Tottenham Hotspur were unable to gain lost ground on their Premier League rivals after they were held by West Bromwich Albion.

Salomón Rondón gave the visitors a surprise lead at Wembley just four minutes into the game, when some weal defending from Davinson Sanchez allowed the South American striker to burst through on goal and score past Hugo Lloris.

Spurs fought long and hard for the vital equalising goal that would get them back into the game, and that moment came in the 74th-minute when Harry Kane got on the end of a Dele Alli cross, that gave the hosts an important goal.

However, Spurs were unable to find a winning goal in the final 15 minutes despite continuous pressure on their West Midlands visitors.

A surprising start for West Brom

The visitors got off to a flying start, as Rondon gave the Baggies the lead just four minutes into their first game of the post-Tony Pulis era.

Jake Livermore was given acres of space in the middle of the park, and the England international released Rondon, who had made a darting run through the centre of the pitch.

The Venezuelan striker was able to shrug off Sanchez with ease, and despite his shot being weak, it was enough to fool Lloris, with the ball nestling into the back of the net to give West Brom a early lead.

It was the first time Spurs had gone behind at home first since their opener against Chelsea back in August, and as Mauricio Pochettino’s sides often do, they regrouped and went again. Spurs continued to press the West Brom defence, with Kane spearheading the attacks, but Kane and company found it hard to find a way through the tight Albion defence.

No luck for Spurs

Ben Foster was finally called into action 32 minutes in, when Son Heung-min fired from distance, forcing Foster into a low, vital save that took the ball out for a corner.

Eric Dier came close for levelling things up for Spurs five minutes before the break, when a corner from Harry Winks found the head of his international team-mate, but his header was well saved by Foster once more at the far post.

Son again came inches away from getting the vital equalising goal for Spurs, when the South Korean winger fired a shot from inside the area, but his strike was tipped over the bar by Foster to deny the Tottenham winger yet again.

Bright signs for Tottenham

The second half saw the hosts start more brightly than they had done in the first. The Spurs attacking four finally looked to have woken up after a first half where they slept-walked through most of it, and the West Brom defence looked more worn out after their battles in the opening 45 minutes.

At the hour mark, Pochettino decided to switch to a 4-4-2 and opt to take off Jan Vertonghen and Winks for Fernando Llorente and Mousa Dembele, adding more steel and control in the midfield and extra height and attack prowess alongside Kane.

West Brom refuse to give in

The changes worked in Spurs’ favour, as Kane was able to level the game for the hosts in the 74th minute after a long period of heavy pressure.

Alli burst down the right wing after being played in, and the former MK Dons playmaker was able to pick out Kane in the right area, and the Spurs target man slotted the ball through the legs of Foster and into the back of the net.

Kane came close to a second goal moments after equalising for Tottenham, when a great cross from Kieran Trippier found the head of the England international, but the pressure was too much for the Spurs striker, and his header flew high over the bar.

The game finished 1-1 despite chances for both sides at the death.