TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — Tottenham Hotspur finally kept a lead. Richarlison finally scored without his head. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario came so, so close to keeping a clean sheet.
It was another unpredictable game in the unpredictable world of Ange Postecoglou’s relentlessly attacking football and this time Newcastle United were the victims of it, rather than Spurs themselves.
This was the 10th consecutive Premier League game in which they had taken the lead – an astonishing 13th time in 16 games – but the first time in the last six they actually managed not to implode. Possibly abating, for now at least, the creeping suspicion that Postecoglou’s highly entertaining and refreshing style, so lauded in Tottenham’s 11-game unbeaten run that had them briefly sitting at the top of the table, was losing its shine.
Their problem hadn’t been scoring – that was no problem at all. It was maintaining the lead. They had scored first and within 23 minutes of their previous five games and not won any of them. Third minute vs Wolves, sixth vs Chelsea and Manchester City, 11th vs West Ham. The fans had to wait a whole 22 minutes before they took the lead against Aston Villa.
That said, while a run of five without a win does sound bad, the context should soften any alarming conclusions. Spurs had two players sent off in that wild game against Chelsea. Wolves are performing resiliently under Gary O’Neil. Manchester City are, well, Manchester City. West Ham are the reigning Europa Conference League champions. Spurs have had plenty of injuries to key players, notably James Maddison.
And so to Newcastle United. A team desperately poor away from home, struggling under the strain and unfamiliarity of midweek Champions League football and in the middle of an their own injury crisis, and you just didn’t know what was going to happen.
And for the first 25 minutes, nothing became any clearer. Spurs poured forward as usual, seemingly permanently on attack yet unable to create a single meaningful chance. Newcastle broke a couple of times – clearly a tactic to expose Tottenham’s high line – but finished poorly.
There are times when the little but crucial details can get lost in a game and that was possibly the case in the eighth minute when Newcastle countered, which ended with Anthony Gordon laying the ball on a plate for Alexander Isak, only for Ben Davies to divert the ball a fraction off course with a toe-tip. It forced the Newcastle striker to shoot wide with the goal open and Davies’s intervention may well have changed the course of the game.
There are times, also, when the assist is better than the goal itself and there were two such occasions for Tottenham’s opening two goals. Both were the craftsmanship of Son Heung-min, both came down the left-hand side, both exposed a knackered-looking Kieran Trippier. Each time he showed off quick, tricky feet, a burst of pace and the composure to pick out a teammate.
First, the 26th minute, Son raced to the byline, skinning Trippier easily, and played the ball across hard, beating the dive of Martin Dubravka and finding Destiny Udogie to turn in his first Tottenham goal.
Then just before half-time, picking up a loose ball almost at the corner flag, teasing the back-pedalling Tripper with a slow dribble into Newcastle’s penalty area, forcing the full-back to stumble with a step-over, the split-second error allowing him to dart round and pull back for Richarlison to stroke in for two.
It was the Brazilian’s first goal without his head since his £60m move 18 months ago. Quite a long time for an expensive striker not to score with his feet.
With the score goalless on 17 minutes and the Spurs fans, most unused to this peculiar phenomenon, waning slightly, Brennan Johnson had ignited them with a brilliant little flick over an opponent to spark a move. He had the same effect again on the half-hour when Spurs really should have scored a second with a marvellous turn on the halfway line.
His pass freed Son – this time terrorising Newcastle down the right – and after racing forward his ball across found Pape Matar Sarr but Sarr was unable to find the target.
There were the signs, too, of why Spurs have been prone to collapse. They were only a goal ahead when Johnson played an unforgivable back pass to Isak that ended with a weak Miguel Almiron shot when it should have ended with a goal. And by then it mattered little but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg gave the ball away just outside his own penalty area for Joelinton to deny Spurs a first clean sheet in seven games in stoppage time.
Given this propensity, there was palpable relief when they added a second before half-time, and when Richarlison added a third on the hour, with his feet again, no less.
Player of the match: Son Heung-min
Two fantastic assists for Tottenham’s first two goals, the result of brilliant wing play, and a penalty, won and converted, to seal a much-needed win.
By then, it was pure Postecoglou football. Johnson struck the inside of the post after an explosive move, Son shot narrowly wide with a volley. The Spurs captain made it four, winning and converting a penalty.
They face struggling Nottingham Forest on Friday – and it’s anyone’s guess what might happen then.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3b9xWkv
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