Tottenham lay down marker by bucking trend to take four points off Manchester United this season For 92 minutes it seemed unlikely as the teams stuck to the overwhelming narrative of the last two decades perfectly. After a well-matched opening period United went ahead, and Spurs fans, dreaming of parity, went back to fearing the worst. The source was as predictable as the result appeared. Robin van Persie has been tormenting the locals here for years and did so again, though this time his shirt was a different shade of red. But a second half of overwhelming pressure brought a 93rd-minute equaliser from Clint Dempsey that could be worth more than a point to Tottenham's self-esteem. The point edged them closer to control of the fourth place that is Andre Villas-Boas's immediate goal and chairman Daniel Levy's expectation. Everton lie four points back and Arsenal seven, though both will play games in hand this week. This result should spread confidence among Tottenham's players that they can resist both, and perhaps threaten Chelsea in third. If the win at United bought Villas-Boas time, this point should bring belief. After conceding a goal he will consider a shade soft - Van Persie's header was unerring but he slipped the attentions of Kyle Walker too easily - Spurs enjoyed the better of possession and chances, and were relentless in search of an equaliser. The result was reward for Villas-Boas's boldness. He ended the evening having to scrape the snow from his own car, but will have done so with a smile. With Emmanuel Adebayor absent he chose to stick to the 4-4-2 that has served Spurs well, Dempsey stepping in up front, and Scott Parker making his first league start of the season for the injured Sandro. You would not have guessed Parker had been away as he dovetailed with Mousa Dembélé, outshone initially by the excellent Michael Carrick, but the fulcrum of Tottenham's second-half revival. Dembélé was assisted by Aaron Lennon, who exerts an influence equal to that of Gareth Bale with a fraction of the credit. He was the more dangerous of the two here, a point underlined as he provided the astute pass for Dempsey's goal. Bale had a curious afternoon. Villas-Boas shifted him infield midway through the first half and earned a rebuke from fans who offered tactical advice with a chant of "Gareth Bale, he plays on the left." While the positional move nearly brought Bale an equaliser when his deflected right-foot shot was well-saved by David De Gea, he was far more potent restored to his flank for the second half. With width and pace all that was missing was a finish, but with Jermaine Defoe having a wayward afternoon, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic resolute, and De Gea sharp, Spurs" fans feared the worst. Dempsey himself had a wonderful chance to level the game on the hour, but the United keeper saved with his legs after Dembele had played him in one-on-one. The American had to wait for a chance to redeem himself, but when it came he took it. Even Ferguson was moved to offer a backhanded compliment. Tottenham are a very good team, very committed and will take points off the teams that maybe matter to us. On a mildly historic afternoon it amounted to high praise.