Defiant Stoke put case for the defence

There is a warped, deplorable genius to Stoke. Anybody seeking an introduction to their coarse, tactile style of football could do a lot worse than revisit these 90 tortuous minutes, although there would be few other reasons to do so. In them they offered both a textbook exposition of their style, and a stark explication of the eight-match unbeaten run that has lifted them into the top half of the Premier League.

For all the criticism, Tony Pulis has hewn a ruthlessly efficient, perfectly oiled, unapologetically pragmatic side, an 11-headed pit bull that is never happier than when nipping at an ankle or throwing out a desperate foot to intercept a pass. Andre Villas-Boas attracted more a snigger earlier in the week when he referred to Stoke's as one of the best defences in Europe, but both the statistical and visual evidence bear him out. The discipline and dedication they showed in repelling Tottenham's attacking forays was characteristic of their season so far.

With a little light gamesmanship thrown in - Pulis ordering his free-kick wall to shuffle forward surreptitiously, the pulling and grappling that accompanied every defensive set-piece, the subtle time-wasting as full-time drew near - and Stoke must be the most irritating, least appealing side in the Premier League to play against. But then, Stoke are no more obliged to compromise on their philosophy than the neutral observer is to eulogise it.

"Whatever people say about our club, we'll do it the way we think is right," Pulis said defiantly. "We've got better every year. This is a great, great point for us."

For Tottenham, this goalless draw could easily have been attributed to a familiar inability to break teams down, but to do so here would be to do them, and their opponents, a disservice. They did not play badly at all: Sandro was a little off-colour, while Jermain Defoe saw the ball little and contributed even less - but there was little else for Villas-Boas to be dissatisfied about.

"We wanted to win, but it was not a bad performance," he said. "It was not ever going to be easy. It was extremely competitive, extremely physical, tremendous energy and power. To our credit, we had lots of chances, but we couldn't find the goal." Of the game itself there was little to be said. Stoke sat deep, before hitting on the counter-attack with Kenwyne Jones acting as their pivot. In fact, they had the best chance of the first half when Jones was set free by Steven Nzonzi. His shot was half-saved by Hugo Lloris, and then scraped off the line by Sandro just as Matthew Etherington was poised to tap into an empty net.

Nzonzi was lucky still to be on the pitch. A couple of minutes earlier, as he wrestled with Moussa Dembele on the left, his elbow flew into the Belgian's face. Neither Lee Mason nor his assistants saw it; Mason had a poor game, and the FA's disciplinary panel may wish to take further action against Nzonzi. Spurs' best two chances were both headers. Emmanuel Adebayor putting the ball over from six yards from a Gareth Bale cross; then, in the 91st minute, substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson forced a superb low save from Asmir Begovic. That Tottenham were restricted to those alone was testament to Stoke, who will go into Christmas toasting yet another job well done.

Tottenham (4-4-2): Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen, Lennon (Sigurdsson 78), Sandro, Dembele (Parker 85), Bale, Defoe, Adebayor.

Subs Friedel (g), Gallas, Naughton, Livermore, Townsend. Booked Sandro, Vertonghen.

Stoke (4-4-1-1): Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Cameron, Shotton (Whitehead 64), Nzonzi, Whelan, Etherington (Crouch 69), Jones (Jerome 66), Walters. Subs Sorensen (g), Palacios, Upson, Kightly. Booked Wilkinson, Whitehead, Cameron, Nzonzi, Walters.