[ad_1]
Nine points; three clean sheets; Harry Kane stays where he is; top of the table. If you had offered that a fortnight ago to the 60,000 supporters who marched through the turnstiles on Sunday, they would have slammed your hand.
The day was meant to be devoted to their talismanic center forward. Instead, it was his sidekick, Son Heung-min, who scored the points with a free kick shortly before the break. It was the perfect way to score becoming the first Asian player to reach 200 Premier League appearances. He is much more than an understudy.
Much has been good for Spurs over the past half-decade or so has come from the triptych Kane, Son and Dele Alli – who has taken on his new role as a box-to-box midfielder with aplomb – lined up together. The omens are good for Nuno Espírito Santo.
Watford can, despite the result, come back with a decent exit. After an extremely inconsistent start against Aston Villa and Brighton respectively, they have acquitted themselves well. These are, realistically, days when anything you earn is a bonus.
All first-time visitors yet marveled at the witchcraft of the bottom-to-top refill pints missed a one-minute high-octane opening. Within 14 seconds, Andre Marriner dismissed the loud penalty calls after Peter Etebo dispossessed Kane. Watford shattered at high speed and Juraj Kucka’s shot was ultimately blocked.
He set the pace. Nuno aimed to be the first Tottenham manager to win their first three league games since Arthur Rowe in 1949, and in some ways the game was a throwback to football from the past. Both teams attacked at a steady pace down the flanks and full-backs – at least Tottenham’s – overlapped happily.
And unlike their first two games, Nuno’s side have carved out the lion’s share. Japhet Tanganga, who had more marauding opportunities than in his man of the match game against Manchester City, saw a strike blocked by Daniel Bachmann, while Eric Dier and Dele obediently struck on goal. A nice move also saw Tanganga do brilliantly to keep the ball in the signing line only to have Steven Bergwijn’s effort blocked.
Bergwijn also contributed on the goal, his smart feet causing Craig Cathcart to foul. From near the left sideline, Son coiled the ball into the goalkeeper equivalent to cricket’s lane of uncertainty. Bachmann was caught off guard; shouted the Spurs loyalists. Not the one the Austrian will want to see again, even if he redeemed himself later by trying to tip a free kick from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg wickedly deflected.
“Nice one Sonny” aired. Inevitably, this was not the greatest joy of the day. You guessed it. Forgiven? Yes. Forget? Well, at least call it temporary amnesia.
Alli nearly added a second after combining with Son and Kane, with the No.9 nearly reaching his goal twice in 30 seconds. William Troost-Ekong performed a superb slip challenge to prevent a dent at the far post and Bachman then recorded a snapshot of the resulting turn.
The Fiver: Sign up and receive our daily football email.
To their credit, Xisco Muñoz’s side showed little fear. Emmanuel Dennis’s electric pace kept Tanganga on his defensive duties, while Ismaïla Sarr – who already looks at home at the top level – was a constant thorn on the opposite flank. His early training warmed Hugo Lloris’ hands, while Dennis fired a free kick well above a promising position.
After shooting a foul that saw Kane booked shortly before half-time, Sarr started the second half by turning Sergio Reguilón on the inside. Kucka flared up. Later, Sarr himself saw Carlos Sánchez hamper an effort at point blank range. There wasn’t much else to alarm Lloris.
Shortly before the hour, the eerie sensation of the two groups of fans singing the same name swept the floor. Moussa Sissoko. He might have lost that extra yard that at times made him unstoppable, but acquiring it from these parts could turn out to be nifty. Hitting from a distance is not his thing.
Not having made the switch until late Friday, it was a surprise that he started; there could be an internal investigation at Tottenham headquarters next Tuesday.
Just the transfer window to navigate now before the international break. Daniel Levy’s phone will stay on. These will likely only be outgoing calls; the Greater Manchester area code was blocked some time ago.
Source link
