Norwich 1 Tottenham 1: Andre Villas-Boas left to rue poor first-half display
Norwich 1 Tottenham 1: Andre Villas-Boas says Spurs were made to pay for a poor first-half after securing a point at Carrow Road
Andre Villas-Boas admitted Tottenham Hotspur were made to pay for a poor first half after Spurs were held to a draw by Norwich City at Carrow Road.
Republic of Ireland international Wes Hoolahan gave the Canaries a deserved 32nd-minute lead after a smart Canaries move left the midfielder with a simple finish.
However, Gareth Bale scored a sensational 80th-minute leveller, with the Spurs winger picking the ball up in central midfield and out-pacing the Norwich defence before firing past Mark Bunn.
Tottenham’s Gylfi Sigurdsson missed a late chance, and with Arsenal and Liverpool drawing, Villas-Boas said Spurs had wasted an opportunity to put distance between themselves and their top-four rivals.
“In the second half we really put on a show and put on a good performance,” Villas-Boas told BBC Sport.
“Pity, our first half cost us two points and we wanted to profit from the Arsenal v Liverpool game, but we did not have enough time to get a winner. The draw was a fair result.
He added: “Gareth Bale had such pace and power, there was a tackle that could have broken his leg, but never mind.”
The Tottenham manager was also pleased with the impact of Lewis Holtby, who came on as a second-half substitute after linking up with the north London club earlier this week.
“Lewis Holtby made a difference, it is a major coup for us and he gave us something in between the lines to connect our team.”
