West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Dele Alli has netted three goals in his last five Premier League games

Dele Alli's equaliser a minute from time ensured Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start to the season and remained within a point of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Nacer Chadli's late goal for West Brom seemed set to inflict an unlikely first defeat of the season on in-form Spurs.

But Mauricio Pochettino's men fought back as substitute Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen combined to create the opportunity for England international Alli to prod the ball home with the outside of his boot.

It was thanks to a series of fine first-half saves from Ben Foster, 33, that the hosts were still in contention at the break, with Alli admitting his team could have scored "three or four" were it not for the former England goalkeeper.

But despite enjoying less than 30% of possession, West Brom were worthy of a draw, improving considerably as an attacking force after the interval.

Eriksen could have snatched victory with a free-kick aimed towards the top-right corner in the last action of the match but, once again, the outstretched Foster kept out the Dane's curling effort.

The draw ensures Tottenham are unbeaten in the opening eight league matches of the season for the first time since 1990, but it also allowed north London rivals Arsenal to leapfrog them into second in the table with victory over Swansea.

This heatmap of the first half illustrates how dominant Tottenham (right) were, enjoying 76.5% of possession and being largely camped in the opposition half. In contrast, West Brom (left) rarely had the ball

Tottenham show character to bounce back

It was widely thought Tottenham gave their best display of the Mauricio Pochettino era in beating Manchester City 2-0 on their last league outing.

This time they lacked the verve they displayed in that win over City, but the determination they displayed confirms their title credentials in what is their best start to a top-flight season since they began their 1960-61 title-winning campaign with 11 straight wins.

"We're still unbeaten and that's the important thing," said their Argentine manager, who praised West Brom's Foster for a "great performance".

Tottenham dominated the first half - enjoying 76% of possession and creating 10 shots on goal (five of which were on target).

The excellent Foster dived low to prevent Ben Davies from finding the bottom-right corner, twice denied Eriksen and also stopped Alli from putting Spurs ahead when the England forward had been allowed to surge forward unchallenged.

Worrying perhaps for the visitors, however, was the second-half injury to Toby Alderweireld which forced the influential defender to leave the pitch on a stretcher.

It was an innocuous collision with his team-mate Jan Vertonghen, the latter clipping his fellow centre-back's knee, which ended the Belgian's participation.

Alderweireld was carried off on a stretcher in the 60th minute

West Brom continue to pick up points

Predictably, West Brom sat deep and frustrated Spurs. Starved of possession - they made 104 passes in the first half compared to Tottenham's 345 - Tony Pulis' men had to rely on a Tottenham mistake for their best chance of the opening period.

When Hugo Lloris failed to safely gather James McClean's long-range shot, Salomon Rondon had a chance to take advantage three yards from the goalline, but the France goalkeeper saved himself by swiping the ball away from the home striker's feet.

Foster admitted after the final whistle his team never had any intention of vying with their opponents for possession.

"It's a classic Tony Pulis team," said the goalkeeper. "When you come up against teams like Tottenham, you know you won't be able to outplay them."

But the hosts weathered the first-half storm and posed more problems after the break with Gareth McAuley squandering a fine chance in front of goal before Chadli struck for his fourth goal in five Premier League games.

With less than 10 minutes remaining, Chadli pounced on a McClean strike which rebounded off the bottom of the post. It proved not to be the winner, but the goal did help extend West Brom's unbeaten league run to four matches.

• Reaction from all of Saturday's Premier League matches

Man of the Match - Ben Foster (West Brom)

Ben Foster made seven saves in the match. His efforts in the first half ensured the score remained goalless at the break and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said the Baggies goalkeeper was the match's star performer

Analysis

Former Everton and Chelsea winger Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 live: "I think Spurs are a strong side but whether they've got enough strength in depth to keep it going in the Premier League and the Champions League is questionable.

"If they want to be challengers and maybe even win the Premier League, the best thing that could happen to them is to be knocked out of the Champions League pretty early.

• Listen to more from Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 live

What the managers said

West Brom manager Tony Pulis: "In the first half I thought they were fantastic. We sat off them and they showed what they can do, but in the second half we were much better.

"When you look at the result as a whole, we're pleased with the point because they've got a top team. With the quality they've got they can score in the last minute, as they did, or injury time. They're real quality and put you on the back foot because of the pace and quality that they've got.

"Tottenham are a good side and we're pleased to have taken a point from a team that are, and will be, one of the top three or four in the league this season."

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: "I'm a little bit disappointed because we dominated the game and created better chances, but we know every time we play West Brom it's going to be difficult.

"In the first half we dominated but the same thing always happens in football if you don't score. Foster was man of the match. It was difficult when we conceded the goal and the team showed character."

West Brom striker Saido Berahino

West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster

Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama

The stats you need to know

• West Brom have drawn each of their last three top-flight games 1-1, with the Baggies scoring more than once in only one of their past 18 games (4-2 v West Ham in September).

• The Baggies have conceded a league-low one first-half goal in the Premier League this season (versus Everton in August).

• Nacer Chadli has been involved in six goals in his five Premier League games this season (four goals, two assists).

• Chadli has netted four goals in his five top-flight games for West Brom, as many in his previous 33 for Tottenham.

What next?

West Brom's next three fixtures are tough ones, against Liverpool (away), Manchester City (home) and Leicester City (away).

Tottenham's match against the Baggies was their first of seven in 23 days. Their next task will be to tackle Bayern Leverkusen in the Champions League on 18 October before travelling to Bournemouth in the league on 22 October.