week.
The way the last four fixtures have gone between Spurs and Stoke, if they faced each other every week then played 38, won 38, goals for 162, goals against 10.
In beating Stoke 5-1, Spurs became the first side in English top flight history to beat the same opponents by four or more goals in four consecutive games. It’s the only reason for not wanting Stoke to be relegated, well that and ’em always kicking ARSEnal players.
Other than that nobody would miss Stoke if they went down. Nobody would miss Mark Hughes, well except his post match interviews after such stuffings.
Spurs needed a visit from Stoke. Four games without a win in the league, Dr. Stoke calling was just the pick me up they required. especially as it didn’t come with the usual accompanying thuggery from the potteries. No broken bones or snapped ligaments inflicted by Shawcross or Adam.
No, but the former did provide the opener. It took a little while of huffing and puffing, looking like the usual struggles against a flat back ten. Then Son got wide and close to the byline and smacked a cross in. One of the balls that can end up going anywhere off anyone. Luckily it went in the goal off Shawcross. It works though, balls like that from the byline, but as predicted it wasn’t seen again.
The lead wasn’t double for another half hour, during which time Butland first saved Stoke and Harry Kane seemed to step back in time and think it was August. Through the middle, all on his lonesome with just the keeper to beat, in any month bar the first of the season you’d bet your house on Kane at least hitting the target. That he didn’t was a real shocker and with the way things have been going, keeper making good saves, made you wonder is it gonna be one of those days.
The second did come though, from a Stoke free-kick, one of the few forays into Spurs’ half, headed away and then hooked expertly by Winks into Dele’s, he played a glorious ball onto the excellent run by Son, with the Korean finishing it off. Up until then Dele had been off the pace, losing the ball repeatedly when trying flicks and stuff but this was a killer pass and a well deserved goal for Son, who was running rings round Stoke.
From the resulting kick-off Stoke played the ball back to Butland in goal where Harry Kane closed him down and caused him to play the ball out for a corner. That corner eventually led to a Davies cross that Kane headed into the net, through Butland’s legs. Not even a minute had passed since Stoke kicked off.
Took a little longer for his second, just over 10 minutes. During which time Stoke could have had a consolation, when Shaqiri’s shot was excellently saved by Hugo, with the rebound luckily going out of play off Dier, when it could have gone anywhere. Kane’s second came from a lovely turn, on the right touchline, by Eriksen, his run and then cross into the box was met by a combination of Son and a Stoke player, the ball dropping to the edge of the area where Kane swept it inside the left post.
That was Kane’s 50th goal in 2017 for club and country, as well as his 90th Premier League goal, he’s the second quickest to 90 after Shearer. Not bad for a one season wonder.
Another four nil stuffing of Stoke, fourth on the trot. Well, it became five just ten minutes later. From another Stoke set piece, those time a corner, Spurs broke, as soon as it looked like the ball was going up-field Eriksen took off from the edge of the Spurs area. A number of Spurs players did and while the commentator claimed Stoke players were trying to get back, it really didn’t look like they tried that hard. As the ball reached the halfway line, there was three Stoke players in shot and six Spurs players. Son had a number to pick from, he picked the correct one in Eriksen and teh Dane finished it off with aplomb.
It could have been more, should have been, Harry’s miss earlier. Lamela could have been on the end of a Son cross, Eriksen had a shot inside the area saved after more great work by Son. While Bultand saved from Kane after a glorious ball in from Lamela.
Stoke unfortunately did get that consolation after Hugo did a cross between Superman and a dying duck at a corner, letting in Shawcross to score. as Tommy Hutchison said about the 1981 Cup final, he didn’t score at both ends, he scored for both teams at the same end.
Son was man of the match and rightly so, he never stopped running until the 86th minute when he was taken off to a standing ovation. To think so many were happy that he seemed to be off after the first season. I don’t know, they don’t appreciate players from the Far East in Britain the way they do say in Germany – where a number of the players that ended up in the PL were bought from, such as Son. Many see them as just shirt sellers who will work hard but Son is far, far more than that, a class act.
back on winning ways with Brighton midweek and then Citeh next weekend. Well, it was Spurs that brought them crashing down last season, you never know.
And well Pochettino wanted a big draw for the knockout stage of the Champions League, so must be happy with last season’s beaten finalists Juventus. Well in 2010/11 they beat the reigning Champions and third placed German side in the group stages and then played a big Italian side in the last 16 and that went rather well…