Tottenham win last match at White Hart Lane
By Ryan Wrenn
Tottenham did exactly what they had to send off White Hart Lane on Sunday, winning 2-1, securing second place for the first time in over 50 years and finalizing their unbeaten home record for the season.
Goals from Victor Wanyama and Harry Kane were enough to keep Manchester United humble, though Wayne Rooney would steal the honor of scoring the last goal at the Lane.
United named a heavily rotated squad for Sunday’s match. Jose Mourinho, evidently giving up on the possibility of reaching the Premier League’s top four, appears intent on saving the best of his roster for the forthcoming Europa League final. A win against Ajax on May 24th will ensure their progress to the Champions League group stage qualifiers in August.
The occasion demanded that Mauricio Pochettino, in contrast, name his strongest possible squad. And he did just that.
Mousa Dembélé was dropped in order to afford enough room to wedge Heung-min Son into the attack. The South Korean’s presence pushed Christian Eriksen back into Dembélé’s usual position, though he found ways forward at every opportunity.
Top-heavy and motivated to put on a good show in their final match ever at White Hart Lane, Spurs pressed their advantage early. After a corner was won in the sixth minute, Eriksen delivered a ball into the box which Victor Wanyama had no trouble re-directing into David De Gea’s next.
With a lead already earned barely minutes into the match, Spurs still declined to back down. The pressure remained constant, and Son came close after losing his markers in the box and stinging De Gea’s name with a ferocious shot.
While the first half would end 1-0 in the host’s favor, it was clear that this match was Spurs to lose. Their rhythms were as fluid as they have been all season, with Eriksen’s conversion to central midfielder hardly disrupting his game or Spurs’ in the slightest.
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Rain began to saturate the field, with several players loosing their footing in the opening stages of the second half. United were finding some figurative traction in Spurs’ half however, and the slender lead looked for the first time as if it might be in jeopardy.
A foul on Dele Alli near United’s right defensive flank would cut their advantage before it ever materialized however. The resulting free-kick from Eriksen found Harry Kane in the box, and the England striker deftly angled it past De Gea to double Spurs’ lead.
United backed off here, almost buckling under the pressure of the cheers from the stands. They still found the odd run or long ball launched into Spurs half though, and on one such run Anthony Martial managed to find Wayne Rooney in the box. United’s talismanic striker latched onto the ball and, thanks in part to a deflection off of Jan Vertonghen, United scored to narrow Spurs’ lead.
It was a false comeback for United however. Spurs sustained the pressure and held United off, even coming close to adding a third goal in stoppage time thanks to Georges-Kévin Nkoudou, who came on for Eriksen as the Dane walked off to a standing ovation.
Next: Tottenham title race over with Chelsea triumphant
Five minutes of stoppage time expired, leaving Spurs winners in a match that felt decided well before the first whistle. The crowds descended from the stands, invading the pitch as the players waded back to the locker room. A fitting end for a special season for Spurs.