Tottenham Hotspur ended Saturday night with a 1-2 triumph over Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium. The North London side looked to have dominated in terms of possession but faced heavy resistance from the relegation-threatened Potters.
In the 52nd minute, Dele Alli found himself in acres of space on the right of the penalty box and waited long enough to set up the on-rushing Christian Eriksen, who broke the deadlock with a low driven shot into the far post. 0-1
Just 5 minutes later, Mame Diouf equalised with an easy roll-in. Xerdan Shaqiri rounded off the Tottenham defence with a wonderfully curved through ball. Hugo Lloris was forced to leave the goal line and try to clear the ball out. Unfortunately, the ball just bounced off the Stoke striker and fell right in front him for an easy finish. 1-1
Danny Rose was later brought down on the left-hand side and Eriksen got his second from the freekick. The ball was intentioned as a cross but spectacularly rolled into the back of the net, through the congested Stoke box. Jack Butland could not read the ball either with Harry Kane rushing to meet the ball with his head.
1-2 after 90 minutes.
Here is how the Tottenham Hotspur players were rated on the night.
Hugo Lloris – 6/10
Could Not be faulted much for the Stoke goal. He tried to close in on Diouf but could not get there fast enough.
Davinson Sanchez – 6/10
Worked hard to keep Diouf at bay but did get caught out of position on a few occasions.
Jan Vertonghen – 7/10
A decent shift by the captain. He was dominant both in the air and on the ground with well-timed challenges.
Serge Aurier – 6/10
He was adventurous on the right and drilled in quite a few low driven balls into the box, only to be met by the Stoke defence.
Danny Rose – 6/10
A bit clumsy with the ball sometimes and still a perfectly good shift on defence.
Victor Wanyama – 6/10
A rare start for the 26-year-old and by the looks of it a deserved one. He held his discipline at the middle of the park and won back possession whenever possible.
Moussa Dembele – 7/10
So sleek and clever with the ball. Dembele was almost untouchable tonight with his deft touches on the ball. A major component in Tottenham’s ability to control the tempo of the game.
Christian Eriksen – 8/10
He earned himself a brace and keeps his incredible run of form going. As usual the Danish international was at the heart of everything positive for the Spurs, clinical with possession and without it.
Dele Alli – 6/10
Made the clever runs behind the defence and did well to set up Eriksen for the first goal.
Heung-min Son – 5/10
Judging by the form he is in, the South Korean should have capitalized on a couple of one-on-one situations with the Stoke keeper. Not his best day at work.
Harry Kane – 6/10
Almost impossible to knock off the ball but none to add to his goal-tally. However, his immense physical self held off the Stoke defenders enough to deceive Butland for the second Tottenham goal.
Substitutes:
Erik Lamela – 6/10
Provided a fresh bout of energy for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and put the pressure on the Stoke backline. He even had a decent shot on goal.
Eric Dier – NA
Moussa Sissoko – NA
