Prior to kick-off, Tottenham Hotspur were placed third in the league, ahead of their arch rivals Arsenal and two clubs from Manchester. Mauricio Pochettino put forth a very strong side against mid-table side West Bromwich Albion as they welcomed them to the White Hart Lane. Spurs were looking for a win to maintain their stronghold in the top four spots.
And so did they get one, and what a marvellous win it turned out to be. The Lilywhites bombarded the Baggies by four goals to nil, courtesy of Harry Kane’s hat-trick and an own goal from Gareth McAuley. This was Spurs’ sixth win on the trot and as a consequence, they have paved their way to the second spot for the time being.
Here are our Tottenham Hotspur’s player ratings from their phenomenon win at home against West Bromwich Albion.
Hugo Lloris (7/10)
Lloris had a quiet afternoon, to be honest. The skipper was barely tested throughout the game but in the instances when he was, he successfully stood up and ensured that he gets a clean sheet.
Jan Vertonghen (6.5/10)
Vertonghen looked pinpoint and commanding before injuring himself after chasing a loose ball, and his injury is the only negative output for Pochettino’s side from the game.
Eric Dier (7/10)
The English international was quite resolute at the back and didn’t allow West Bromwich Albion attackers to create a nuisance and moved the ball up the pitch pretty handsomely.
Toby Alderweireld (7.5/10)
What was so special about Alderweireld was the way he chalked out those delightful through-balls. Despite forking out long passes, the 27-year-old registered a pass accuracy of 93% which is quite superb from the defender.
Kyle Walker (8.5/10)
Throughout the game against Tony Pulis’ men, Walker kept threatening Pulis’ defence from the right. There was an element of commitment and urgency every time he drove forward and gave an important attacking dimension to his side. Further, he didn’t over-commit himself forward and maintained a decent balance in his forays and tracking back.
Victor Wanyama (8/10)
Wanyama had a good game under his belt, providing a shield as well as jotting down offensive movements whenever scenarios permitted him to do so. Slowly but surely, the former Southampton midfielder is getting into the groove.
Mousa Dembélé (8.5/10)
Dembélé was arguably one of the most important players in Spurs’ midfield today. He outmuscled West Bromwich Albion’s players time and again with his physicality and shrewdness and kept them at bay.
Danny Rose (9/10)
Rose was in electric form, pushing the team up the field and urging them to lash forward to paralyse the visiting side’s defence, and then stretching them in the second half. He laid the foundations for two goals.
Christian Eriksen (9/10)
Eriksen always availed himself for a pass in the attacking zone and toiled tirelessly throughout the game. Bagged two assists and continuously dictated the tempo of the game from the very beginning.
Dele Alli (8/10)
The English international set up Harry Kane’s hat-trick goal worked hard and ensured Spurs maintain their stronghold in the clash.
Harry Kane (10/10)
A perfect ten to Tottenham Hotspur’s no. 10. Kane produced a stellar performance at the White Hart Lane. With the first goal being a neat finish, the two other goals from him were mid-air finishes which leaves a clear evidence of how much Kane is developing as a striker with every passing day.
Substitutions
Ben Davies (6/10)
Davies was brought on to replace Vertonghen and did his job well of keeping West Bromwich Albion’s attack in check.
Harry Winks (N/A)
He replaced Dembélé in the 83rd minute, which is why it would not be fair to rate his game on the basis of such a short span of time on the pitch.
Son Heung-Min (N/A)
Son was brought into the setup in the dying minutes of the game to replace Kane.
