AVB’s Spurs still without a win

REUTERS

Tottenham Hotspur's Jermain Defoe (right) challenges Norwich City's Leon Barnett.

London – The pressure mounted on new Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas as his side drew 1-1 Norwich City on Saturday, leaving them without a win three games into the season.

It was the second successive game in which Spurs had taken a second-half lead only to concede in the final minutes.

The performance was stilted but Villas-Boas could point to the fact that only two of his six new signings started the game. This is a side very much in transition.

It was one of the other new signings, Moussa Dembele, signed from Fulham for £15 million, who scored.

He had been on the field 23 minutes when he turned on the edge of the box and rammed in a low drive.

Norwich had earlier been thwarted by two fine reflex saves from Spurs keeper Brad Friedel and kept pressing.

With five minutes left Robert Snodgrass levelled with an angled drive from the edge of the box and when Tom Huddlestone was sent off for a foul on Jonny Howson, Norwich could even have won it.

Swansea City failed to win for the first time this season, drawing 2-2 with Sunderland.

Debutant Steven Fletcher picked up on a weak backpass from Ashley Williams and beat Michel Vorm to give Sunderland the lead five minutes before half-time.

Wayne Routledge levelled in first half injury-time, lashing in after running on to Nathan Dyer's chipped pass, but in the last of seven additional minutes caused by a bad knee injury to Neil Taylor, Fletcher forced the ball over the line following a Seb Larsson free-kick.

Michu headed in his fourth in three games this season to level after 66 minutes but Chico Flores was sent off for a head-high challenge on Louis Saha soon after.

West Bromwich Albion maintained their impressive start to the season with a 2-0 home win over Everton, for whom it was a first defeat.

Shane Long slid in a Peter Odemwingie cross midway through the second half before a late header from Gareth McAuley made the game safe.

West Ham United thrashed Fulham 3-0 in the lunchtime game to record their second successive home win.

Loan signing Andy Carroll made his debut for the hammers and contributed to a goal in the first minute, his cushioned header allowing Ricardo Vaz Te to tee up Kevin Nolan for his second of the season.

Winston Reid headed a second from Matthew Taylor's corner and Taylor made the game safe four minutes before half-time as Brede Hangeland, under pressure from Carroll, failed to clear his lines.

Stoke City twice came form behind to force a 2-2 draw at Wigan Athletic.

Shaun Maloney converted a fifth-minute penalty after Robert Huth had handled but Jon Walters levelled from the spot five minutes from the break after a handball by Maynor Figueroa.

Franco Di Santo restored Wigan's lead four minutes into the second half, belting in Arouna Kone's pass but Peter Crouch levelled from Walters's cross 14 minutes from time.

Manchester City face Queen's Park Rangers in Saturday's tea-time game. – Sapa-dpa