Norwich.
Poor old Delia was looking tired and emotional as Spurs rocked over Norwich, three nil, to continue their unbeaten away record in the league.
They’ve only gone and got that hope up haven’t they. Another away win, the best goal difference in the league, best defensive record, up to third.
Not that long ago a goal within the first five minutes of the game would have been followed by thousands of too early
tweets, can’t say I saw that many, if any last night as Dele Alli opened the scoring within two minutes.
Some nice build up play between Eriksen, Son and Rose – who seemed to have left the coat-hanger in his shirt – led to a corner. As the ball is played out of the box Son chips it into Toby, whose shot was blocked out to Eriksen who took it first time, bringing out a good save. Well it would have been if Alli hadn’t been there to knock it in the net.
I can’t remember the last Spurs midfielder who got into the right place at the right time in the box the way Alli does, hell most of ’em never got in the box in the first place. Always on his toes, never on his heels, looking forward and attacking. Not a coward, scared of their own shadow, like some I could think of.
His seventh league goal of the season, a one in three record, for a nineteen year old kid who was playing third division stuff not that long a go.
It was no surprise he had a hand in the second goal. After half an hour of pretty much standard domination, Alli plays a lovely little ball to Kane, who after a nice turn powered his shot but within reach of the ‘keeper and again on his toes Alli is in there to nick it off Bassong, who fouls him for a penalty. Dear Alex Neil, cry me a river.
Kane makes no mistake with the spot kick.
Things changed at the break though, Alli departed feeling unwell, and well things got sloppy. It looked really like that third was needed in the first half. Now if Kane had scored and not hit the post after his penalty, things might have been a little less fraught.
There was just no cohesion with Spurs in the second half, seemed to barely string two passes together and just kept giving away easy possession. Was not fun viewing. Pochettino says a mature display but it was harum and scarum.
And in the end a little lucky, with Bassong offside when he put the ball in the back of Spurs’ net. They had their tails up then and if that hadn’t been correctly flagged, and I mean that’s hit and miss these days, who knows what, even with the more resilient Spurs, what could have happened. Well, they weren’t going to score four, that was Liverpool they were playing when that happened and Spurs’s defence is somewhat better, even without Vertonghen, than Klopp’s shambles.
Thankfully in replace of Jan, Pochettino went with Wimmer and didn’t inhibit the team with the presence of Bentaleb.
The third did come but by then it was pretty much over anyway. Kane doubling his tally as he made amends for another hit post moments earlier. Similar situations, a bit of pressure and Norwich cough up the ball for the Spur’s man to be one on one with their ‘keeper. First time he hits it with his right, straight onto the post, second time he curls it round Ruddy for a fine finish.
So that defensive and GD record and up to third, people are saying things they shouldn’t about, well…