Spurs jumped back into fourth place and settled their nerves, but this was a win that owed a lot to the understated skill of one player.
The end of the season can be a time when the best-laid plans can start to look somewhat absurd. At the start of April, Tottenham Hotspur looked set fair for fourth place in the Premier League and a return to the Champions League. They’d won six of their seven previous matches, scoring 24 goals in the process, while Arsenal and Manchester United had both contrived to recall familiar insecurities to open a gap in the rails. A 5-1 win to put the dampers on the resurgency of Newcastle United at the start of April, coupled with Arsenal getting blown away at Crystal Palace, put Spurs in an unexpectedly secure position in fourth place in the table.
But Arsenal recovered. Wins against Chelsea and Manchester United restored the order that had been in place prior to their three-game losing blip, while Spurs followed their little goal spree by somehow forgetting to score in successive matches against Brighton and Brentford, taking one point and handing the initiative and momentum back to Arsenal. Chatter concerning Antonio Conte’s future with the club reignited with rumours that Mauricio Pochettino might be due to be sacked by PSG. Small wonder Spurs seem so jittery so much of the time, if there’s talk of the manager upping sticks and walking away every time they fail to win a match.
That nerviness was there against Leicester in the opening minutes. Ayoze Pérez had a shot deflected wide, Patson Daka hit the post with a 12-yard daisy cutter, and a low cross from Albrighton had to be desperately cleared by Sergio Romero, as Spurs fumbled an encouraging opening, allowing the visitors to dominate the early stages of the match. They even survived a penalty shout, when the ball appeared to hit Son Heung Min’s arm on the edge of the Spurs penalty area.
With 20 minutes played, it looked as though familiar demons were presenting…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…