Related BBC sites

Tottenham0 - 0West Ham

Defoe squandered several chances to score his 100th goal for Tottenham

By David Ornstein

Tottenham's hopes of finishing in the top four suffered a setback as they were held at home by West Ham despite hitting the woodwork three times.

Spurs, who have now not won in three league games, started well and Michael Dawson curled a shot on to the bar.

Carlton Cole missed two chances before Aaron Lennon fired against the post.

Cole and Demba Ba went close for the visitors while Jermain Defoe was denied by Robert Green, who also tipped Gareth Bale's free-kick on to the bar.

Defoe had two further opportunities to win it late on but West Ham defended heroically to seal a point that may prove crucial in their bid to avoid relegation.

The draw moves Avram Grant's team out of the drop zone and above Birmingham, West Brom and Blackpool - all of whom play later on Saturday - into 15th.

Tottenham, meanwhile, stay fifth but Chelsea are two points ahead of them with a game in hand.

Harry Redknapp will wonder how his team failed to break the deadlock but take nothing away from West Ham, who are now unbeaten in four Premier League games and look a side transformed in recent weeks.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Redknapp philosophical after stalemate

They beat Spurs at Upton Park earlier this season before winning the battle to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games - and they may now feel like they have completed a hat-trick.

Spurs were playing their first league game at White Hart Lane since 5 February but there was little sign of rustiness as they got off to a blistering start in sun-drenched north London.

Buoyed by their Champions League victory over AC Milan and the prospect of facing Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, Redknapp named a line-up full of attacking flair and his side flooded forward from the first whistle.

Only three minutes had passed when captain Dawson rattled the woodwork with a curling effort from 18 yards and moments later Defoe saw a deft touch squirm narrowly wide after getting in front of Manuel da Costa to meet Bale's left-wing cross.

Bale, one of the Premier League's standout performers this season, was starting for the first time since 22 January following a back injury and swiftly set about troubling Hammers right-back Lars Jacobsen.

But West Ham showed superb resilience to hold firm and eventually set about creating chances of their own.

A superbly weighted pass from Thomas Hitzlsperger was volleyed off target by Cole before the striker was sent clean through by Ba, only to plant a weak finish straight at Heurelho Gomes.

Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.

Grant heaps praise on Green

Spurs were soon back in the ascendancy but West Ham's back four stood strong once more and wingers Bale and Lennon swapped sides in a bid to break the visitors' concentration.

The move almost paid dividends when, shortly after Luka Modric had drilled a shot inches wide, Lennon cut in from the left and fizzed a low strike against the far post.

Defoe could not react quickly enough to steer his follow-up into an empty net.

West Ham, seeking a first win at Tottenham since 1999, actually finished the first half on top and they got going in similar fashion after the break, Cole drawing an important save from Gomes with a fierce drive.

At the other end, Vedran Corluka and Modric combined to tee up Defoe but the England striker was denied from close range by the excellent Green. In truth, Defoe really should have scored.

By now the encounter had developed an intoxicating ebb and flow, Tottenham dominating possession but West Ham looking dangerous on the counter-attack.

Mark Noble fired wide with an overhead kick and Gomes produced an outstanding one-handed save to palm Ba's venomous goalbound shot around the post.

Redknapp replaced Rafael van der Vaart with Roman Pavlyuchenko and the Russian was twice thwarted by Green before the England goalkeeper pulled off a world-class save to push Bale's set-piece on to the bar.

Spurs pushed hard for a winner at the death but Defoe fired over and then the outstanding Wayne Bridge blocked him as he went to shoot, enabling West Ham to celebrate their point.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.