Villas-Boas had a point but it was partly born of frustration and the knowledge that, for 45 minutes, his team did not play. They failed to capitalise on an opportunity to eat up some ground on Chelsea and put more distance between them and Arsenal and Liverpool in the contest for Champions League places.
The spoils were shared but the prizes belonged to Bale. When he collected possession he was still inside his own half but, in an instant, he had surged forward and managed to stay on his feet as Tettey lunged. He galloped on. And on. And into the penalty area. Bale then shifted the ball to his left, with the panicking defenders scattered around him, and sent a dipping, swirling shot that beat goalkeeper Mark Bunn. It was sublime.
After being outfought – literally to Villas-Boas's mind – Spurs had eventually introduced new signing Lewis Holtby. The young German international, acquired for £1.5?million from Schalke had an immediate effect. It was his clever, first-time flick that had set Bale free for Spurs' goal.
After that Spurs could even have won it. Once level the pressure on the Norwich goal became immense with Mark Bunn having to pull off a fingertip save to deny Gylfi Sigurdsson, with a fierce low shot and preserve a point. It would have been cruel on Norwich had they lost.
Instead there was relief from their manager, Chris Hughton, arresting the recent slide which culminated in the ignominious FA Cup exit to non-League Luton Town. This felt, he said, more like the Norwich who went 10 matches unbeaten and were seventh in the table just 10 weeks ago. "I genuinely thought we'd hold out but it took a wonder strike," Hughton said. "It was just a great goal by a top-class player."
Maybe the malaise explained Norwich's more robust tactics. Maybe it was just an honest desire to do better. They certainly reacted like a team with intent and built up a head of steam throughout a first period in which the Spurs defence became increasingly panicky with, ahead of them, Scott Parker often bypassed and off the pace by Norwich's pressing in midfield.
Eventually that dam burst. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris produced his first save, pushing away Grant Holt's bouncing header for a corner, and then acrobatically punching out another cross. But he was at fault as Norwich scored. The wind was a factor as Lloris misjudged Robert Snodgrass's deep cross, as he was sent running free down the right, and Holt headed back to Anthony Pilkington who picked out Wes Hoolahan, who side-footed into the net.
Jermain Defoe should have equalised when put clear by Aaron Lennon, only for Bunn to parry, and the wall of pressure built for Spurs in the second half – until Bale's intervention.
Match details
Norwich City (4-4-1-1): Bunn; R Martin, Bassong, Turner, Garrido; Snodgrass, Johnson, Tettey, Pilkington; Hoolihan (Howson 81); Holt.
Subs: Camp, Whittaker, Jackson, Fox, E.Bennett, R Bennett.
Booked: Garrido, Snodgrass, Hoolahan, Holt.
Goal: Hoolihan 32
Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-1-1): Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Sigurdsson 87), Dembele, Parker, Bale; Dempsey (Holtby 71); Defoe.
Subs: Friedel (gk), Naughton, Gallas, Caulker, Livermore.
Booked: Holtby.
Goal: Bale 80
Referee: N Swarbrick (Preston).
Att: 26,818
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