Spurs 1-1 Leicester: (match report)

The lads played out a 1-1 draw with the Champions on Saturday afternoon at the Lane, in what proved to be a frustrating result for Mauricio Pochettino’s side who lacked creativity in the match. We started the match with the upper hand against the Foxes and the Lillywhites early attacking intent almost paid off on 13 minutes, after Alli fired a first time effort from 20 yards out, Alli’s shot Stinging the gloves of Schmeichel who made a decent save. Claudio Ranieri’s structured side were most impressive in the final third and our defence had to be alert as the foxes went close on more than one occasion in the first half. On 33 minutes Shinji Okazaki put the ball narrowly over the crossbar after getting onto Mahrez’s cross and shortly afterwards Christian Fuchs went close after striking a powerful long range volley. With the interval nearing the first half seemed to be heading for a draw, but on the stroke of half time Spurs were awarded a penalty after Vincent Janssen was was brought to the ground after Robert Huth pulled Janssen in the penalty area. A confident Janssen stepped up to power the ball beyond Schmeichel and into the back of the net.

The second half started in disastrous fashion for Pochettino’s side after they conceded after just three minutes. Leicesters equaliser came about after Wanyama headed the ball to our defence, only for it be put through to Vardy who surged down the right channel before putting a low cross into Musa who converted from close range. Spurs attacked in the minutes that followed and they forced numerous fine saves out of Leicester City keeper Kasper Scheimchel. With four minutes remaining of normal time Spurs came desperately close to getting a late winner through centre back Jan Vertonghen after he met Victor Wanyama’s cross inside the box to power a good header against the crossbar. Deep in the four minutes of additional time Spurs went close to snatching a dramatic winner once more after Rose fired an effort from a tight angle inside the area, but his lashed effort hit the side netting. The final score Spurs 1-1 Leicester. Spurs go again on Wednesday as they face Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley in the UEFA Champions league.
My man of the match: Vincent Janssen, the goalscorer was unlucky to have gotten more Janssen worked incredibly hard against Leicesters imposing defence and he took his penalty well.

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c); Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Dembele, Wanyama (Winks 87); Eriksen, Alli (Nkoudou 83), Son; Janssen. Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Trippier, Davies, Carter-Vickers, Onomah.
Leicester (4-3-2-1): Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan (c), Fuchs; Mahrez (Albrighton 72), Drinkwater, King; Musa (Schlupp 68), Okazaki (Ulloa 78); Vardy. Substitutes (not used): Zieler, Hernandez, Gray, Amartey.
Goals: Spurs – Janssen 44 (pen); Leicester – Musa 48.
Yellow cards: Spurs – Rose, Son, Wanyama; Leicester – Mahrez, Musa, Vardy, Simpson.
Referee: Robert Madley.
Attendance: 31,868

Spurs 0-0 Bournemouth: (match report)

Spurs were unable to Score against Bournemouth on Saturday lunch time as Mauricio Pochettino’s side fought out a goalless draw on the south coast. Eddie Howe’s side were fearless from the offing as they attacked with great intent early on, and the cherries were denied an early lead after Hugo Lloris denied former Spurs man Charlie Daniels with a tremendous save. Daniels was found in the box by Dan Gosling who squared it to the former academy graduate however, the defenders effort was turned excellently on to the top of the crossbar by Lloris. We continued to find our rhythm in the game and on 17 minutes we almost took the lead through Erik Lamela’s curling long range shot which clipped the post before going out of play. We were the much better side in the second half as we dominated play with 67% of possession, but despite creating a couple of half chances early on we struggled to break down a stubborn Bournemouth defence. However, despite our control of the second half the cherries almost grabbed a late winner as they caught us on the break, but star performers Jan Vertonghen and Victor Wanyama denied the hosts with key challenges to ensure Spurs held on to a point. Undoubtedly Mauricio Pochettino will not be chuffed with yesterday’s result, but it is by no means a bad result, we are still the only unbeaten side in the league and we have a string of important games coming up starting with a trip to Liverpool in the EFL cup on Tuesday.

I thought we lacked our usual sharpness a little yesterday, taking in to consideration our trip to Germany in midweek where he fought out a highly competitive draw with Leverkusen. However, I think it was Bournemouths structured style of play which caught us out yesterday, Howe’s side worked incredibly hard and none more so than Republic of Ireland international Harry Artrer who was incredible in the centre of midfield. Arter’s hard work and high intensity caused us bother through out the game and I believe that he was one of the main reasons why we didn’t pick up all three points yesterday. Jan Vertonghen and Victor Wanyama were our two best players on the day, Vertonghen’s decision making was top class and the Belgium international made some terrific challenges including a decisive sliding tackle in the penalty area late on. Wanyama is proving to be a fantastic player for Spurs since his arrival in the summer, Wanyama put in another excellent performance yesterday, he was a powerhouse in the midfield making numerous important interceptions. Some questioned why Son and Alli were taken off in the second half but I would imagine that Pochettino was thinking about Tuesdays tough league cup tie against Liverpool at Anfield. Meanwhile Moussa Sissoko’s elbow on Harry Arter in the second half may well mean that the winger faces disciplinary charges by the FA.
My MOTM: Jan Vertonghen, the Belgian centre back put in an excellent performance making some crucial challenges and interceptions.

AFC Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Boruc; Smith, Francis (c), Cook, Daniels; Gosling, Arter; Ibe (Gradel 60), Wilshere, King (Fraser 88); Wilson (Afobe 82). Substitutes (not used):Federici, Ake, Mings, Mousset.
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c); Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Alli (Sissoko 71), Lamela; Son (Janssen 61). Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Davies, Winks.

Yellow cards: AFC Bournemouth – Gosling 39, Gradel 67; Spurs – Lamela 18, Vertonghen 35, Alli 37, Rose 43.

Referee: Craig Pawson.
Attendance: 11,201.

Spurs 1-1 West Brom: (match report)

Spurs battled from a goal down to draw 1-1 with West Brom at the Hawthorns yesterday, it was a game in which Pochettino’s side will be disappointed with despite their best efforts West Brom’s solid defence was excellent but most of all it was the Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster who denied us all three points. Foster had an incredible game making seven saves in what was a man of the match performance from the former Manchester United goalkeeper. Spurs started the brightest of the two sides and they dominated play creating a string of early chances including efforts from Lamela and Davies that went close to breaking the deadlock. We continued to have the upper hand on the game and shortly after the half hour mark Dele Alli came close to scoring on two occasions. Alli’s first effort came inside the penalty area as the England international poked an effort at goal which was denied by Foster after the Baggies goalkeeper charged towards Alli. Shortly afterwards Alli came close again after his over head kick went narrowly wide of the right post. With seven minutes remaining till half time the England international yet again got into an excellent goal scoring opportunity after Alli was played in by Janssen who had excellently held up the ball before playing Alli in. One on one Alli tried to find the far corner with his effort however, Foster spread himself well to make another top save.

We continued the second half with the same intensity and our hold on the game didn’t weaken in the slightest. The Lillywhites yet again created numerous chances but just couldn’t find a way past Pulis’s stubborn defence. We again saw chances go close, Sissoko had an effort deflected narrowly wide shortly after the hour mark and we seemed destined to take the lead at some point in the second half. With eight minutes to go Spurs were stunned after West Brom took an unlikely lead from former Spurs man Nacer Chadli who joined West Brom in the summer. Chris Brunt flicked the ball into James McClean from the resulting corner and McClean who’s first time shot was saved excellently by Lloris before falling into the path of Chadli who lashed home from close range. With little time remaining, Pochettino’s resilient Spurs side persevered and in the 89th minute they found a well deserved equaliser courtesy of a fine goal by Dele Alli who converted a chance from inside the area with an excellently taken jabbed finish much to the relief of the Spurs faithful. The Lillywhites almost grabbed a dramatic late winner after Eriksen’s whipped free kick forced a fine save from Foster. The final score Spurs 1-1 West Brom, we are still the only unbeaten team in the league and despite disappointment the lads can be proud of their efforts today, we go again on Tuesday as we face Bayer Leverkusen away in the UEFA champions league. COYS

My man of the match: Dele Alli, Alli was undoubtedly our best player on the day, the 20 year old got himself into countless goal scoring opportunities netting the all important equaliser and on another day the England international may well have had a hat trick.
Spurs (4-1-4-1): Lloris (c); Walker, Alderweireld (Dier 60), Vertonghen, Davies;  Wanyama; Sissoko (Dembele 64), Eriksen, Alli, Lamela (Son 72); Janssen. Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Trippier, Nkoudou, Onomah.
West Brom (4-4-1-1): Foster; Nyom, Dawson, McAuley, Evans; Phillips (Brunt 68), Fletcher (c), Yacob, McClean; Chadli (Gardner 87); Rondon. Substitutes (not used): Myhill, Olsson, Robson-Kanu, Morrison, Leko.
Goals: West Brom – Chadli 82; Spurs – Alli 89
Yellow cards: West Brom – McClean 44, Dawson 90+4; Spurs – Vertonghen 54, Dembele 86.
Referee: Kevin Friend.
Attendance: 24,263.

Spurs 1-0 CSKA Moscow: (match report)

Yesterday evening Spurs put in a diligent performance as they defeated CSKA Moscow 1-0 to get their first win of this seasons UEFA Champions league campaign. It was a tough game for Mauricio Pochettino’s side but the Lillywhites controlled the flow of the game from the offing and their persistency paid off late in the second half as Son continued his excellent goal scoring run to bring home three valuable points to North London. We had the majority of possession in the opening half an hour however, Spurs found it hard to get past CSKA’s solid defence. Ten minutes before the interval Dele Alli went desperately close to opening the scoring after the 20 year old fired an effort from just outside the box, but the midfielders excellent effort smashed off the crossbar. We continued to have the upper hand in the game after the interval and Pochettino’s side went close at the beginning of the second half shortly after Ben Davies blocked a shot from Tosic on the edge of the box. Son came close to giving Spurs the lead at the other end after he fired a good shot from the edge of the box which flew narrowly wide of the left post. In the minutes that followed we came closer and closer to taking the lead as the lads searched for that much needed winner.

 

On 68 minutes Erik Lamela came close to breaking the deadlock after the Argentina international created space inside the box before hitting an effort at goal that was deflected off Wernbloom before going narrowly wide. However just a couple of minutes later Lamela turned the provider after the winger threaded through a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Son who from 12 yards out made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Akinfeev and into the back of the net. CSKA came close to equalising five minutes from time through Natcho however, it wasn’t to matter as Spurs recorded a well deserved victory in the Russian capital as they moved up to second in group E. COYS

Yet again Son was our best player, the South Korean international who has been in excellent form scoring five goals in five games this season, showed great perseverance and his tireless hard work ensured us an important victory. Our centre back pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen were superb at the back, both read the game incredibly well and they dealt excellently with the presence of 6foot 8 inches CSKA Moscow striker Lacina Traore. Dele Alli adapted well to the centre of midfield, with the 20 year old being one of our most creative players on the night, another player who was incredibly influential in the game Was Erik Lamela. Lamela worked incredibly hard, constantly looking to create chances and his creativity paid off after he set up Son’s winning goal with a lovely through ball.

CSKA Moscow (4-2-3-1): Akinfeev (C); Fernandes, V Berezutski (A Berezutski 46), Ignashevich, Schennikov; Golovin, Wernbloom; Tosic (Natcho 72), Eremenko, Milanov; Traore. Substitutes (not used): Chepchugov (gk), Nababkin, Strandberg, Gordyuskenko.
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris (C); Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Wanyama, Alli (Winks 82) ; Lamela, Eriksen, Son; Janssen (Nkoudou 67). Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Walker, Wimmer, Carter-Vickers, Onomah.

Goals: Spurs – Son 71.

My man of the match: Son Heung-Min.

 

Spurs 2-1 Middlesbrough: (match report)

Yesteday afternoon Spurs extended their unbeaten run in the premier league to six matches after Mauricio Pochettino’s side defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 at the Riverside stadium. Spurs looked sharp from the offing as they searched for an early goal and after an excellent start the Lillywhites broke the deadlock after just seven minutes courtesy of Son. The goal came about after Janssen received the ball from the resulting corner as the Dutchman held the ball before passing to Son, who danced his way through the Middlesbrough defence before firing the ball into the back of the net from ten yards. Less than 15 minutes later Son continued his rich vein of form after he netted Spurs’s second of the game after the South Korea international scored an excellent solo goal. Son showed great persistence as he worked hard to get the back the ball after he was tackled, and the winger won it back as he made his way back to a more central position in the box before curling a wonderful effort which nestled in to the top right hand corner of the net. We continued to dominate the game and ten minutes before the interval Spurs almost put the game to bed, after Son crossed the ball to Eriksen the Denmark international seemed destined to score as he let fly, but his effort was blocked by George Friend. The rebound came to Sissoko who on the right side of the box fired an effort at goal however, Victor Valdes thwarted the Frenchman’s effort with a fine save.

On the stroke of half time Dele Alli went desperately close to getting Spurs’s third of the game after the 20 year old was found by Eriksen inside the box but an off balance Alli blazed his effort over the crossbar. We continued to control the game in the second half and shortly after the hour mark Dele Alli again went close to netting Spurs’s third of the afternoon. Alli discovered space outside the area before firing an effort at goal however, Ali’s powerful effort flew narrowly over the cross bar. However, just a few minutes later the Teeside club pulled a goal back after defender Ben Gibson headed home from Stewart Downing’s whipped free kick. Eleven minutes later Middlesbrough came close to getting an equaliser through substitute Jordan Rhodes after the Scotland international got on the end of Stewart Downing’s cross as he forced a comfortable save out of Lloris. The final score was a deserved 2-1 victory for Spurs, the Lillywhites had an excellent game in North Yorkshire as they dominated the match, playing excellent free flowing football in the process. COYS

 

My man of the match: Son, who played superbly yet again as he scored a brace putting his tally to four league goals in the premier league this season.

Match facts:
– Son had 4 shots against Middlesbrough scoring two goals, Son also had a 90% passing accuracy.
– Spurs had 19 attempts on goal yesterday afternoon.
– Spurs had 59% of ball possession

Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Valdes; Barragan, Chambers, Gibson, Friend (c); De Roon, Clayton (Forshaw 82); Stuani, Ramirez (Traore 59), Downing; Negredo (Rhodes 59). Substitutes (not used): Guzan, Ayala, Fischer, Nsue.
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris (c); Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Wanyama, Alli; Sissoko (Lamela 69), Eriksen (Nkoudou 90), Son; Janssen (Winks 86). Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Trippier, Carter-Vickers, Wimmer.
Goals: Middlesbrough – Gibson 66; Spurs – Son 7, 23.
Yellow cards: Spurs – Walker 63; Middlesbrough – Traore 87, Friend 90+6.

Spurs 5-0 Gillingham: (match report)

 

It was a glorious night at the lane on Tuesday as Mauricio Pochettino’s youthful Spurs side defeated Gillingham 5-0 in the third round of the league cup to progress to the fourth round where the Lillywhites will meet Liverpool at Anfield. It was a truly dominant performance from Spurs yesterday as they completely outclassed the league one side in every area on the field of play. We started the game well in the opening minutes and went close to taking the leading through Christian Eriksen in the 16th minute, Spurs’s captain powered a long range effort at goal which the Gills keeper Jonathan Bond thwarted with an excellent save, before being brought off through injury shortly afterwards. The lads continued to push for the opener and the team were rewarded on the half hour mark as Christian Eriksen opened the scoring with a 30 yard screamer which moved in the air as it flew past Nelson and into the back of the net. Nine minutes later Vincent Janssen went desperately close to getting his first goal for Spurs after rounding Nelson inside the area Janssen tried to convert from a tight angle. However, the strikers shot was cleared on the line by Deji Oshilaja.

The lads started the second half in style as Christian Eriksen got his second of the game three minutes after the restart to double Spurs’s lead. The goal came about following a surging run from Lamela in the midfield before finding Eriksen on the edge of the box with a perfectly weighted pass as he found his way through two Gillingham defenders before slotting the ball through the legs of Nelson and into the back of the net. Less than three minutes later Spurs got a third courtesy of Vincent Janssen’s first goal for the Lillywhites after he despatched a well taken penalty, following Kieran Trippier being brought down in the area after the right back tried to turn past Oshilaja. Spurs put the game well and truly out of sight 15 minutes later as academy graduate Josh Onomah got his first senior goal for Spurs. Onomah received a fantastic pass from Lamela on the edge of the area before tucking the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net, the passion was clear to see in Onomah’s celebration. Erik Lamela deserved a goal for his excellent contribution to the game and the Argentine got our fifth in the 68th minute. After some excellent work from Janssen where the Dutchman outmuscled his opponent, Janssen laid the ball off to Lamela on the edge of the area and the Argentina international slotted home with a fine finish.

Highly rated academy prospect Marcus Edwards almost scored in stoppage time following his introduction, Edwards went on a fantastic mazing run as he weaved past the Gillingham defence before powering an effort from 20 yards out that was tipped over the crossbar by Nelson. The final score Spurs 5-0 Gillingham, it was an excellent performance from Spurs as the young side impressed throughout getting an impressive victory over the Gills. Erik Lamela was my man of the match, the winger got three assists and a goal as he worked tirelessly throughout, fuelling our attack from the minute go. In addition Eriksen had a great game as he netted a brace, whilst 20 year old midfielder Harry Winks was flawless in the centre of the park. Winks was tidy, efficient and creative and demonstrated to Pochettino that he is more than ready to play senior football for Spurs.

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Trippier, Wimmer, Carter-Vickers, Davies (Walkes 80); Winks, Carroll; Lamela, Onomah, Eriksen (c, Nkoudou 59); Janssen (Edwards 75). Substitutes (not used): Whiteman, Vertonghen, Wanyama, Son.
Gillingham (4-5-1): Bond (Nelson 16); Jackson, Ehmer, Oshilaja, Konchesky; Emmanuel-Thomas (Wagstaff 60), Wright (c), Byrne, Dack (Knott 80), Osadebe; McDonald. Substitutes (not used): Donnelly, Pask, Oldaker, List.
Goals: Spurs – Eriksen 31, 48, Janssen 51 (pen), Onomah 66, Lamela 68.