Tottenham Lose Fourth Home Game Of Season To Stoke

Tottenham lost their fourth home game of the season to Stoke City. The visitors deserved their two goal half-time advantage and could have added to their lead after the interval. Spurs unexpectedly reduced the arrears with 13 minutes remaining through Nacer Chadli but when Kyle Naughton was dismissed with 6 minutes to play, their chance of taking anything from the chance was gone.

Tottenham Hotspur 1  Stoke City 2

Scorers: Chadli   Krkic, Walters

Team: Lloris, Naughton, Fazio, Kaboul (c), Rose; Capoue (Adebayor), Mason; Chadli, Eriksen (Dembele), Townsend (Lamela); Kane  Subs: (unused) Vorm, Dier, Vertonghen, Soldado

The big news in Mauricio Pochettino’s team selection was Harry Kane being given his first Premier League start of the season, having scored 10 goals so far. Andros Townsend and Federico Fazio also started with Jan Vertonghen, Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor consigned to the bench.

In last season’s home game against Stoke at the end of December, all seven of the 2013 summer signings played, the only time that has happened. For this match at White Hart Lane, only three were in the starting line-up with two on the bench.

After an impeccably observed act of remembrance, Tottenham kicked-off and had an early chance when Townsend’s cross to the far post was headed back into the hands of Begovic. Both teams were pressing quickly but it was Stoke who made the early breakthrough.

A long ball forward caught out the Spurs central defenders but as Hugo Lloris claimed the ball he collided with Diouf. Following a break while the Stoke striker received attention, Townsend was dispossessed inside the Stoke half. The ball was played to Bojan on half-way and his jinxing run, with defenders backing off,  took him to the edge of the area where he produced a shot to beat an unsighted Lloris after 6 minutes.

Spurs had few openings, a foul on Christian Eriksen earned a free-kick on 13 minutes, which he curled wide from 30 yards.

The early goal had given Stoke the confidence to sit deep, forcing Spurs to pass the ball across the pitch. They were much quicker to the ball in the first half and on picking up a loose pass to regain possession, they headed straight at the heart of the Spurs defence.

A cross by Kyle Naughton was headed into the hands of the goalkeeper by Kane after 18 minutes and three minutes later a run by Townsend from deep after Mason had stopped another Bojan led  attack, brought a low shot from 25 yards which went past the post.

Stoke had been forced to make two defensive substitutions inside the first 26 minutes but it didn’t cause any problems to the team as they saw off the limited attacking by Spurs.

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A last ditch clearance by Younes Kaboul on 28 minutes brought a corner which was hooked just wide. Stoke deservedly doubled their lead in the 32nd minute. They won the ball on halfway and poor defending aided them as Rose was caught forward allowing Diouf to cross for Walters to beat Lloris easily.

Two minutes later, Spurs could have been three down as a long ball forward presented a chance for Diouf against Fazio but the central defender managed to get a desperate last ditch clearance.

After 38 minutes, Mason played the ball to Chadli on the edge of the area, in a central position, but surrounded by three defenders, the ball was cleared for a corner. With four minutes to the interval, Stoke opened up the home defence with slick passing around the area but fortunately for Spurs, Diouf was off-side. Two minutes later a poor clearance by Lloris caused Rose to concede a free-kick in a dangerous position.

Stoke played with greater urgency and were thoroughly deserving of their two goal lead at the interval.

At half-time Pochettino took off Townsend and Eriksen, replacing them with Mouse Dembele and Erik Lamela but the match continued in a similar vein with Stoke being the much more positive and threatening side. Moses had an early shot saved by Lloris and in responce a Kane cross was cut out with Chadli waiting in the area.

After 56 minutes, Dembele found Rose as he broke into the area but the ball bounced back to Kane too quickly and he was unable to get in a shot. A minute later Rose was fouled and Lamela’s free-kick was headed just past the back post by Kane.

With just over an hour played, Capoue shot over from 35 yards, his last contribution as he was replaced by Adebayor. The striker’s first touch was to give the ball away and that led to a swift Stoke attack but Rose hacked the ball clear after a scramble in the Spurs area.

Then followed a passage of play when Spurs lost it completely as every Stoke attack appeared to start from a misplaced pass by a Spurs player.

On 74 minutes, a free-kick for a foul on Rose on the edge of the visitor’s area brought a great save from Begovic as he got across his goal to push out Lamela’s free-kick which looked to be heading for the top corner. Three minutes later, Spurs had pulled a goal back through Chadli. He met a cross from Rose at the back post and volleyed it past the defenders on the line.

Given some hope, Mason had a shot over and Lamela was dispossessed in the area after Kane had won a ball in the air. After 84 minutes, however, Mason gave the ball away and Naughton brought down Moses as he broke towards goal, the full-back being dismissed for the second time this season.

It was all over for Spurs and it took a flying save from Lloris to deny Ireland after yet another poor clearance by Fazio. In the final minute of added time, a header by Adebayor went wide following a cross by Chadli.

Stoke won comfortably, were the better team throughout the match and had much more urgency and ambition in their play. They played with the commitment and endeavour and desire that the Spurs team lacked.

As Spurs slip to 12th position, they have a long, difficult season ahead of them. They got lucky last weekend but got what they deserved today – NOTHING!