the brooding presence of Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres in their now customary positions on the substitutes' seats behind him. Torres came on for 13 very forgettable minutes. Lampard did no more than warm-up. This is how it is now at Chelsea.

The equaliser came on 23 minutes. There was a question mark over whether Cole handled the ball as he went past Van der Vaart on the left side, the ball ricocheting up and striking him. Clear of the Spurs man he crossed the ball for Sturridge in the centre to score. Shortly after Drogba, jumping behind Kyle Walker, took Raul Meireles' cross from the right on his chest and struck the ball first time. He hit the post.

Then the injuries started to undermine Chelsea. Both Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel were hobbling and for Villas-Boas there was no obvious replacement for the former. In the end Paulo Ferreira came on at right-back and Bosingwa was moved to centre-half. It was far from ideal but with Alex out the picture there was no option.

Despite that the second half was much better for Chelsea. Terry had a header saved. Sandro, the Spurs midfielder, put a header wide. In the last six minutes of the game, chances started to present themselves. Bale shot over. Cech pushed away a shot from Sandro that took a nasty deflection off Meireles. Then came Ramires' header, wide from Mata's cross.

Terry's clearance behind Cech was the final major act of the game. Villas-Boas was delighted, and given the issues he has had to manage at Chelsea this week, it is little wonder why.

Attendance 36,141.

Referee H Webb (South Yorkshire).




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Guardian:


Daniel Sturridge earns Chelsea a draw against Tottenham Hotspur


Dominic Fifield at White Hart Lane


John Terry departed the turf here bare-chested and with a trademark salute to the travelling support, his evening transformed from a shaky start into a familiar show of strength. The defender might have arrived vulnerable, confronted by the capital's rising force in Tottenham Hotspur and distracted by the furore that had engulfed him in the build-up, but he grew into this contest in defiance of a din of abuse. In dragging his team with him any lingering frustrations at the end were Spurs' to endure.

A draw may not prove enough in the long-term to revive Chelsea's own interest in the title race – they now trail Manchester City by 11 points – yet they will have been buoyed at resisting Tottenham so impressively. A blip at Stoke recently aside, Spurs had felt irrepressible since the autumn and would have approached this encounter hoping to squeeze further breathing space from local rivals. Yet by weathering their early storm and imposing themselves impressively thereafter Andre Villas-Boas' team rather demonstrated that the balance of power in London has not tipped decidedly just yet.

The Portuguese's giddy reaction at the performance was evidence of satisfaction, though there was so much to admire from both sides in a contest that thrilled from the opening exchanges. Tottenham's start had been blistering, the hosts threatening to run riot for a period while Gareth Bale tore into the visitors' right flank with glee. Chelsea's subsequent recovery was just as admirable, restoring their poise by hauling themselves level against the run of play, then hinting that they might edge ahead with Didier Drogba thudding a half-volley on to the woodwork.

Their dominance was more persuasive after the interval, a fact acknowledged by both managers afterwards, even if the evening was denied a decisive third goal for all the rat-tat of chances created. The script felt somehow prescribed for Terry to block Emmanuel Adebayor's goal-bound attempt deep into stoppage time with his back as he slid in to intercept the Togo forward's shot. Villas-Boas claimed he would not have been dismayed to have lost in the dying seconds, so encouraged was he by the team's display, but the visitors were not to be denied the point they merited. Theirs had arguably been the more coherent attacking threat.

That had felt an unlikely conclusion to have eventually drawn when Chelsea were so tentative and Tottenham briefly untouchable at the start. Bale drove them on, the notion promoted by Harry Redknapp the previous day that the Welshman was "extremely doubtful" for the game at best appearing a deception as Jose Bosingwa and Branislav Ivanovic gasped in his early vapour trail. The Serb would not see out the half, limping livid from the fray with a hamstring strain to be replaced by Paulo Ferreira. A pair of Portuguese right-backs would eventually fare better against Bale but, while his adrenalin was pumping, Chelsea wilted.

For a period Spurs threatened to administer a thrashing. Bale had already veered across the penalty area, opponents shrinking in front of him, before seeing a shot at goal blocked. As it was, Chelsea were still breached by the eighth minute, Sandro Raniere claiming possession from Daniel Sturridge with the ball squirting out to Bale on the flank. Bosingwa was powerless to haul the winger in, with the Wales international's cross beautifully angled as it fizzed across the six-yard box beyond Terry for Adebayor to tap home ahead of a Petr Cech's tentative dive.

Yet, once behind, Chelsea appeared to recover some resolve. Indeed Spurs' better opportunities thereafter – Adebayor being denied a second, first by a linesman's flag and then by Terry's block, or Sandro's deflected shot tipped over the bar by Cech – were chiselled out on the break.

Instead the visitors, encouraged by Brad Friedel's spill from Juan Mata's attempt, found some rhythm. Sturridge had missed from the rebound but he would make amends. The England forward duly converted a ninth league goal of a productive campaign by tapping in Ashley Cole's cross with home players in uproar that the full-back had been waved on after the ball cannoned up kindly on to his arm from Rafael van der Vaart's attempted tackle.

Tottenham's approach was undoubtedly disrupted by the Dutchman's own hamstring strain – his team-mate Younes Kaboul had succumbed to the same problem in the warm-up, while the visitors' John Mikel Obi joined the walking wounded at the break – which prompted a reshuffle. Redknapp bemoaned a lack of options on the right with Aaron Lennon already absent, leaving Spurs to tweak their system and surrender numbers in the centre.

Ramires' rampaging runs from deep should have claimed the game for Chelsea, the Brazilian invariably free to burst forward only to prove profligate in front of goal. But, even if a draw leaves both these teams on the fringes of the title race, there is encouragement to be had.

Third and fourth at Christmas, they retain plenty of incentive.




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Telegraph:


Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1


By Henry Winter, at White Hart Lane



Even in troubled times there is a remarkable resilience to John Terry. Even with the abuse falling from the skies like acid rain, Chelsea’s captain rescued his team when it mattered most, making an astonishing last-minute clearance. Say what you like about Terry, and Spurs fans certainly did relentlessly, but he never hides.

He finished the game sliding across his six-yard box, somehow getting his body in the way of a goalbound shot from Emmanuel Adebayor.

Moments later, on the safe side of the final whistle, Terry marched across to the away fans congregated in the corner of the Park Lane End. He thumped the lion on his shirt, then removed his top, launching it into the away fans.

“There’s only one England captain,’’ chanted theChelsea fans. On this evidence, and even taking into account the reality that Terry was partly culpable for Adebayor’s goal, it is easy to understand from a footballing perspective why Fabio Capello sticks by him during his journey through the legal system. Like him or loathe him, Terry’s a leader.

Even in a season of transition, there is a seam of mettle running through Chelsea, embodied by Terry. They withstood the early tempest whipped up by Gareth Bale, recovered from Adebayor’s strike and injuries to Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel. They hit back through Daniel Sturridge and produced some splendid chances, two gilt-edged ones missed by Ramires.

Taking a point at the Lane is a fine achievement. Harry Redknapp’s hosts have been in such vibrant form, rising to third in the table, yet the feeling remained that those most pleased by last night’s draw hailed from Manchester. Spurs, who have a game in hand, are seven points adrift of United, themselves two behind City.

Chelsea are two points behind Spurs after this enthralling, end-to-end game ended with honours even, deservedly so. Spurs came flying out of the blocks, seeming to feed on the adrenalin cascading from the terraces on another memorably atmospheric occasion at the Lane. The chants were endless, the Spurs fans targeting Terry with all manner of invective.

Terry, typically, ignored all the barracking in the background. He needed all his concentration dealing with Spurs, who were inspired by Bale, the winger leaving Jose Bosingwa choking on his vapour trails. Taxi for Bosingwa? Almost.

The Portuguese was left standing again when Bale came calling after eight minutes. The excellent Sandro began the move, winning possession with a thunderous tackle on Sturridge. The Brazilian released Bale down the flank and the Welshman was on his bike. Not even Mark Cavendish would have caught him. Bosingwa certainly couldn’t.

For all the low, drilled quality of Bale’s cross, Chelsea should still have prevented its arrival at the feet of Adebayor. Petr Cech, seemingly fallible of late, failed to grab the cross. Terry also erred, responding too slowly to Adebayor’s run, allowing the Spurs striker to exploit Cech’s hesitancy and turn the ball in.

Chelsea responded. Ashley Cole, again excellent, began to push down the left. Sturridge started to move in menacingly from the right, his progress unhindered by Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Juan Mata settled, soon unleashing a drive that Brad Friedel pushed out. Sturridge seized on the loose ball but shot over under pressure from Ledley King.

Belief increasingly filled the blue shirts. Deserved reward soon came for Chelsea. Didier Drogba began the move to the equaliser, playing the ball towards Cole. Rafael van der Vaart, desperately seeking to intervene, simply knocked it on to Cole’s arm. Parker screamed for hand-ball but it was accidental.

Cole darted on, crossing to the far-post where Sturridge had again escaped the intermittent attentions of Assou-Ekotto. Sturridge is making a habit of appearing in these situations and he calmly swept Chelsea level.

The Blues were now in the mood. Raul Meireles had a shot saved. Drogba chested the ball down and almost broke the bar with an effort.

Ivanovic and then Mikel limped off. Paulo Ferreira went to right-back, Bosingwa impressively to centre-half while Oriol Romeu slotted in to deep midfield.

Still Chelsea feared Bale. Ramires was booked for a scissors-tackle on the Welshman. Spurs, having let the initiative slip, at least finished the half on an upbeat note. Assou-Ekotto’s cross was well controlled by Adebayor, who turned and opened a yard of space for himself. Cech was equal to the shot.

Another injury then forced a re-jig, this time for Spurs. Van der Vaart, who had been playing off Adebayor, felt his hamstring and failed to re-appear for the second half. Roman Pavlyuchenko strolled on but made little impact as Spurs lined up in more 4-4-2 mode. With Luka Modric moved to the right, Spurs lost some of their central creativity.

Chelsea still threatened. Drogba teased a pass through the middle for Ramires, whose first touch nudged the ball forward, taking him through one-on-one with Friedel. Ramires shot but Friedel blocked well.

Some controversy ensued as Adebayor, already on a yellow, went in on Terry, leaving the Chelsea fans baying for red. Howard Webb showed leniency.

Andre Villas-Boas made his last change with 14 minutes left, bringing on Fernando Torres. Frank Lampard, who had been warming up, receiving a few compliments from Spurs fans, sat down in the dug-out and removed his boots. He watched intently as Chelsea chased a winner. Sturridge was finding more room, testing Friedel with a drive.

Spurs had some glorious chances to win it through Bale, who shot wildly over, and then Sandro, who was brilliantly denied by Cech.

Still Spurs attacked, William Gallas just failing to score at the near-post.

Chelsea then wasted an even better chance. Ramires had the freedom of White Hart Lane as a free-kick came in. The midfielder was totally unmarked but he steered his header wide. Bad miss. Then Romeu clubbed a shot just wide. Then came that superb piece of defending by Terry.

It was all over bar the shouting at Terry. He shrugged it off.




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Mail:


Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1: Fair and square at the Lane with honours even in quality game

By MATT LAWTON



Saving his career remains a more serious battle but John Terry certainly saved Chelsea here on Thursday night, putting his body on the line once again to deny Tottenham victory in second-half stoppage time.

It would have been some goal. A move that started with a superb ball from Luka Modric and one that ended at the feet of Emmanuel Adebayor via Roman Pavlyuchenko and Gareth Bale. Suddenly it seemed Adebayor had only Petr Cech to beat. Suddenly it seemed he had beaten him with a curling right-foot shot.

But then, seemingly from nowhere, Terry arrived, launching himself across the face of Chelsea’s goal to divert the ball to safety.

It amounted to a piece of pure sporting theatre on a night when the focus of the cameras as well as the fans was never off the troubled England and Chelsea captain.

His performance, much like the statement he issued after the CPS announced this week that he would face prosecution for those events at Loftus Road in October, was one of defiance and here at White Hart Lane his colleagues followed his example.

A far better way to show their solidarity than a set of ill-advised, entirely inappropriate T-shirts.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas had described this as a must-win match in the context of the title race and his players certainly gave it a go. They conceded an early goal, scored in the eighth minute by Adebayor and in part down to a mistake by Terry.

But they responded with an equaliser from the excellent Daniel Sturridge, overcame yet more injury problems and finished the better side. They had roughly twice as many attempts on goal as their hosts.

Not that Harry Redknapp’s side were poor last night. On the contrary. They had that chance in the dying minutes and a goal disallowed for offside when it seemed Adebayor was onside. That said, he scored with his arm so it probably should not have stood anyway. In the end a draw seemed fair.

The right result for the two Manchester clubs but something that highlighted the quality of those chasing them and the excitement that is sure to come over what remains of the season. With Arsenal and Liverpool also in touch, it promises to be some battle for the minor Champions League places, never mind the championship.

Fast, furious and full of finesse, this was a fine way for the Barclays Premier League to sign off before Christmas, and despite dropping two more points Villas-Boas was quite right to praise his team for some ‘outstanding’ football.

A draw against a Tottenham side capable of challenging for the big prizes this season was a good result. It is more the draw at Wigan last weekend that they should regret, particularly when it followed a fine performance in Europe as well as the Premier League.

Terry appeared more determined than anyone to put that setback behind them, producing another excellent block in the opening couple of minutes to deny Bale.

How much of a distraction the allegations proved is hard to ascertain. But Terry was at fault for losing Adebayor in the seconds before Tottenham’s striker struck. In fairness, he was not helped by the fact that Sturridge lost possession to Sandro and the speed with which Tottenham turned defence into attack.

Bale accelerated down the wing and then delivered a cross that was just perfect for the advancing Adebayor. With Terry half a yard behind him and Cech perhaps a little hesitant in coming forward, Adebayor was left to execute what remained a courageous close-range finish.

Sturridge was presented with a chance to redeem himself almost immediately. When Ledley King misdirected a pass into the path of Juan Mata, the Spaniard responded with a shot Brad Friedel could only parry.

Sturridge got to the rebound but sent his effort over the bar.

The equaliser arrived after 23 minutes. There was a cry for handball, Scott Parker complaining to Howard Webb that Ashley Cole had handled before crossing to Sturridge.

But Parker might have to concede that it was ball to hand as Cole rode the challenge from Rafael van der Vaart. Webb clearly thought so, allowing Sturridge to level with another close-range finish.

It lifted Chelsea and it was not long before they nearly scored a second, Drogba drifting off Kyle Walker to control a Jose Bosingwa cross on his chest before driving a left-foot volley against the post.

But problems began to present themselves for Chelsea, with Villas-Boas losing both Branislav Ivanovic and John Mikel Obi to injury.

A booking for Ramires, for a naughty challenge on Bale, added to Chelsea’s difficulties. And yet it was the visitors who adapted better to the changes despite Fernando Torres making no impression, with Ramires and Raul Meireles outstanding in midfield and Sturridge continuing to press hard for inclusion in Fabio Capello’s plans.

Yes, the final chance fell to Adebayor and it took a fine save from Cech to divert a deflected effort from Sandro to safety. But Ramires missed with a free header and Romeu missed by inches from 30 yards.

Some game. Some finish.




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Mirror:


Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea: Terry leads Blues in thrilling draw

By Martin Lipton



No winner at the Lane. Not in London at least.

But while Spurs may feel this was a chance wasted, in truth Harry Redknapp will know that being third at Christmas is not a bad place to start.

After all, it is a long time since Tottenham have eaten their turkey as the capital’s top club, two points clear of Chelsea, another ahead of Arsenal, with a game in hand.

That will be some consolation, alongside the knowledge that Spurs can dig deep when needed, even if City and United seem further entrenched in a private battle for the title.

This was not so much a game of two halves as one of four quarters, the first dominated by Spurs, two bossed by the Blues, the final one a coin toss that could have gone either way.

By full-time, it went neither, as Spurs’ six-match winning home league run came to an end and Chelsea’s hopes of a first top-flight victory in N17 since 2005 were also thwarted. Yet this was a game that told us plenty about both teams. That Tottenham, even when they lose their way, are no longer the “soft Spurs” of old.

That Chelsea, with John Terry impervious to the storm raging around him, are not ready to give up the ghost yet either, that Andre Villas-Boas has a firm hand on the tiller.

And, in the final analysis, that probably neither are quite good enough to mix it with the Manchester giants when the big prize is fought over after Christmas.

Of course something had to give last night, although for 20 minutes, as Gareth Bale ran riot on the left, the expectation might have been that it was Chelsea’s challenge that would evaporate.

The Welsh wizard, unsurprisingly cleared to play after his injury scare, terrorised Jose Bosingwa from the start and when Sandro’s superb tackle gave him the chance to run at the Portuguese in the eighth minute, he took it with alacrity.

Bosingwa was destroyed by Bale’s pace and the ball in asked questions Petr Cech failed to answer.

The Chelsea keeper, guilty at Wigan, was too slow to get down and then let the cross through his arms as Adebayor, who had run off Terry, poked home.

Lift off for Spurs? It looked that way, even when Daniel Sturridge, a constant thorn in Tottenham’s side thereafter, spooned over the top after Brad Friedel parried from Juan Mata.

But Chelsea, relentlessly, took a grip, even if the equaliser was slightly fortunate.

Didier Drogba turned round the corner and Rafael van der Vaart’s attempted clearance cannoned against Ashley Cole’s right arm and into space.

Referee Howard Webb rightly ignore the appeals, Cole centred and Sturridge tapped in.

Almost instantly, Drogba slammed against the post on the half-volley and even when injuries to both Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel forced changes before the break, Chelsea, with the extra man in midfield, were dominant. Chances came and went. Ramires, played in by Drogba, missed the best of them, Friedel saved from Terry and Sturridge, and without Ledley King – glass knees notwithstanding – Spurs would have folded.

Then again, Adebayor did have a late goal disallowed while Terry reacted brilliantly to clear his stoppage-time shot off the line.

Luka Modric hit the side-netting and Sandro flashed a header wide at one end, Kyle Walker nearly put through his own net at the other.

Cech made up for his earlier error when Sandro’s shot deflected wildly off Raul Meireles, before Mata’s free-kick gave Ramires a free header which he missed.

Breathless, thrilling, but ultimately frustrating for both bosses, both teams.

Redknapp will know Spurs can play better. Villas-Boas will fear the injury count. But Fergie and Roberto Mancini have most to smile about.






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Sun:


Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1


By SHAUN CUSTIS


ONLY one race mattered last night — the title race.

And both Tottenham and Chelsea lost vital ground in the battle to catch Manchester City and United at the top.

Daniel Sturridge cancelled out Emmanuel Adebayor's opener.



But incredibly — or perhaps predictably — it was the man at the centre of a race storm, John Terry, who denied Harry Redknapp's side victory.

Adebayor was released in space with the last chance of the match and, as his shot beat Petr Cech, it rolled towards the empty net.

Somehow Chelsea skipper JT slid across to get in a block, the ball struck him on the backside and trickled wide of the post.

At the final whistle, Terry whipped off his shirt and raised his hands to applaud the fans who had cheered him on from start to finish.

He can count on their support at least but it will be a lonely day when he appears in court on February 1.

It was justice Chelsea should get at least a point because they had far more shots at goal than Spurs.

But it is Redknapp's boys who go into Christmas in third place, two points ahead of Andre Villas-Boas' men with a game in hand.

When you think of the horrendous start Spurs made to the season, getting thumped by both United and City, it is a commendable recovery.

Though he finished the night on a high, Terry was partly at fault for the eighth-minute opener — though not as much as keeper Cech.

Sandro crunched in to win the ball off Sturridge and Gareth Bale went haring down the flank. His low cross into the six-yard box was good but Terry let Adebayor go, Cech failed to claim it, and the big striker finished it off.

It was Adebayor's ninth goal in 14 league starts and another poor effort from Cech, who cost his team two points at Wigan on Saturday.

Cech is struggling and it will not get any easier with Chelsea down to the bare bones in defence.

They lost Branislav Ivanovic to injury before half-time and had to employ Jose Bosingwa as a makeshift centre-back alongside Terry.

JT received plenty of abuse from Spurs supporters. He was booed before the game, as he led Chelsea out and every time he touched the ball.

There were chants of "John Terry, you know what you are," which were met by a response from the away fans of "One England captain".

Chelsea should have levelled almost immediately after Spurs scored only for Sturridge to blaze over when Brad Friedel parried Juan Mata's 20-yard strike.

Sturridge though was on the spot when he escaped the attentions of Benoit Assou-Ekotto to bag the 23rd-minute equaliser, albeit a controversial one.

The ball spun off the sliding Rafael van der Vaart and struck Ashley Cole's hand before the left-back crossed for Sturridge to finish in clinical style.

While the handball was not intentional, it had given Chelsea a clear advantage.

Spurs midfield scrapper Scott Parker complained bitterly to ref Howard Webb but he was wasting his breath.

Didier Drogba needed treatment on his left leg in the warm-up but showed no ill-effects in the game.

The striker was desperately unlucky after bringing down Bosingwa's cross.

His control, high on his chest, was exquisite while his shot cannoned back off the angle of post and bar. Chelsea were piling up the injuries and they lost John Obi Mikel too before half-time allowing Oriol Romeu into the action.

It was a surprise Romeu had not started anyway because the youngster, 20, has been a shining light this season.

Spurs had their own problems and had to substitute hamstring-victim Van der Vaart with Roman Pavlyuchenko at the break.

They switched their system to an orthodox 4-4-2 with Chelsea's major transfer target last summer Luka Modric shoved out to the right.

Modric had one of his quieter nights and could not impose himself on his opponents who were enjoying the lion's share of the chances.

Drogba picked out Ramires with a precision defence-splitting pass but the Brazilian failed to beat Friedel who spread himself well.

Then Friedel held Terry's header at a corner. Imagine if that had gone in.

Adebayor put the ball in the net with his upper arm just before the hour.

But it was ruled out for what appeared to be an offside flag against William Gallas after he flicked the ball on to the Togo man from a Modric free-kick.

Fernando Torres came on for Chelsea's final push but made no impact.

Spurs went close when Cech turned away Sandro's deflected shot and Gallas shot wide at the near post from Bale's cross.

But Ramires missed a golden chance to win it at the other end as he headed wide from eight yards out.

He would have felt even worse had Terry not come to the rescue in stoppage time.

DREAM TEAM

STAR MAN — WILLIAM GALLAS (Spurs)

SPURS: Friedel 7, Walker 6, Gallas 8, King 6, Assou-Ekotto 5, Modric 5, Parker 7, Sandro 7, Bale 7, Adebayor 7, Van der Vaart 8. Subs: Pavlyuchenko (Van der Vaart 46) 6. Not used: Gomes, Kaboul, Bassong, Kranjcar, Rose, Livermore. Booked: Adebayor, Bale.

CHELSEA: Cech 5, Bosingwa 6, Ivanovic 6, Terry 7, Cole 7, Ramires 6, Mikel 5, Meireles 7, Sturridge 7, Drogba 7, Mata 7. Subs: Ferreira (Ivanovic 33) 6, Romeu (Mikel 45) 6, Torres (Drogba 78) 6. Not used: Turnbull, Lampard, Malouda, Kalou. Booked: Ivanovic, Ramires.

REF: H Webb





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