gets them another victory.
Early Saturday kick-offs straight after an internation break, is the usual fixture for Spurs but usually it ends in defeat, not a 4-1 thumping of the opposition in a derby game, as this beating of West Ham ended.
It started with a surprise as Spurs were back at full strength after the international break, Sonny back in the starting XI and no major player having come back crocked from their country’s games.
What wasn’t surprising was the opening of the game, where Spurs started off like they meant business, then conceded the opener. The thing is that while Spurs had the ball, the had a couple of chances, Johnson’s attempt would have been a cracker, but while that was happening it took a cracker of a save from Vicario to stop the Spam going ahead before they went ahead.
Both that chance and the goal were exactly the same. A cross that should have been stopped at source, getting to the back post where someone was free to have an attempt. You don’t have to abandon any exciting football, to coach them how to defend better than this.
By the end of the half Spurs again were dominating the ball but had managed just two shots on target, the same as the visitors. One of those had brought the equaliser. Sonny curled one just wide and Porro’s long range shot took an excellent save but it was possibly a Kulusevski foul that started the move that ended with Kulusevski’s shot going in. From that challenge Johnson tapped it onto Maddison, who ran through the middle of the pitch unmolested, then passed it out to the Swede who cut inside, not that surprising, his shot hit the near post and spun along the goal line before hitting the far post and that spin spinning it into the goal. His second goal of the season in the league.
The next surprise was Ange making a half-time sub. The player coming off was also a surprise. Maddison for Sarr. People wondering if it was an injury or tactical. The ever enlightening pundit doing the commentary said Maddison had been quiet, which was odd for someone who had laid on one goal and touched the ball more than anyone else on the pitch at that time. Apparently Ange wanted more “legs” in the middle. Sarr certainly brought that.
Seven minutes into the second half and Spurs had the lead, out wide left Son played an excellent ball to the byline for Udogie, who turned and laid it back for Bissouma. His shot took a deflection which gave the keeper no chance. Bit of a surprise there.
Sonny started and finish the third which came just three minutes later. His curled ball out to Kulusevski, saw the Swede cut inside, yet again, he’d taken so long to get the ball under control, Sonny was on him and he cut the ball back to the captain, whose shot played pinball with the West Ham defender and keeper before going in off the latter.
Five minutes later and we’ve got the real Sonny back. He did look sharper in this game, not the dithering that had blighted his appearances before missing the last couple of league games. Sarr doing what he was brought on to do, winning the ball, he played a glorious pass from halfway inside the Spurs half to Son, who started his run on the halfway line and picked the ball up halfway inside the opposition half. From there he ran direct to the box, a few step-overs and then bang with his left at the near post. Yes, that’s the Sonny that’s been missing.
Shortly after and it could have, should have been five. Sarr again wining the ball, played it to Solanke – who for all the praise never actually looked like doing what you actually pay your striker to do – his poor pass was cut out but it fell to Son, whose first time shot ricocheted off the post but bounced wide of the other post and didn’t spin in like Kulusevski’s.
Both sides had chances and the the visitors went down to 10 men. Typical idiotic refereeing decision, as van de Ven is fouled, then kicked on the floor, numerous times and then pushed in the face. So the inept ref gives both of them a yellow card. A yellow for being fouled kicked and pushed in the face. Of course the ref missed the player doing Richarlison and then smacking Sarr in the face and had to be told by the VAR as he eventually came to the right decision of a red. But it was a red for the Sarr push, when it was pretty much exactly the same as the one on Micky.
By now Ange had made changes, as said Richarlison was on for his first appearance since the second game of the season. But again Ange was hoping, vain hope, that Werner wouldn’t Werner the last 20 minutes. Unfortunately Werner did exactly that. While Moore was wasting time on the bench, Werner was missing badly with his first pass, heading across goal when it would have been easier to head at goal and score, or just letting the ball run past him and out of play. Why does Ange do this? Does he really think game time will make any difference? Why does he stifle Moore’s development for this washed up loanee?
It was a derby. It was an early Saturday kick-off. It was the first game after an international break. It wasn’t supposed to go like this, well, not after conceding the opener. Still it could have been better, they should have scored more. Be interesting to see how Maddison could play, if given that free 10 spot, with Sarr and Bissouma holding behind him.