Live Match Center: Tottenham v Gillingham
By Ryan Wrenn
Final Thoughts
Whatever reservations Tottenham had about penetrating Gillingham’s third and going for goal evaporated in the second half.
Eriksen scored his second, once again with an assist from Lamela. Two minutes later Trippier was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty converted by Janssen.
It was the Dutchman’s first goal for the club, and while fans might argue that Eriksen deserved a chance at a hat-trick there’s no denying that this goal will help build some momentum for Janssen going forward.
Play proceeded as such for most of the remainder of the half. Winks and Carroll took turns pressing forward, particularly in transition. It was in one such move that Lamela found Onomah to set the latter up for his first ever goal in Tottenham’s first team.
Eriksen was withdrawn, presumably to save him for Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough, and Georges-Kévin N’Koudou came on for his debut. The Frenchman remained mostly anonymous for the remainder of the half, but minutes are minutes. With any luck he’ll get more chances in the near future as his command of English increases.
After already providing three assists, Lamela capped off a fine night by scoring his own goal for Tottenham in the 68th minute.
Next: Pochettino Likens Tottenham Starlet to Messi
Thereafter it was simply a matter of running down the clock. Both Marcus Edwards and Anton Walkes came in for Janssen and Davies respectively and contributed to the sense of calm that saw out Tottenham’s commanding 5-0 win.
A slew of other big Premier League clubs also won their matches, thereby setting up a potentially intriguing encounter with a rival in the EFL Cup’s fourth round. Pochettino will be hoping the club will draw a relative minnow like Bristol City or Leeds United, if only to give more minutes to the bench and Academy players.