victory.
Spurs ninth consecutive home victory in the Premier League was a strange affair against an opposition, in Everton, you would have expected more from.
Things were strangely muted around White Hart Lane, don’t know what it was, perhaps the early Sunday kick-off or the expectation of a tough game or the fact Everton, initially, didn’t come to play but to stifle with a three man midfield of holding players really in Barry Schneiderlin and Gueye.
Things were quite. The crowd and the play, Spurs had the ball and had chances while it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as some of what we’ve witnessed this season, there was no life to proceedings.
That changes 20 minutes in. Spurs were just passing it about on the left then into Kane who dropped a little deeper, his first touch was heavy but he beat Gueye to the loose ball, tuning he was a distance out but Barry backed off leaving space for Kane to fire in an outstanding goal for the opener.
Not bad for a poacher, tap in, penalty merchant, in what I believe isn’t his one season.
The crowd were lifted the team were lifted, it looked like they were finally alive, more chances came but again they went. There should have been a penalty for a pull on Kane in the box at a free-kick. It made a change from the usual Everton routine of the day which seemed to be kick ‘im, kick ‘im on the leg that might be injured preferably.
But with the chances gong by the wayside the crowd’s enthusiasm reduced to the pre-goal level. Spurs were still cruising through the game, pretty much untroubled but the life had gone again.
It was just before the hour when some life returned. Walker bothered to keep the ball in play after chasing it down the line. He just played it to the ‘keeper but it started the ball rolling sort of speak. Robles rolled the ball out to Schneiderlin who had Dembele on him before he knew it, so he panic passed it to Williams who had Dele on him and then had the ball off him. It was onto Kane and in the net before most in blue knew what was happening.
It was comfortable, quiet, cruising afternoon. Everton had offered very little and if Lukaku had a sniff then Vertonghen had snuffed it out. Until he slipped ten minutes from the 90. One mistake all afternoon and Lukaku punished them for it. His first against Spurs.
From cruising, to oh oh, don’t fuck this up.
Kane could have finished it, with another hat-trick but it didn’t come off, though he did. Then just into added time it looked like Dele had won it. Everton standing around after conceding yet another free-kick, Winks played a lovely curved ball through to the advancing Dele for his delicate touch to finish it off. Pochettino was off celebrating.
He was rocking the AVB coat and things do get sexy when he rocks the AVB coat.
But this is still Spurs and the clue is in the title of the post, there was still time, after everyone had relaxed for everyone to unrelax. An Everton free-kick, closer to the halfway line than any danger, Dier knocks off and Valencia gets their second and it’s almost panic stations again.
They saw it out, well you might have guessed that, title and all. It was a scoreline that completely flattered Everton and when you see it on a page no way gives you the correct impression of what happened on the field. Expected more from a team that is on form in 2017. But only Spurs could cruise through a game like this, with so very little trouble and it still be 3-2.
It’s things like that, that make sure the next few games which are against teams lower down the league aren’t gimmes. Even with Kane and Dele having more goals between them than any team in the league, bar Everton, so far in 2017.