Tottenham Hotspur came from two goals behind to claim a 2-2 draw against Basel in the first leg of their Europa League tie at White Hart Lane.
Despite starting well, Spurs were lucky not to fall behind when Marco Streller created room for himself inside the box before firing a shot straight at the palms of Brad Friedel.
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The hosts failed to learn from the early Basel threat and conceded the first goal in the 30th minute as Valentin Stocker finished easily from close range after Streller had drilled the ball against the post.
Basel doubled their lead just five minutes later when Fabian Frei was allowed enough room inside the area to head home from a corner.
However, Spurs restored some pride before the break as Emmanuel Adebayor took advantage of some poor defending to volley in from a few yards out.
The hosts should have been level moments later but Scott Parker's finish was deflected off the foot of Lewis Holtby and the ball flew wide of the post.
© AP Photos
Basel once again looked dangerous at the beginning of the second half but it was Spurs who found the crucial third goal, with Gylfi Sigurdsson finding the net with a deflected 25-yard effort.
The visitors continued to threaten in attack, with Mohamed Salah and Stocker both going close with speculative efforts midway through the second period.
Basel finished the game confidently and Villas-Boas was forced to look on with concern as William Gallas and Gareth Bale were forced off with injuries in the closing minutes.
Callum Mulvihill
