Villa 1 Tottenham 1

The England striker put Villa ahead within 10 minutes, after forcing the ball home from close range, but Martin O'Neill's men were unable to add to their advantage in a closely contested clash at Villa Park.

And the claret and blues were eventually made to pay when Dawson hammered home from inside the box, to maintain Spurs' three-point advantage over their opponents in the Champions League chase.

Both sides threatened in what proved a lively start to the contest, but it was Villa who seized the advantage.

Carlos Cuellar connected cleanly with James Milner's corner only for Benoit Assou-Ekotto to clear off the line, but Agbonlahor shrugged off Michael Dawson to bundle home the rebound.

Spurs, fresh from last weekend's 9-1 thrashing of Wigan, again looked dangerous going forward and but for some superb Villa defending would have been level on 21 minutes.

Tom Huddlestone's scuffed free-kick fell to Jermain Defoe, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Brad Friedel only for the rebound to fall to Dawson, but his goalbound effort was superbly cleared off the line by Cuellar.

Agbonlahor was a thorn in the side of the Spurs defence throughout and came close, after turning his man before firing just beyond the post.

Friedel was in outstanding form, first clawing a dipping effort from Huddlestone over his bar before Vedran Corluka's dinked ball was volleyed just over by Defoe two minutes later.

Villa were forced back in the second-half, as Spurs began to pile the pressure on but the Londoners were met with stubborn resistance.

Friedel again came to the rescue to keep out a Niko Kranjcar volley, after Crouch laid off Wilson Palacios' pass.

Spurs then had the ball in the net on 74 minutes courtesy of Defoe, only for the goal to be rightly ruled out for offside.

But ,within four minutes, the visitors were level when Dawson chested a Richard Dunne clearance before lashing into the roof of the net.

Both sides could have won it at the death – substitute Emile Heskey glancing a stunning Ashley Young cross inches wide before Defoe's shot crept the wrong side of the post – but were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.