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Harry Kane was Tottenham’s hero, as his last-gasp header sealed a 1-0 win against an energetic West Bromwich Albion and sent Spurs to the top of the Premier League with three matches from the end of the season. week to play.
The England captain’s goal in the 88th minute turned out to be the only goal of the match, as José Mourinho’s side claimed their first win at The Hawthorns since January 2015.
In fairness to the Baggies, things could have been different as the hosts produced an inspired performance in which they took control of some great spells, particularly in the first half, but couldn’t find a way to get past Hugo Lloris and the Spurs kept their afternoon to claim three big points.
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Positive
When the visitors were able to pick up the pace, they really started to look dangerous. Kane was once again the creator of Spurs’ best starts in a brilliant performance that saw him reach 150 Premier League goals. His side also registered a rare clean sheet.
Negative
This has proven to be a tricky fixture for the Spurs over the years and they were second best for great periods in spirited competition that, another day, might as well have gone backwards.
Manager rating out of 10
José Mourinho, 7 – Mourinho made just one change to the team that beat Brighton, with Gareth Bale replacing Erik Lamela for his first league start since returning to Spurs. The visitors weren’t at their best, but eventually Mourinho finished his 50th game as Spurs boss sitting in first place.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players submitted after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 6 – He could have been a lot busier if West Brom had shown more assertiveness in front of goal and while well beaten by the effort from Conor Gallagher’s range, he produced a superb one-handed save to deflect Darnell Furlong’s effort.
DF Matt Doherty, 7 years old – The Irishman’s form has finally seen him define a regular starting spot and he produced another fine display here that included a collection of important headers and a calculated assist that could prove to be of great significance.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 6 years old – He produced a colossal block as the ball fell gently for Gallagher and he returned to showing excellent conscience moments later, expertly handling Karlan Grant before rejecting his cross back.
DF Eric Dier, age 7 Perhaps guilty of a miscommunication with Alderweireld when Grant stepped between central defenders to deflect his header, but Dier showed much more conviction with his own head to brilliantly nod with Robinson’s center off the line.
DF Sergio Reguilón, 8 – He was lucky to see Grant miss his header after leaving too much room for Furlong to launch a fantastic cross, but the relentless Spaniard pushed harder and harder after the break as he tried to get his team going and produced some vital interventions in the other extreme.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 6 – A calmer display from the midfielder, who fed Doherty down the right a couple of times, but was replaced after the break when Tottenham looked for a winner.
MF Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 7 years old – Talk about a Great Dane. He offers the Spurs defenders plenty of protection and was frequently in battles once again, including a dominant header punt after his initial connection had soared.
MF Tanguy Ndombele, 6 years old Twice he was desperately close to sublime assist when his excellent chest control was followed by a clever firing from Son, before an effervescent low cross late in the first half nearly found Harry Kane.
MF Gareth Bale, 6 years old This was the Welshman’s first Premier League start since returning to Tottenham, but the chances were few and far between as the hosts forced Spurs back. Despite that, he was inches from bringing Kane’s raised cross home on the slide.
MF Son Heung-Min, 6 – He struggled to reproduce his usual sharpness. He did his best to create openings inside a tough Baggies back four, but showed unusual hesitancy as he passed through the goal, allowing Ajayi valuable extra seconds to salvage the situation.
FW Harry Kane, age 8 Despite starting alongside Bale, Kane made headlines. He was at the heart of the Spurs’ brightest moments once again and was finally rewarded for his efforts when he lifted his late header on Sam Johnstone with the goalie caught in two minds.
Substitutes
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 6 – He missed a huge opportunity just seconds after his performance when he threw a wide whiplash, but to be fair it was tough to get it right the first time.
DEL Lucas Moura, NR – It didn’t have much time to make an impact, but it produced a couple of significant half clearances that, at the very least, sucked up precious seconds.
DEL Carlos Vinicius, NR – He brought a double change when Mourinho threw everything in the game and came so close to opening the scoring, but his low effort at the top was met with a fantastic save from Johnstone.
