Dele Alli and Harry Kane made sure that Tottenham remained close to league leaders Leicester with a superb 4-0 win over Stoke at the Britannia Stadium early this morning.
Kane did what he does best against Stoke, producing a sensational touch of magic to put the Spurs in front before 10 minutes. Mousa Dembele played the ball to the striker, who curled it in past Shay Given from the left-hand side of the box.
Spurs dominated for the first 20 minutes, displaying exactly why this title battle is in no way over. Stoke tried to fire back, but failed to ignite a solid comeback. The hosts retaliated with a shot from Austrian Marko Arnautovic, who forced Hugo Lloris to make a fine save around the half-hour mark.
Christian Eriksen then provided a super pass to allow Alli to score a lovely goal flicked over the helpless Potters custodian. There was almost a comical moment after the touch of genius, where Alli hit the outside of the post with the goal gaping wide.
An easy and gifted goal followed, as Lamela played the ball across and allowed Kane to poke the ball home with just under 20 minutes to go. The Stoke defence was poor throughout and Given had no protection. Alli buried the game with a fantastic volley to make it 4-0 in the 82nd.
The passion from Mauricio Pochettino was evident, as he pounded the floor in frustration on the sideline when his side missed an opportunity. The title clearly means a lot to him and the team, as the majority of the Stoke fans left the stands empty towards the end amidst chants of ‘Leicester City we’re coming for you!’
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Stoke need a target man
There were several occasions where Stoke would push the back four and challenge during corners, but there was no one to aim for up front. Arnautovic got beyond the normally impenetrable Spurs defence in the first-half, but not one Potters player had gone with him. The Austrian fired straight across the box with no one there to poke it into the back of the net. Mark Hughes’ side were also continuously caught on the break, as they would surge forward, lose the ball and be in danger as Spurs are such a fast-paced attacking team. Kyle Walker demonstrated just this as he sprinted down the field. Unfortunately, his final pass was poor and came to nothing, but try your luck with Online Casinos Australia.
Was it a penalty?
There were shouts of “cheat, cheat, cheat”, but was the Danny Rose incident a penalty? The defender made a darting run forward, but went to ground after contact with Jeff Cameron. Referee Neil Swarbrick made the right decision to not award a penalty. Rose did not dive and simply fell, Cameron was not overly pushy, it was just a coming together. Referees must be nervous after the questionable happenings of the Leicester against West Ham game on Sunday, in which John Moss made some interesting decisions to say the least. In this case, the judgement was correct. There was also a moment where Ryan Shawcross was all over Toby Alderweireld during a corner, but nothing was given. This decision was more questionable, but it is all thin lines.
The deadly duo
Stoke against Spurs was essentially the Dele Alli and Harry Kane show and their goals just show how unbelievably talented the two young Englishmen are. Yes, it could have been an easy hat-trick for Alli, but he is still young and learning. The two attackers are the future of Tottenham and quite possibly the future of English football.
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