Tottenham stay third after Chelsea draw

Third-placed Tottenham Hotspur FC remain two points clear of Chelsea FC after being held to a home draw by André Villas-Boas's charges at White Hart Lane.

Emmanuel Adebayor gave the hosts an early lead but the match could have swung either way after Daniel Sturridge equalised midway through the first half, Didier Drogba coming closest to deciding the contest when he hit the woodwork before the interval.

Tottenham began the match on the front foot and took the lead on eight minutes after Sandro dispossessed Sturridge on the halfway line and released Gareth Bale. There was no catching the quicksilver Welsh international, whose low centre was met by Adebayor ahead of John Terry and Petr Čech.

Chelsea drew level on 23 minutes with a similar goal, Ashley Cole's left-wing centre converted by Sturridge, who had blazed over moments earlier. Indeed the visitors almost went ahead on 29 minutes when Drogba chested down a whipped cross by José Bosingwa before crashing a venomous shot against the bar just before the half-hour mark.

In an open second half Sandro and Ramires both sent free headers wide, while in the last five minutes Bale blazed over, Čech saved Sandro's deflected effort, William Gallas missed from close range and Terry turned Adebayor's goalbound shot wide.