AS ‘SUPER SUNDAYS’ go, this won’t be one they talk about in years to come.
It wasn’t that either game was terrible, it was more that all four teams were just missing that little bit of quality in the final third.
West Brom 0-0 West Ham
The late kick-off, which saw West Ham secure a goalless draw away to West Brom, could easily have finished 2-2 if the strikers had found their shooting boots.
There was a total of 29 shots in the game, less than half of which were on target and only five or so really caused either goalkeeper much grief.
West Brom came closest to winning it but James Morrison’s header rattled off the woodwork while a poacher’s effort from Shane Long was plucked by Jaaskelainen from beneath his crossbar.
The home side’s best chances came through Peter Odemwingie’s raids down the left touchline but, inevitably, his crosses for Long were dealt with by Man of the Match Winston Reid.
The Danish-born Kiwi international was immense at the back for the Hammers and he could have won the game at the other end had his turn and shot from six yards been a few inches lower.
Oddly enough, the draw is a result that suits both sides and, yet, one they could come to regret.
For West Brom, they’ve stopped the rot after three consecutive defeats but they’ve missed out on the opportunity to climb into European contention. For the Hammers, any draw away from home is a positive result but a win would have seen them move above Arsenal and into seventh place.
Tottenham 1-0 Swansea
In the early kick off, there was also nothing special on show at White Hart Lane, though the game between Tottenham and Swansea did at least dispel the theory that Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor cannot play together.
For all his tempestuousness, Adebayor has displayed the ability to bring others into play – something missing from his successor as sulker-in-chief at Manchester City, Mario Balotelli – throughout his career and he worked hard on Sunday.
As Adebayor pulled the indomitable Ashley Williams and Chico Flores this way and that in North London, Defoe had a number of opportunities to hoof his side into the lead, only to invariably find the stand or the welcoming grasp of Gerhard Tremmel.
Defoe’s finishing was off, but it was nothing to do with Spurs’ tactical approach and in the end the three points were deserved by the home side.
As an aside, Moussa Dembele is so often touted as the reason that Tottenham are chasing a Champions League spot, but he was poor today. As well as picking up his first booking of the season, his noted ability to dictate the rhythm of the game was missing.
The return of Scott Parker will be no bad thing to the Spurs fans.
Additional reporting by Tony Cuddihy.
