Dele Alli, Gareth Bale, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane. The Tottenham quartet started together for the first time ever at Fulham on Thursday night – and got off to a winning start.
As a reward for his Europa League exploits last week, Alli was handed a first Premier League start since the opening weekend of the season, replacing Lucas Moura to form the new-look front four for Jose Mourinho.
With Leicester and Manchester United dropping points on Wednesday, the incentive was there at Craven Cottage for Spurs to prove they are well and truly in the mix for a top-four finish.
A 1-0 win did just that, and while it was a nervy second half, a Tosin Adarabioyo own goal in the first half was enough to give Spurs three valuable points in the race for Champions League football.
Player ratings: Dele Alli – 7
Before Thursday night, Alli had racked up just 137 minutes of Premier League football this season. Forty-five of those came in the opening match at Everton, where he was substituted off at half-time, with six subsequent appearances off the bench totalling just 92 minutes.
With three of those substitute showings coming in Spurs’ previous three league games, however, there were signs Alli was forcing his way back into Mourinho’s plans, while one spectacular goal and two assists in the Europa League match against Wolfsberger last week outlined how the 24-year-old had not lost his touch.
It all resulted in a first league start for six months, and just 19 minutes into the match at Fulham, Alli orchestrated a fast break for Spurs, picking out Son before meeting the South Korean’s return ball with a deft flick. Heading only slightly off target, Fulham defender Adarabioyo inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net, handing Spurs a deserved lead after a handful of earlier chances.
Though denied a first league goal of the campaign, Alli continued to be a nuisance, and having picked up the assist for the own goal, he almost got a second when Son headed wide from a cross.
With Fulham searching for an equaliser after the break, and after a goal was chalked off for handball, Mourinho switched to a more defensive-minded approach, and that resulted in Alli and Bale coming off for Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura.
Alli’s night ended on the 67th minute, but on this showing he should be handed another start on Sunday night when Spurs host Crystal Palace.
Gareth Bale – 5
Bale had the quietest night of Spurs’ front four, but it was not through want of trying. The flag went up early on when the Welshman had a chance to break the deadlock, and his willingness to drift inside from the right made him an alternative target to Kane.
Come the 16th minute, Bale took his familiar stance with a free-kick opportunity from some 25 yards out, but he was unable to bring it down in time to trouble Areola, and a free-kick after the break from closer to 40 yards out was fired into the wall.
With Fulham improving in the second half, Mourinho’s double substitution saw Bale trudge off and cut a frustrated figure after failing to add to his tally of three league goals so far this season. His place in Sunday’s starting line-up feels less certain than Alli’s, but Mourinho may be willing to give this quartet another run from the off.
Son Heung-min – 7
Son the creator. Spurs looked their most potent when Son had the ball at his feet on the left wing.
A 14th Son-Kane goal of the league season looked a certainty when Son’s pinpoint outside-of-the-boot cross found Spurs’ No.10, but Kane’s header was straight at Alphonse Areola and meant the wait to surpass Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton’s Premier League record for goal combinations goes on.
Son and Kane have 12 more matches to hold this record outright, and in the meantime the former continued to trouble Fulham down the left.
From a quick breakaway, his cross met Alli and then Adarabioyo for the opener, and that proved to be the winner as Spurs focused on preserving their lead after the break.
Bale
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 4, 2021Alli
Tottenham unlock the Fulham defence for a lovely breakaway goal!pic.twitter.com/D42roM9KmB
Harry Kane – 6
After spurning a great chance to head Spurs in front, Kane then saw a penalty appeal waved away at 1-0 up when going down under pressure from Ola Aina.
In a second half of few opportunities for Spurs, Kane’s lofted ball over the top almost played Alli in, but Areola rushed out to deny the midfielder and keep Fulham in it.
Kane could have put the game to bed with 10 minutes to go, but it was Areola to the rescue as the England captain fired too close to the Fulham goalkeeper. The wait for a 15th league of the season goes on.
Overall verdict
In a tale of two halves, Spurs were at their most threatening when attacking down the left in the opening 45 minutes. With Son on the ball, this would allow Bale to drift inside and support Kane, while Alli’s presence gave Fulham’s defenders another problem to think about.
Spurs have thrown away too many points from winning positions this season, and it looked to be a similar story when Josh Maja fired past Hugo Lloris, only for VAR to rule it out for handball.
This scare ended the experiment of Alli, Bale, Kane and Son, but there was enough in the first 45 minutes to suggest Mourinho could fancy this quartet again against Palace.
Erik Lamela’s spritely cameo at Craven Cottage could change all that, but at the very least it appears Alli has earned the right to start again.
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- The Czech ‘warriors’ who rose from obscurity to fire West Ham into European contention
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3kJDTge
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