Tag: Tottenham Hotspur

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TOTTENHAM EDGE FULHAM 1-0 WITH A CONTROVERSIAL HANDBALL RULING

Tottenham were the beneficiaries of the controversial handball law as they held on to a 1-0 win at Fulham that boosts their top-four hopes.

The International Football Association Board’s meeting on Friday could not be more timely after the Cottagers were denied an equaliser by a harsh handball rule in the second half.

After Spurs led in the first half through Tosin Adarabioyo’s own goal, Scott Parker’s men had the ball in the back of the net when Josh Maja fired home, but replays showed the ball cannoned into the hand of Mario Lemina from a Davinson Sanchez clearance when he was a matter of yards away.

VAR applied the laws and ruled the goal out, robbing Fulham of what would have been a worthy leveller and potentially having a huge impact on their quest for Premier League survival.

They did more than enough to take at least a point out of the game, completely dominating the second half but they could not find another way through.

It was far from convincing from Jose Mourinho’s side, but they held on to register an important win, staying in eighth position but moving four points off the top four.

After a sluggish start Spurs came to life after 15 minutes and began to look dangerous

Gareth Bale fired a free-kick over the crossbar while Harry Kane uncharacteristically put a free header straight at Alphonse Areola following Son Heung-min’s pinpoint cross.

Having fired their warning shots, they took the lead in the 20th minute.

Bale, fresh from his devastating performance against Burnley on Sunday, was again involved as he set Dele Alli free down the middle. The midfielder. making his first Premier League start since the opening day of the season, found Son on the left and then made his way into the box to get on the end of the return pass, with the final touch awarded to Fulham defender Adarabioyo.

That gave Spurs control of the game and they went on to dominate possession and territory.

Kane had a reasonable appeal for a penalty turned down after VAR backed referee David Coote’s decision before Son put a header wide at the far post when picked out by Alli.

Despite being in control, Spurs almost went in at half-time level as Fulham created their best opening in first-half stoppage time.

Antonee Robinson did well to get in down the left and the ball was pulled back to First the Frenchman expertly tipped over Joachim Andersen’s header from a free-kick and then from the resulting corner he kept out Adarabioyo’s effort.

The Cottagers thought they had a deserved leveller just after the hour as Maja fired into the bottom corner after Lemina’s first effort had been saved by Lloris.

But Sanchez’s clearance had hit Lemina’s arm from close range before falling to Maja and VAR ruled the goal out.

This was an all-too familiar sight for Spurs, taking a lead and then reverting into their shells as Fulham threw bodies forward. Lemina, who blazed over.

Fulham started the second half brightly and forced Hugo Lloris into two smart stops from set-pieces.

First the Frenchman expertly tipped over Joachim Andersen’s header from a free-kick and then from the resulting corner he kept out Adarabioyo’s effort.

The Cottagers thought they had a deserved leveller just after the hour as Maja fired into the bottom corner after Lemina’s first effort had been saved by Lloris.

But Sanchez’s clearance had hit Lemina’s arm from close range before falling to Maja and VAR ruled the goal out.

This was an all-too familiar sight for Spurs, taking a lead and then reverting into their shells as Fulham threw bodies forward.

It took until the 83rd minute for the visitors to have a shot in the second half and it should have killed the game.

Erik Lamela played in Kane, but the England captain had a rare off night in front of goal and allowed Areola to block the shot.

It was frantic at the end but Spurs held on with Fulham left feeling a sense of injustice

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GARETH BALE’S BRACE HELPS SPURS SECURE CONVINCING VICTORY AGAINST BURNLEY

Gareth Bale scored in either half as Tottenham Hotspur comfortably returned to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Burnley.

Bale opened the scoring after only 68 seconds when he converted Son Heung-min’s cross.

Jay Rodriguez had a header saved at the other end before Spurs asserted their dominance.

Bale’s sumptuous long pass picked out Harry Kane, who doubled the home side’s lead on 14 minutes.

Lucas Moura added a third just past the half-hour with a low shot from Sergio Reguilon’s cross.

And Bale sealed the win with his second strike in the 55th minute, curling in after another assist from Son.

Burnley’s Nick Pope prevented Spurs grabbing more goals with smart saves from Kane and Son.

Spurs move up to eighth with 39 points while a first defeat in five keeps Burnley in 15th on 28 points, five points above the bottom three.

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DELE ALLI STARS AS TOTTENHAM PROGRESS TO EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 16 AFTER THRASHING WOLFSBERGER 4-0

Jose Mourinho saluted Dele Alli after the Tottenham midfielder ensured his side can still save their troubled season with a virtuoso display in Wednesday’s 4-0 rout of Austrian minnows Wolfsberger in the Europa League last 32 second leg.

Alli scored a brilliant opener early in the first half and provided the assist when Carlos Vinicius doubled their lead after the break.

Gareth Bale netted from another Alli assist before Vinicius bagged his second as Tottenham ran out 8-1 aggregate winners after cruising to a 4-1 victory in the first leg last week.

While progress to the last 16 looked a formality after the comfortable first leg success, nothing has come easy for Tottenham this term.

So Mourinho will have breathed a sigh of relief that his team kept alive their best remaining hope of qualifying for the Champions League.

Close to leaving in the January transfer window, Alli played the key role in a rare start after being frozen out by Mourinho for much of the season.

“The goal I don’t need to speak, because everyone watched it and I believe that all around the world on all these sports TV, people are going to watch it, no need to talk about it,” Mourinho said.

“But for me the globality of the performance is what matters. He played very well in every aspect of the game.

“Of course he’s not fresh, of course you can feel that his performance like in the first leg from minute 55-60 is going to go down, which is normal due to the circumstances – injured, not training for a long time.

“But in this moment when we are going to play every three days, 10 matches in March, to have Dele back at this level is amazing.”

A dismal run of six defeats in their last eight games in all competitions had seen Tottenham plunge to ninth place in the Premier League and crash out of the FA Cup.

They are languishing nine points behind fourth placed West Ham in the race for a top four finish, while Mourinho is mired in the worst run of his career.

Amid reports that Tottenham’s players are bored with his training sessions and conservative tactics, Mourinho this week insisted his methods are “second to none”, claiming morale among his squad was still high.

But the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss is likely to face the sack unless Tottenham can salvage their woeful campaign by reaching the Champions League.

Realistically that means winning the Europa League and Tottenham remain on course, even if much sterner tests lie in wait in the later rounds.

Mourinho says Tottenham’s travails only underline how “beautiful” the rest of his career has been.

Whether the final verdict on his rocky spell at Tottenham will be so flattering may be determined by the end of the season.

Tottenham were regulars in the top four and reached the Champions League final under Mourinho’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino.

But Pochettino, now in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, was sacked by chairman Daniel Levy after a poor run of results last season and Mourinho could easily suffer the same fate.

Well aware that some media critics and Tottenham fans claim he is past his best, the prospect of a humiliating exit against unheralded Wolfsberger was unthinkable for Mourinho.

For once, his players didn’t let him down.

Alli put Tottenham ahead after just 10 minutes in eye-catching style.

When a loose ball fell to him 15 yards out and with his back to goal, Alli sent a superb bicycle kick looping into the far corner.

Vinicius benefitted from Alli’s excellence five minutes after half-time when the on-loan Benfica striker met the midfielder’s precise cross with a clinical far post header.

Bale came off the bench to fire into the top corner after another Alli assist in the 73rd minute.

Ten minutes later, teenager Dane Scarlett stole possession and teed up Vinicius to score from 12 yards.

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“NOBODY IS HAPPY, BUT NOBODY IS DEPRESSED” MOURINHO ON SPURS’ SLUMP

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is determined to turn around the club’s slump.

Spurs have lost five of their last six Premier League games to fall out of Champions League contention and Mourinho finds himself in an unprecedented situation in his long managerial career.

The Portuguese says that the current run shows how good his career has been and that he is committed to making a success of his time in north London.

“I want to know which coach has always had blue sky and never cloudy or a bit dark,” he said ahead of his side’s Europa League last-32 second-leg tie with Wolfsberger.

“Perhaps only a coach who is always at a dominant club in a league. It shows how beautiful my career has been. Does it make me depressed? No. It’s a challenge. I work for the club, the players and the supporters.

“I always feel I have to give them so much. It hurts me and it’s a great challenge for me and I believe I can give it. I give it everywhere I’ve been and I’m more motivated than ever.

“I never felt what normally coaches felt when the results are bad, they are lonely men. That’s what we normally are. I never felt that in this building. I feel not only respected but supported. Everybody in the same boat.

“Nobody is happy but nobody is depressed. I feel positive. Maybe a bit weird for you after losing so many matches but I’m positive. I’m not happy but I wake up wanting to come here. Everybody is loving training and working hard with so many matches.”

Mourinho says he is in constant contact with chairman Daniel Levy and there is no friction between the pair.

“My relationship is the same since day one which is one of respect and open communication,” he said. “We respect each other. There is no contradiction between us because we both feel the same.

“I believe we all feel the same feelings. Nobody is happy, nobody is depressed and everybody feels we are going to do better.

“What I feel to Mr Levy is what I feel in every club I’ve worked in. I want to give happiness to everyone, the chairman, the players, the fans, everybody connected to the club.

“I feel one of them and I want to give happiness to them. I don’t change.”

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ANTONIO, LINGARD STAR AS WESTHAM BEAT SPURS 2-1

Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard scored a goal in each half as West Ham United survived a late fightback to rise to fourth with a 2-1 derby win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Antonio fired West Ham ahead on five minutes, tapping in after Hugo Lloris had parried his initial flick-on from Jarrod Bowen’s cross.

Lingard doubled the lead just after half-time. His rifled effort was confirmed as a goal after a VAR review overturned an offside in the build-up.

Lucas Moura halved the deficit with a near-post header from substitute Gareth Bale’s 64th-minute corner.

Kane then dragged inches wide before Bale and Son Heung-min both struck the woodwork as a Spurs side who had 68 per cent possession and 16 more shots in total were unable to salvage a point.

David Moyes’s first win over Jose Mourinho lifts West Ham above Chelsea on 45 points, two ahead of the Blues.

Spurs remain ninth, nine points behind but with a match in hand.

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TOP FOUR STILL ACHIEVABLE FOR SPURS – JOSE MOURINHO

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho still believes his side can finish in the top four of the Premier League and says the current table does not mean anything.

A poor run of just three wins in the last 12 games has seen Spurs slip from the top of the table down to ninth and they are now outsiders to secure Champions League qualification.

Sunday’s visit to West Ham seems pivotal as they are six points behind the Hammers, with a game in hand and a victory will reignite their top-four hopes.

In a see-saw season, where teams have all played different amounts of games, Mourinho says anything is still possible.

“In the same way you lose three matches and you go to a bad position, you win three matches and go to a much better position,” the Portuguese said. “So like happened last season, let’s go until the end and see what the table gives us. In the end, the table always gives you what you deserve.

“It’s very premature to think about the table. People still have matches in hand. In our case, we played already two matches against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City. There are other teams that didn’t even play a second game against one of the top teams.

“We have one match in hand. I know already that because Southampton has to play the semi-finals of the FA Cup in the same week as we should play them, we’re not going to play that match.

“When are we going to play Aston Villa I don’t know. Maybe April 24, one day before the (Carabao Cup) final. Who knows? It’s very complicated.

“So we have to fight and we have to wait until the last match to see what happens. Anything can happen. We can finish top four, top six or outside the top six. We have to make sure the best possible thing is going to happen.”

Mourinho probably still has nightmares about the reverse fixture against West Ham as Spurs blew a 3-0 lead by conceding three goals in the final 10 minutes.

That draw had long-lasting consequences as Mourinho adopted a more pragmatic approach in order to ensure it did not happen again.

And the Portuguese says that match is a microcosm of their season.

“The first game against West Ham is a little bit of the reflection of our season and the reflection of some of our problems,” he said.

“If we win that game you would all say we played amazingly well, which we did, we had an incredible first half, lots of quality, lots of dominance, we played really well but we didn’t win it and this is a reflection of many of our matches.

“We played well, we should win but the final result is not a victory and the perception, which becomes the reality, you didn’t win, the result is not good, people can say the team didn’t play well.

“I think the team played so well but made mistakes and because of that we didn’t win. But my first match at West Ham when I arrived, it was a match that was not very different.

“We started very well, we dominated the game for 75 minutes, we were winning 3-0 and we conceded two goals and we finished the game looking like we were in trouble. This team many many times plays well but doesn’t get results by different reasons we don’t get it.

Mourinho should have Harry Kane available at the London Stadium after he asked to be rested for the Europa League win over Wolfsberger.

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MOURINHO STILL CONFIDENT ON HUGO LLORIS DESPITE RECENT HOWLERS

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says Hugo Lloris still has his full backing after a string of recent errors by the goalkeeper.

The France captain had enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign as Spurs rose to the top of the Premier League but has been at fault for a number of goals in recent weeks, including two in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.

But Mourinho is backing the 34-year-old to come good as insists he remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

“Well, when a player is a top player, it’s not because of one mistake or two or three that means he’s not a top player again,” Mourinho said.

“That’s the most important thing. I shouldn’t speak about it because he’s not my goalkeeper, but I don’t think he will take it in the wrong way.

For me Alisson is one of the top five best goalkeepers in the world and in the last couple of matches, not at Leipzig, but in the matches before he’s made big mistakes but he’s is one of the top five goalkeepers in the world.

“And Hugo is the same. He’s an amazing, amazing goalkeeper that is performing super consistently since he recovered from that fracture. Since my time here, he (Lloris) is recovering so, so well. If he had responsibility in one or another goal we conceded recently, he’s still the same goalkeeper.

“He’s my number one choice and he has all my trust and my confidence.”

Lloris is likely to make way as Spurs return to Europa League action on Thursday against Austrian side Wolfsberg, with Joe Hart expected to come into the side.

Mourinho added of the former England keeper: “In Joe Hart’s case, I’m also happy. He played already, if I’m not wrong, nine matches this season which is more, if I’m not wrong, than what he played in the previous two seasons.

“So in half of the season here I believed he played more matches than in the previous two seasons. Which is very, very good. He’s also goalkeeper I totally trust, too.”

When Spurs last played in Europe before Christmas they were top of the Premier League, but their form has nose-dived since and three wins from their last 12 games has made them outsiders to qualify for the top four.

That might make winning the Europa League their best route back into the Champions League, but Mourinho has not closed the door to a top-four finish.

“It’s difficult in any case but it’s possible in both cases. The fourth position in the Premier League is of course very difficult but is mathematically possible.

“Last season we were in a very, very bad position to try to get into the Europa League spots and in the end we made it in the last minute of the last game but we made it.

“Our motivation last season was while mathematically it’s possible we have to go. I remember we were coming from a 3-1 defeat against Sheffield and even with that result that looked crucial in that moment of the season mathematically it was possible and we chased it until the last game, which is the same thing we’re going to do.

“In the Europa League there are an incredible number of matches and we are in the 10th and not even in the last 16. Still in the last 32, so long, long competition.

“Very good teams, very good teams. You just look to the English teams in it and you see how strong the competition can be, but it’s open. We’re one of the 32 teams that has a chance to win it and we’re going to try.”

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GUNDOGAN DOUBLE HELP CITY THRASH SPURS TO GO SEVEN POINTS CLEAR

Ilkay Gundogan struck a second-half double as Premier League leaders Manchester City powered to a record-extending 16th successive win with a 3-0 success over Tottenham.

The in-form German, fresh from being named as the player of the month for January, took his goal tally for the season to 13 as he added to Rodri’s 23rd-minute penalty at the Etihad Stadium.

Gundogan was also responsible for winning the spot-kick in another outstanding display but his evening ended prematurely as he went off injured soon after his superbly taken second goal, from an Ederson pass, on 66 minutes.

The win extended City’s lead at the top of the table to seven points and their overall unbeaten run in all competitions – since losing to Spurs in November – to 23 games. Their 16-match winning run, again in all competitions, is a record for an English top-flight side.

They showed their intent early with Gabriel Jesus having two shots blocked in quick succession but Tottenham did not intend to sit deep as Tanguy Ndombele made a driving run into the hosts’ box.

Spurs went close to taking the lead when Harry Kane hit the frame of the goal from a free-kick in the 14th minute. The England captain had worryingly clutched his angle after being fouled by Aymeric Laporte but he was soon on his feet and unlucky to see his curling effort strike the top of a post.

City made the most of that reprieve to hit the front themselves after Gundogan was brought down in the area by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

A week ago Gundogan had been the designated penalty-taker himself but, after missing against Liverpool, this time he deferred to Rodri.

It looked at one point as though goalkeeper Ederson was interested in taking it as the Brazilian wandered up to the halfway line but – despite speculation he may one day get the job – his turn will have to wait. Hugo Lloris almost got a hand to it, but Rodri’s low shot found the bottom corner.

The game became niggly for a period and Jesus got involved in a running battle with Erik Lamela. Spurs boss Jose Mourinho reacted furiously when the Brazilian won what he considered a cheap free-kick from the Argentinian.

Yet City continued to pose the bigger danger and they went close again when Gundogan had a shot blocked after a good run by Raheem Sterling and Jesus hit the bar with his follow-up attempt.

Gundogan got his reward early in the second half. He put City in firm control with his first on 50 minutes after another good run by Sterling, who cut all the way through the box from the right. Gundogan took over to finish tidily with an instinctive strike inside the near post, although Lloris was beaten too easily.

Gundogan’s best was still to come with his second just after the hour. Ederson picked him out in space with a long ball over the top and Gundogan’s control was so assured that that Davinson Sanchez was completely wrongfooted and collapsed in a heap. With space to shoot, Gundogan slipped the ball past Lloris.

The downside was that Gundogan appeared to tweak a groin muscle soon afterwards and he was promptly removed.

Mourinho turned to Dele Alli, for his first Premier League appearance in two months, and Gareth Bale, after a week of uncertainty and speculation over his fitness, but the outcome was not in doubt.

Bale did however show a flash of what he can do with a jinking run into the box but Ederson parried his strike.

Sergio Aguero was unexpectedly among City’s substitutes after recovering from Covid-19 but the club’s record goalscorer was not required on this occasion

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FA CUP ROUND UP: EVERTON SEE OF TOTTENHAM IN NINE GOAL THRILLER, LEICESTER, CITY, SHEFFIELD PROGRESS

Bernard’s extra-time strike saw Everton reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after a thrilling nine-goal encounter against Tottenham.

The Toffees are in the hat for the sixth round as they got the better of Jose Mourinho’s Spurs – eventually progressing 5-4 after extra-time.

England captain Harry Kane was named on the bench for the visitors at Goodison Park but came on to head Tottenham level and take the game into an additional half an hour.

Earlier, a rare Davinson Sanchez goal had put Spurs in front only for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to strike inside three minutes to turn the tables.

Everton would go two goals ahead as Gylfi Sigurdsson converted a penalty against his former club after Calvert-Lewin had been fouled by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, only for Erik Lamela to reduce the arrears in first-half stoppage time.

There was plenty of drama still to come as Richarlison’s second of the night restored a two-goal margin, with Sanchez and Kane then heading home to level at 4-4.

Bernard was on hand to settle the contest with a fine finish in the first period of extra-time – Tottenham unable to fight back and slipping to defeat.

Manchester City advanced into the last eight with victory at Swansea – Pep Guardiola’s side entering the record books as they did so.

The 3-1 victory in south Wales means City have set a new record for the number of successive domestic wins by a top-flight club in England.

That run of wins extended to 15 courtesy of goals from Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus as Swansea debutant Morgan Whittaker pulled back a late consolation.

Kelechi Iheanacho’s last-gasp winner saw Leicester progress at the expense of Brighton.

In a game of few chances, both sides saw second-half strikes ruled out for offside only for Iheanacho to head home a quickly-taken corner in the dying stages to secure a 1-0 victory for the Foxes.

Sheffield United made the quarter-finals for the second successive season as Billy Sharp’s penalty was enough to see off 10-man Bristol City.

Referee Robert Jones dismissed Alfie Mawson after viewing replays on the pitchside monitor, with the defender blocking a David McGoldrick effort with his hand.

Sharp tucked away the resulting spot-kick to give the Blades a 1-0 win over their Sky Bet Championship visitors.

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HARRY KANE RETURNS TO INSPIRE SPURS WIN OVER WESTBROM

Harry Kane highlighted his importance to Tottenham as he returned from injury and helped them stop the rot by scoring in a 2-0 win over West Brom.

Kane had missed the last two and a half games after coming off with an ankle injury at half-time against Liverpool and things could hardly have gone worse for Jose Mourinho’s men in that time as they were beaten in all three to lose ground in the race for the top four.

But the England captain made a quickfire return and put Spurs on their way against the Baggies with his 13th Premier League goal of the season, with Son Heung-min also finding the net in a much-needed win.

It is no surprise that the trusted duo of Kane and Son were the men to step up as between them they have scored 26 of their side’s 36 league goals this season and it was timely too, as it helps Spurs get back on track ahead of a big week with an FA Cup fifth round tie at Everton preceding a trip to Manchester City next weekend.

West Brom had drawn at City and Liverpool but were always hanging on here and their fight against relegation is looking a forlorn one, sitting 11 points from safety.

Spurs had been shot-shy in their previous two games without Kane, but they had a flurry of early efforts in the opening 20 minutes and could have taken a grip of the game.

Kane was the obvious catalyst and he had a number of them, but was unusually rusty in front of goal.

First he hit the stanchion after being set up by Serge Aurier and then rolled an effort wide after Tanguy Ndombele’s through-ball set him clear.

He saw another effort blocked when he might have normally scored before testing Sam Johnstone’s handling with a fierce shot at the far post.

It was a siege by the hosts and Johnstone had to make another fine save before the break to keep his side level, clawing away Aurier’s header from a corner at the far post.

In the end, Mourinho’s men almost went in at half-time trailing as a defensive slip gave West Brom their best opening. They made their way down the right and Davinson Sanchez left Mbaye Diagne unmarked, but the striker’s header was saved on the line by Hugo Lloris.

Son missed another chance within seconds of the restart as Johnstone’s feet denied him from Kane’s defence-splitting pass, but it was only a matter of time for Spurs.

The Baggies could not rely on Kane continuing to miss and so it proved in the 54th minute.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg found the striker in space with an accurate pass and Kane made no mistake with a low finish. It was his 20th goal of the season in all competitions and his 208th for Spurs, matching Bobby Smith as their all-time second-highest scorer.

Four minutes later it was 2-0 as Spurs hit West Brom with a devastating counter-attack.

Kane’s clever chest pass set Lucas Moura free and the Brazilian, making his first Premier League start since October, carried the ball 60 yards before teeing up Son, who smashed home to end a six-game drought.

The Baggies tried to mount a response and Diagne twice had goals ruled out for offside as Spurs ended their slide in comfortable fashion.