bang.
Spurs finally took full advantage of Villa’s latest lost points to move back ahead of them into the fourth spot in the league, thanks to a couple of defenders banging in some shots.
Again Ange got it right with his starting XI, keeping Johnson on the right and Werner on the left, he was probably stopped from making chances by Richarlison’s latest injury absence. And again they started brightly but sloppily, when they were staying high and wide and getting crosses it was better and again led to an earlyish goal, unlike all those games where they were cutting inside and barely managing a shot in the first 45.
Of course they could have been caught out quite early with the Forest player having a pop from well inside his own half, with Vicario well outside his own area, it was lucky the ball went by his right hand post. That Forest player would open the scoring a little later but not ho he’d want. It was quick one touch going forward stuff from Spurs through the middle eventually out to Werner on the left and he put in that perfect cross. Across the six yard line a touch from anyone and it’s more than likely a goal. It was the Forest player who got the touch.
But of course after that they were back to the usual routine of spurning chances. good chances from good play. Again crosses. So it came as no surprise when they broke up the pitch, carved through Spurs’ defence and Woods finished off his first chance. Lot of players let players or the ball just easily go past them.
The only surprise was he didn’t add to it with the go ahead goal a little later. Spurs had gone to pieces after the equaliser and when Yates’ shot was excellent saved by Vicario – how many saves does he have to make – it fell for Wood to be the first on it but from about 2½ to 3 yards out and with a prone keeper he somehow missed the open goal, banging it off the woodwork.
Now going level had shook Spurs, god alone knows how they’d have crumbled going behind.
Again, Ange made the necessary changes at half-time. Bissouma wasn’t working – has he since that first sending off? – I don’t know if Sarr needing replacing as well, but the pair made way for Bentancur and Hojbjerg and there was a notable improvement in the second half. Now if Ange is to be praised for making changes like that then it also brings into question all those games where it was going even worse at half-time and he stood there waiting until the 70th minute before doing something.
They could at this stage been one man down but then both sides could. In the away fixture against forest their player, Yates, had spent the whole game falling down and complaining to the ref that Spurs players should be carded or that he should check VAR. All thre being yellow card offences and yet he didn’t receive a second yellow. If he hadn’t then Bissouma wouldn’t have seen red. Here he was doing exactly the same and again the ref refused to show him a second yellow. It looks like Maddison thumps him, so should that have been the second spurs player red carded for having a go at this whiny bitch? Nuno thinks so, but I heard Roy Keane lay into Yates being a soft diver, again it shouldn’t have got to this situation as Yates should have been shown red well before this happened – and should have seen red after it happened for calling for VAR. Yates deserves a thump.
It was eight minutes into the second half when Spurs retook the lead, from a corner a bunch of Spurs player were looking to make space but weren’t getting a shot off, rather shuffling it left until Micky van de Ven got the ball, made space and put his boot through it right into the top corner.
The third was required and it didn’t take long and again it was a banger from a defender. Five minutes after the go ahead goal, Maddison’s cross from the left byline was nodded on by Bentacur and fell to Porro who smashed in his first of the season.
Again we saw more inconstancy from the refs later as a Forest player got the ball in a tackle but in his follow through went right into Lo Celso’s leg. Almost exactly the same situation as saw Romero being red carded against Chelsea, yet here it was a yellow card. Also the same in the commentary booth, Romero and they were screaming for red, here oh it’s only a yellow, was it even a foul.
Ange couldn’t help himself again though and Kulusevski had to make an appearance. His highlights included stopping a breakaway in its tracks by seeming to do a step over when there was no defender to beat then just coughing up the ball to the defender as he was chugging in second gear while those around him were in fourth or fifth. And then attempting a cross, with his left foot, his strong foot, his only foot. That was woeful.
When they’re good they’re very good. When they’re bad they’re very bad. It is so infuriating. They can beat anyone and lose to anyone in the same damn game…