It was Harry Kane’s turn to be the late hero as he smashed home a 95th minute rebound to rescue a point in our North London Derby with West Ham.
Kane was felled by Hammers captain Alex Song with just seconds of the 5 minutes added time remaining, before he saw his weak penalty saved by Adrian. However the sprawling ‘keeper could do nothing to deny the Englishman’s 24th goal of the season as he followed it up from 2 yards.
Spurs had put in a shocker overall, with Cheikou Kouyate’s opener enhanced by Diafra Sakho’s second half finish thanks to some questionable defending.
However, Danny Rose’s scuffed volley found it’s way into the net with 10 minutes of normal time remaining to give Pochettino’s plucky side hope of yet another late show.
And the pressure paid off when John Moss pointed to the spot in the dying moments to break Hammers hearts.
Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris 6 – Saw a lot more of the ball than he usually does, but made some crucial saves to keep the score down. Namely his reactions stop from Enner Valencia with the score at 2-0.
Kyle Walker 6 – Made the odd break and as usual, relied on pace to amend his errors. Looked shy to get forward – as if still carrying a knock – and preferred to cut back rather than deliver on most occasions.
Jan Vertonghen 6 – Caught out of position for Kouyate’s goal, and missed a great chance from Christian Eriksen’s corner. Really should have dealt with that first goal.
Eric Dier 5 – Looked very uncomfortable, misplacing passes and getting the basics wrong. He’s certainly our long-term partner for Jan but today, like many, he was off the pace.
Danny Rose 6 – Would have been my man of the match were it not for his Fabian Barthez-esque calling for offside as Diafra Sakho made it 2-0. Scored a fairly lucky goal but was a threat going forward all game, even when it was just him.
Nabil Bentaleb 7 – Was my man of the match. Looked the best of all our midfielders despite his inexperience, and nearly cracked home a brilliant 25-yarder. Plays with such composure, even with Fat Sam’s 6 in midfield.
Ryan Mason 6 – Whole-hearted display from Mason again, who isn’t shy of goal it seems. Came close a few times but the decision to shoot was the wrong one on occasion.
Erik Lamela 5 – Another disappointing display from the one player we want to succeed more than any. Pushed off the ball so so easily, a gust of wind could have Lamela on the floor. Couldn’t get hold of it at all.
Mousa Dembele 3 – As shockers go, this one was the worst. Absolute stinker from Mousa who made way for Eriksen at half time. Responsible for the shambolic first goal.
Andros Townsend 6 – Pretty quiet as he goes, turning down the opportunities he had to go for goal. Predictably left-footed and failed to provide width despite some willing running.
Harry Kane 6 – Largely anonymous for most of the game, but the facts don’t lie! Kane found the net for the 12th time in 11 games, a ridiculous record in what is pretty much his debut season.
SUBS
Christian Eriksen 6 – Although he didn’t necessarily do much, the whole game changed with the introduction of Christian. Whether that was down to mentality or tactics, I don’t know, but he needs to be playing.
Roberto Soldado 5 – A weird change considering we needed width, but Bobby did have a chance to win the game late on. He’ll fancy his chances over Kane from the spot next time…
Nacer Chadli N/a
