Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's Premier League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium!

Spurs have been in stuttering form of late, but on paper this looks like the perfect match for them to get back to winning ways in the Premier League. The Baggies are in dreadful form and sacked manager Tony Pulis on Monday, with Gary Megson taking temporary charge of a team teetering on the brink of the relegation zone.

Before we take a closer look at all of that, though, let's first check out the team news...

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Winks, Son, Eriksen, Dele; Kane

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Aurier, Foyth, Walker-Peters, Dembele, Sissoko, Llorente

WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Evans, Hegazi, Gibbs; Livermore, Barry, Field; Phillips, Rondon, Rodriguez

WEST BROM SUBS: Myhill, Robson-Kanu, Yacob, McClean, Burke, Krychowiak, McAuley

What can we make of those two teams, then?

Well, we'll start with the hosts and there are no great surprises from Mauricio Pochettino this afternoon, with the usual suspects all starting. One notable absentee once again is Toby Alderweireld, who is expected to be sidelined until after Christmas with a hamstring injury, while the likes of Wanyama and Lamela also remain out for the North Londoners.

Pochettino has made just two changes from the midweek win over Borussia Dortmund as Aurier and Rose once again drop out of the starting lineup, with the latter omitted from the squad altogether amid speculation that he was furious at missing out against Arsenal last weekend.

Speaking of the North London derby, Pochettino also makes two changes to his side from that match at the Emirates as Winks and Dortmund match-winner Son come in for Sissoko and Dembele.

The lineup released on the club's official Twitter suggests that Spurs will play in a 4-2-3-1 formation today rather than their usual 3-4-1-2 system, although the presence of Dier in the team means that in practice either of those are still possibilities for Pochettino once the game gets underway today.

The likes of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen will be seen as the chief architects to try to find a way through what is likely to be a defensive West Brom side, and they are two players more than capable of doing exactly that.

The main goalscoring burden will fall, as ever, on the shoulders of Harry Kane, though, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

The England international has scored a phenomenal 39 goals in 38 competitive appearances for Spurs so far in 2017 and has now been directly involved in 99 Premier League goals, scoring 86 himself and assisting another 13.

Kane also has a very good record against the Baggies, scoring six times in five appearances against today's opponent, including a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last season.

© Offside

The big question for West Bromwich Albion and caretaker boss Gary Megson is how to stop Kane and co today - and it is one most defences have failed to answer so far.

Megson appears to have opted for a change of formation with a flat back four rather than the back three used by Pulis in his final game in charge. That means a recall to the team for Allan Nyom, who replaces Gareth McAuley in the side as the 37-year-old is made to wait for his 200th Premier League appearance.

The surprise inclusion in the West Brom squad is Sam Field, who makes his first Premier League since August and just his third of the season in what looks like a midfield three.

As you might expect when travelling away to face Tottenham, it is a fairly defensive midfield trio too, with the experienced Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore joining Field in the middle of the park in order to give the Baggies defence what may be some much-needed protection.

That means that Grzegorz Krychowiak has to settled for a place on the bench today, which is one of only two changes made by Megson from the 4-0 home hammering at the hands of Chelsea last weekend.

The other I have already mentioned with Nyom replacing McAuley, while there is also a slight formation change, but on the whole Megson is keeping faith with many of the same players who reportedly lost faith in his predecessor.

Matty Phillips should have more attacking freedom as part of a front three rather than a wing-back, although he is likely to spend much of his time in his own half defending if the game goes as expected.

The Baggies will look to Rondon and Rodriguez as their main goal-getters this afternoon, although Rodriguez - with two - is the only player in the West Brom squad to have scored more than once in the Premier League this season.

That is a statistic West Brom simply must improve if they are going to start to climb the table, but not too many fans will be overly optimistic of any turnaround in form starting here at Wembley.

Spurs have, of course, struggled in this stadium at times this season - and indeed when playing their European home games here last term - but they do appear to have banished that Wembley hoodoo now and are beginning to find their best form in front of their own fans.

Spurs have won five of their last six matches at their temporary home across all competitions, with the only exception in that run being their 3-2 defeat to rivals West Ham United in the EFL Cup.

It represents a major improvement from their poor home start to the campaign when they only managed one win in their opening four Wembley outings, and Pochettino will be delighted that his side have finally started to find their feet at the national stadium.

In the Premier League Spurs are currently on a three-match winning streak at Wembley, beating Bournemouth, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in that time to take maximum points.

Again, that is a huge upturn in form from how they began the season, failing to win any of their opening three Premier League home games and picking up just two points from the first nine available in front of their own fans - something which has contributed to them being so far behind Manchester City in the title race.

Indeed, despite Tottenham's recent improvement on home turf they have already ensured that they will amass fewer points in front of their own fans this season than they did last - even if they win every single one of their remaining matches at Wembley.

Spurs dropped seven points in their opening three games here this season, compared to just four dropped points from 19 home matches throughout the whole of last term.

Home and away Tottenham's form has stuttered a little of late, at least on the domestic front. Back-to-back Champions League victories over Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have ensured that they will qualify for the last 16 as Group H winners despite being drawn in the pool of death, with is a huge achievement for Pochettino's side.

However, things have not been going quite as well on the domestic front with three defeats from their last four outings against English opposition - including that 3-2 EFL loss at the hands of West Ham United.

Tottenham's only win in that time came against bottom-club Crystal Palace, and defeats to Manchester United and North London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League have proved to be very damaging.

Indeed, Spurs come into this game having slipped down to fourth in the Premier League table, a full 11 points behind leaders Manchester City. Manchester United are three points ahead of Pochettino's side while Chelsea are two points better off, and they must also be looking over their shoulders as Liverpool and Arsenal are just one point behind.

Captain Hugo Lloris stressed that his side cannot be focused on challenging for the title following last weekend's defeat to Arsenal, and their priority first and foremost right now must be to keep their place in the top four.

Spurs are the lowest scorers in the top six despite the attacking talent they boast, and today could see them lose back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time since their collapse at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.

Should that occur then it would require an almighty upset from West Brom, who have been in truly dreadful form of late to the extent that they took the big decision to sack Tony Pulis.

Pulis is renowned for keeping teams in the Premier League, but the way West Brom have been playing recently suggested that he could face his biggest fight yet to maintain his proud record of never having been relegated. Even so, it is a big call to axe such an experienced manager with the club in such poor form.

Pulis was in charge of the Baggies for almost three years and ended his time at The Hawthorns having won 36, drawn 36 and lost 49 of his 121 games in charge.

It certainly doesn't sound like a brilliant record, but he did steer the club to 14th place in his first half-season at the helm and then guided them to a top-half finish last term. However, it was his negative style of play which really saw him lose the support of the fans and - according to some reports - the players too.

Pulis's West Brom scored only 105 times in his 106 Premier League games in charge of the team, while their average possession of just 40.3% is the lowest in the top flight this season, so it is understandable that the fans had run out of patience.

Even so, Pulis is one of those managers a club can really regret sacking when it looks like they are gearing up for a relegation battle, and the board must now ensure that they get the next appointment right. Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew and Oscar Garcia are amongst the names being linked with the post, while Derek McInnes and Slaven Bilic have also been mentioned.

While the style of football was a major gripe for the West Brom fans, the be all and end all is ultimately results and the Baggies have failed on that front even more spectacularly.

It all started so well for them when they won their opening three games of the season across all competitions, but they are winless in their 11 matches since, including four consecutive defeats before Pulis was sacked. In all West Brom have picked up just four points from the last 30 on offer in the Premier League.

The problems have not only begun this season either - despite West Brom's respectable 10th-place finish last term they ended the season in poor form and since the beginning of April they have won just two of their last 21 Premier League matches - with those coming in the opening two games of this season.

That dreadful run includes 13 defeats and six draws, highlighting the fact that Pulis's team was no longer particularly difficult to beat during the final months of his tenure.

The Baggies have picked up only one point from their last five Premier League away games, scoring just two goals in the process on their way to a draw and four defeats in that time.

Indeed, throughout this calendar year they have only won one of their 15 Premier League outings on the road, losing nine, with that sole victory coming against Burnley in their opening away game of this season. Another defeat this afternoon would see them lose three away league games on the bounce for the first time since May 2014.

All of that means West Brom come into this match teetering precariously on the brink of the relegation zone, with West Ham's draw last night meaning that the Baggies are only the right side of the dotted line by virtue of their superior goal difference.

It would take defeat by a five-goal margin to see them slip into the bottom three today should Swansea also fail to beat Bournemouth, although victory for the Swans at the Liberty Stadium coupled with anything other than a win for the Baggies would see them end the day in the relegation zone.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for a prediction!

Teams can often get a lift when a manager has been sacked, although it usually happens when a new manager comes in and caretaker boss Gary Megson was part of the old regime so that is unlikely to happen today. I cannot see past a fairly convincing win for Spurs today now that they seem to have found their best form at Wembley.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Tottenham 3-0 West Brom

Spurs have had the better of the recent history between these two sides, which will not come as a surprise to many. Tottenham have lost only one of their last 15 Premier League meetings with the Baggies, with that coming in September 2014 when West Brom came away with a narrow 1-0 victory.

Although, of those last 15 Premier League meetings more than half of them have ended as draws, with Spurs only managing six victories.

Indeed, of all the Premier League fixtures to have been played at least 20 times, only Everton vs. Leicester (56.5%) has been drawn a larger percentage of the time that this one. Ten of their 22 Premier League meetings - or 45.5% - have ended in a share of the spoils, including last season's clash at The Hawthorns.

There was late drama in that October clash last year, with Nacer Chadli scoring against his former club for the Baggies just eight minutes from time before Dele Alli rescued a point for Spurs in the 89th minute.

West Brom's record away to Tottenham is not as bad as one might expect either, losing just one of their last five away Premier League visits to Tottenham's part of North London, although that solitary defeat did come in the corresponding fixture last season, and it was quite an emphatic one too with Harry Kane bagging a hat-trick in a 4-0 home win.

Of course, those last five visits all came at White Hart Lane, and this will be West Brom's first trip to Wembley since the 2008 FA Cup semi-final, when they were beaten 1-0 by Portsmouth courtesy of a goal from former player Nwankwo Kanu.

Right, we're just a couple of minutes away from kickoff now, so let me quickly remind you of the team news for today's game...

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Winks, Son, Eriksen, Dele; Kane

WEST BROM STARTING XI: Foster; Nyom, Evans, Hegazi, Gibbs; Livermore, Barry, Field; Phillips, Rondon, Rodriguez

KICKOFF! Here we go, then! We're underway at Wembley!

Tottenham, as expected, have seen the majority of the ball in these opening exchanges, but nothing to speak of in terms of chances in the early minutes.

What a start to the Gary Megson reign for West Brom! They take the lead within four minutes at Wembley with a goal seemingly out of nothing!

Alli is sloppy in midfield and loses the ball, and it is immediately threaded through to Rondon. Sanchez is across, but Rondon is stronger than the defender, shrugging him off all too easily before seeing a mis-hit effort dribble into the far corner with Lloris wrong-footed. Incredible!

It looked like complacency which cost Spurs there - Alli was too casual in possession and Sanchez did not do enough to deal with the danger at the other end. West Brom, though, now have something to defend and that will be a huge relief for them - even if there is still a long way to go.

How can Tottenham respond to this, then? They have struggled to break teams down at times in this stadium this season, so this is a very intriguing test for the hosts.

CHANCE! Kane gets his first half sight of goal as he rises highest in the area to meet Trippier's corner, but he cannot get the power or direction on his header to trouble Foster.

Spurs have seen plenty of the ball since falling behind, but you can tell what West Brom's game plan is now. That early goal would have been an unexpected bonus for them, and they aren't willing to give it away with a fight.

The Tottenham fans attempt to rally their team by cranking up the volume in Wembley, but there is still no way through. The hosts may have to be very patient today.

In fairness to Pulis, this opening 15 minutes has had many of the hallmarks of a Pulis team - dogged, determined and organised defending. Surely the Baggies are playing a dangerous game if they are to defend this deeply for the rest of the match though.

Spurs have had 70% of the possession in this match but still no clear chances here at Wembley. That scuffed strike from Rondon remains the difference between the two teams as things stand.

West Brom make a rare foray into the Tottenham half and Rodriguez is almost in behind the defence down the left flank, but the flag is up for a very tight offside call.

UPDATE: There has been a goal elsewhere in the Premier League, and it has come for Watford at St James' Park as they take the lead against Newcastle United through Will Hughes.

Good work from Field, who bails his team out of a potentially dangerous situation here. Foster's distribution was poor and gave the ball straight to Eriksen inside the West Brom half, but Field hooked his leg around to win possession back.

We're midway through the first half now and Gary Megson will be by far the happier of the two managers right now. Spurs have seen the lion's share of possession, but they are yet to threaten Foster's goal and it is West Brom who have the lead.

Nyom has made a couple of really good challenges already today, although the latest sees him come right in closer to the left flank than his right. Phillips, for his part, is helping out by filling in at right-back whenever Nyom does drift inside.

YELLOW CARD! Barry gets his customary yellow card for a challenge on Kane, who had just nipped in following a poor touch from the midfielder.

CLOSE! This is by far the closest Tottenham have come so far, and it is no surprise that it comes via Kane. The striker collects the ball with his back to goal before spinning away from Hegazi and firing a low effort inches past the post. Similarly to the goal, it wasn't the cleanest connection but it almost snuck into the corner.

Already West Brom are beginning to employ some of the time-wasting dark arts. Rodriguez lets the ball go out of play for a throw and then bats it away from the ball boy to eat up a few extra seconds.

West Brom are beginning to see a little more of the ball now, to the extent that the away fans are giving them the 'Ole!' treatment already. I don't think they were expecting this situation with half an hour of the match gone.

SAVE! Foster is called into action for the first time today as Son cuts inside from the left flank before firing an awkward, dipping strike towards goal. Foster not only makes the save, but ensures that he pushes it away from the players chasing in for Tottenham.

SHOT! Foster ensures that Tottenham can't take the corner quickly, stealing the ball off the ballboy and getting a talking-to from Mike Jones as a result. When it eventually is taken it is cleared as far as Eriksen, whose dipping half-volley flies comfortably off target.

This has been a very shrewd and professional performance from West Brom so far - they are frustrating Tottenham whenever possible and already the hosts are getting impatient.

Spurs continue to dominate the possession here, but West Brom have given the hosts very little to feed off at the moment. The visitors are getting deeper and deeper, but they are keeping Spurs at bay.

I mentioned before kickoff that Phillips should have more attacking freedom today, but it has proven to be anything but. He is playing almost as a right-back, with Nyom going inside to form what is essentially a back five.

SAVE! Dier forces another stop from Foster as he gets in front of his man to meet Trippier's corner, flicking a header towards the far post which the West Brom keeper needs to pluck out of the air.

Rondon hasn't been hugely involved since his goal - as you might expect for a team so under the cosh - but he has held the ball up really well when he has had the chance. His strength is proving to be a real asset for the Baggies.

Spurs are pushing for a goal before half time here, but they are running out of time. West Brom are working so hard to keep them at bay, and so far you have to give huge credit to the visitors' defensive performance.

CLOSE! Spurs finally create a decent chance as Son beats Phillips on the left channel before drilling a low ball right across the face of goal. Kane and Alli are both in and around there, but no-one can get a touch as it travels across the six-yard box and to trippier, whose subsequent cross is headed over by Dier.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of this first half.

CLOSE! Spurs look to create something again right at the end of this half as Son goes for goal, but his effort deflects off a defender and loops onto the roof of the net.

The referee brings an end to the first half at Wembley, and what a frustrating one it has been for Spurs.

Not many fans would have been expecting managerless West Brom to be a goal to the good at half time in this match, but their early goal has given them the slender advantage at the interval. Tottenham have completely dominated possession throughout, but so far there has been no way past a disciplined Baggies defence.

Salomon Rondon scored the only goal of the game after less than four minutes, and it was a strange goal in many ways as Spurs appeared to be the victims of their own complacency.

Alli lost the ball in midfield to Jake Livermore, who immediately released Rondon. Even then there didn't appear to be a great deal of danger with Sanchez in attendance, but Rondon shrugged the defender off the ball all too easily and then scuffed his finish into the bottom corner.

Tottenham have seen the vast majority of possession so far, but West Brom deserve a lot of credit for how they have defended against the hosts.

Spurs have mostly been limited to long-range efforts through the likes of Kane, Eriksen and Son, the latter of whom came closest with a dipping drive that needed to be saved by Foster. Son also flashed a dangerous ball right across the six-yard box which only needed a touch to break the deadlock.

It will be interesting to see how Tottenham come out for this second half, as they haven't been doing a great deal wrong so far.

They could perhaps move the ball a little quicker in possession, but West Brom have been so organised and disciplined that there simply hasn't been enough space for the hosts to break through so far. West Brom may well tire as the match progresses, though, so patience could be the key for Tottenham today. They certainly need something as, as things stand, they could end the weekend 14 points adrift of Manchester City.

KICKOFF: West Brom get us back underway for the second half at Wembley!

SAVE! Son flicks the ball to Alli, who helps it on to Kane, but the striker never really looks like he has it under control. He goes for goal nonetheless, but it is a tame shot which Foster gathers easily.

Very important piece of defending from Evans as he and Hegazi both attack the ball at the near post, preventing Kane from getting on the end of Trippier's cross. Good early pressure from Spurs here, though.

The Tottenham players are furious with Mike Jones here as he awards Sam Field a free kick after he had given the ball away in a dangerous position. Spurs are knocking on the door at the start of this second half.

This match is being played exclusively inside the West Brom half at the moment - even inside the West Brom third. It is one-way traffic right now.

UPDATE: Goals have been few and far between in the Premier League so far today, but there has been a second for Watford at St James' Park through a DeAndre Yedlin own goal, while Xherdan Shaqiri has given Stoke the lead against bottom club Crystal Palace.

SHOT! West Brom almost get a shock second as Phillips collects the ball down the right flank before cutting inside and arrowing an effort a couple of yards past the far post. Decent strike.

UPDATE: Quick response from Crystal Palace, who have levelled things up against Stoke through Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

YELLOW CARD! Dier has said one word too many to the referee and goes into the book as a result. He is a very frustrated man at the moment!

YELLOW CARD! Gibbs quickly joins Dier in the book, although this one is slightly harsh as he appeared to get a toe on the ball before Alli went down.

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Double change from Spurs as Mousa Dembele and Fernando Llorente replace Winks and Vertonghen.

UPDATE: Watford have a third at St James' Park, and surely that is game over there. Andre Gray has made it 3-0 away to Newcastle.

Time is beginning to run out for Spurs now. West Brom have defended so well today, but Tottenham need to be able to win these matches if they have genuine title ambitions.

WEST BROM SUBS: Double change from the visitors here as James McClean and Hal Robson-Kanu replace Field and Rodriguez.

CLOSE! A Tottenham corner is only flicked on to Trippier on the edge of the box and his scuffed volley almost turns into a perfect pass for Alli, but the midfielder is just short of getting a touch.

This match isn't going to do any favours for West Brom's possession stats - they have seen just 19% of the ball in this second half so far.

We're into the final 20 minutes now and still there hasn't been a standout chance for Spurs in this second half. West Brom have actually come closest to scoring since the interval, despite seeing less than 20% of the ball.

Spurs finally have their equaliser, and it is no surprise to see Harry Kane wheeling away in celebration!

Alli feeds the ball in towards the near post where Kane has escaped his marker, and he just helps it on his way past the keeper, who cannot keep it out. Big goal for Spurs, who will now be pushing for a winner!

Spurs immediately go in search of a second, and they have a free kick in a very dangerous position here...

If anything it is too close to the box, and Eriksen hammers his effort straight into the wall.

YELLOW CARD! Nyom is the latest player to see yellow, this time for time wasting. I suspect we may see more of that between now and the full-time whistle.

WEST BROM SUB: The visitors make their third and final change of the match as Barry departs to be replaced by Claudio Yacob. Odds on a Yacob yellow card?

CHANCE! Half a chance for Kane again as he rises highest in the area to get on the end of yet another Trippier cross, but he cannot get over the ball and nods his effort off target.

YELLOW CARD! One of the biggest cheers of the day greets a yellow card for Foster, who is guilty of time-wasting.

SAVE! Kane is getting more and more involved in this one, and he goes for goal again here. His effort takes a slight deflection on the way through which causes Foster to spill it, but he recovers to gather before Alli can get to the rebound.

CLOSE! Kane again threatens as he rolls Hegazi on the edge of the box before steering a curling effort just past the post.

There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match.

Apologies for the lack of updates towards the end of the match - we had some technical issues. There were a couple of decent chances for both sides in the closing stages, but ultimately it is honours even at Wembley as West Brom hold on for a really good point.

The Baggies almost won it late on too with chances for Robson-Kanu and Rondon, but they will take a draw here under caretaker boss Gary Megson. For Tottenham, though, it is two more points dropped.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon!

Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match between Tottenham and West Brom as the Baggies hold on to earn a surprise point at Wembley, further denting Tottenham's title chances. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.

From me, though, it is goodbye for now!