can’t even get you back on track?
We found out that Newcastle becoming the only team not to be cured by Doctor Tottenham this season are as bad as it gets.
The highlights of the game were basically, the team sheet announcement meltdown, the flyover of a bit of “Mackem banter”, Chadli’s opener, Harry Kane’s thirtieth and the meltdown when Paulinho got man of the match.
In between two teams going through the death throws of another aborted season offered up some really uninspiring fare.
From the start it looked like the last two games Spurs have played, generally clueless from both sets of players. An air of, well lets just get this over with. Pochettino enthralling many with his inclusion of Lamela and Paulinho in the starting XI. The latter showed signs that he’s still alive the latter again tried but failed.
First half was a nothing affair lit up by Chadli’s opener on the half hour. A cracking shot after he found himself adding to the overcrowding in the middle of the park.
Only other things that happened were that flyover banner from Sunderland fans – one of two highlights they’ll have all season, might give them a warm feeling in the second division next season – and two fouls from Colback who should have seen two yellows.
This of course would have changed the course of the match as seconds after the second half whistle had gone said clogger had levelled the score.
Weak play from Chadli in coughing up the ball, weak typically nothing attempt by Bentaleb to tackle back, everyone in the box misses the cross but Colback.
He got his just deserts 8 minutes later after fouling Eriksen, when the Dane’s free-kick curled in front of the advancing Spurs players, past Krul. Bentaleb was pathetically trying to claim it but none of the players were having it as they all congratulated Eriksen as hysterically Bentaleb was pushed to the outside of the celebration huddle.
He could have sealed the deal moments later but from an excellent Chadli cross he ballooned a free header from 7 yards out. Surprised he didn’t try and pass the ball back.
It took until the final minute for it really to be secure. Harry Kane’s thirtieth goal of the season. Nice header out of the Spurs box by Mason to Lamela, the Englishman then carried on up the park giving Lamela more time and space to lay the ball off to Kane who put it past Krul.
Thirty goals the first Spurs player to do that since Lineker, Sheringham, Ferdinand, Klinsmann, Keane, Defoe, Berbatov, Adebayor have all come and gone – well bar one – and Kane is the first one to score 30 in a season and he only really started in the league, in which he as 20, in November.
Oh and another win with Fazio partnering Vertonghen in defence…