Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw on Sunday afternoon by Chelsea, but manager Mauricio Pochettino remained upbeat after the result as his side kept up their good form.

Now 13 matches unbeaten

Despite failing to hit the back of the net at White Hart Lane against Jose Mourinho’s men, Tottenham are now unbeaten in 13 Premier League matches since an opening day defeat at Old Trafford.

Having started the day ten places above their London rivals, who were a disappointing 15th after a difficult start to the season, the hosts were hopeful of closing the gap at the top of the league to just two points.

However, with most of the game being played out in the middle third, neither Tottenham nor Chelsea had any chances of real note as both goalkeepers were relatively untested.

Heung-Min Son had the best opportunity in the first half following good build up play by Harry Kane, but his header back across goal was saved by Asmir Begovic in the Chelsea goal. 

It was a real battle at White Hart Lane on Sunday between Spurs and Chelsea. (Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters)
It was a real battle at White Hart Lane on Sunday between Spurs and Chelsea. (Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters)

The visitors, on the other hand, had their first, and only, shot on target in the 68th minute as Eden Hazard saw his volley spectacularly saved by Spurs captain Hugo Lloris

As the match entered the closing stages, both sides saw a draw as the most likely result with very few risks being taken by any of the stars on show.

Spurs deserved more, says Pochettino

Despite failing to win, Tottenham boss Pochettino reflected on the positives as his side held the current Premier League holders. 

With Mourinho setting his side up not to lose first and foremost, Pochettino claimed that “it was a tough game” but the former Southampton boss was “pleased with the performance…and the maturity [Tottenham] showed”.

Having only returned to London in the early hours of Friday morning following a Europa League trip to Azerbaijan on Thursday evening, Pochettino insisted his side “should be happy” with the result, but that they “probably deserved more”.

Mixed reaction amongst players

Tottenham’s Belgian centre back Toby Alderweireld, arguably man of the match, was understandably delighted with the defensive display, claiming that the team "worked hard for a clean sheet”. 

Having praised the rest of his teammates for giving “everything”, Alderweireld was instantly looking ahead to their next fixture away at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday as Spurs look to prolong their unbeaten run and continue moving “in the right direction”.

The disappointment of the Tottenham side was summed up by Christian Eriksen, making his 100th appearance for the North London side, who followed the views of Pochettino by saying that the team were "disappointed not to win”. 

On his personal milestone, Eriksen left some positive news for Tottenham fans though by expressing his enjoyment with his time at White Hart Lane so far, saying that he is now "look[ing] forward to the next 100 [games]".

A difficult November finally over

Tottenham will look back on the month of November, having also faced London rivals Arsenal and West Ham United, with pride following some outstanding performances.

However, Pochettino and his players will quickly look ahead to a busy month of December which can make or break seasons. 

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