for a’that.
Spurs came away from Brighton with a fairly comfortable two nil victory, in one of the dullest borefests you’ll see played out on a football pitch.
Well, at least it was a win, but as a spectacle it won’t have filled any of those teams Spurs are vying with for fourth spot with fear, while you never know if Brighton’s run continues – sixth straight loss – it won’t drag them into relegation trouble – currently 11 points clear.
It just was so dull, highlighted by Harry Kane missing an open goal early on, while Brighton didn’t have a shot on target and in fact resorted to diving for a penalty rather than actually take a shot. Throughout it more resembles the Simpsons bit about soccer… err… football…
The Simpsons predicted Hibs ‘Football For A Fiver’ sell out. pic.twitter.com/XaquLFmkcp
— Chris Finn (@Chrisfinn2703) March 4, 2022
The only real highlight of the game was Harry Kane volleying a Coke bottle during his goal celebration.
Is the highlight of this game… #COYS #THFC https://t.co/Kfgh25LoMA
— Токсическая сеть (@Toxic_Web) March 16, 2022
When Spurs are looking forward, playing one touch stuff, attacking with pace and intent, then they’re good. They weren’t like that against Brighton. It was all slow, ponderous, dithering and fannying about. Maybe under Conte he’s so intense that they’re just a one game a week team.
Kane missed that early chance after closing down the Brighton keeper and taking the ball off him. It wasn’t that tight an angle when he put the ball across the face of goal. For someone of his ability, he should be scoring there.
There was little more of note in the first half, save for the opening goal, half an hour later. Maybe Spurs should permanently stick Romero in the box. After causing Maguire’s own goal at the weekend, he got his first here after deflecting Kulusevski’s shot.
The second half had a few more incidents. The first really being the second goal. The ball won just outside the Spurs box, Bentancur runs forward, finally someone runs forward, plays the ball forward, finally someone passes it forward, through the Brighton defence to Kane who was just played onside. From a not to dissimilar position from where he missed the open goal, he scores this time past the keeper.
In the process becoming the leading scorer of away goals in the Premier League. Breaking Wayne Rooney’s record in 104 fewer appearances…
95 – Harry Kane has scored 95 goals in 139 appearances away from home in the Premier League, becoming the competition's all-time top scorer in away games despite making 104 fewer such appearances than second-place Wayne Rooney. Undaunted. pic.twitter.com/YUekCDniVH
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 16, 2022
There were chances to finish it off, from Reguilon created by Kane and Kane himself – another free-kick that he didn’t score from. The latter should have had a penalty, very late on. How it wasn’t given with VAR is beyond comprehension, it really is. Is it a penalty? Yes – hell, even the dimwit commentator Tony gale could see it, it was so damn obvious. Was it given? No. Well there’s your clear and obvious error.
So it was dull but it was a win…