Kane, Son Dominate Tottenham Player Ratings in Win Over Leeds
By Aaron Coe
Spurs Midfield Ratings
Tottenham Hotspur had a surprise starter in the midfield as Harry Winks was the second holding midfielder with Pierre Højbjerg, while Tanguy Ndombele again started in the attacking midfield position. On the day, the industry and activity of the midfield paid off as all three men made plays on both the offensive and defensive side of the pitch in what may be the midfield pairing Spurs have been looking for.
Pierre Højbjerg – 8
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was back near his all action best on Saturday, although his passing was not as sharp as we have seen overall. The rest from not playing midweek seemed to have the Dane recharged as he was all over the field and worked to lead Spurs in touches with 82. Højbjerg had the hockey assist on the second goal, and then filled the box score with five successful tackles, three dribbles, and a couple interceptions. Most importantly a lot of this action was occurring in the opponent’s half, not just around Spurs box, which led directly to opportunity for the team.
Tanguy Ndombele – 7.5
Saturday’s open football match was a Tanguy Ndombele kind of affair. The Frenchman was able to do some really good work in the middle of the park, providing some real push forward for Tottenham. Ndombele had several different excellent little displays of dribbling with some stepovers while attacking in the first half and some of his classic spin moves. Had a terrific shot on target which led to the corner where Tottenham scored their third. Seemed quite peeved to be removed at 78 minutes and that is good.
Harry Winks – 7
Harry Winks had the quietest day of the Tottenham midfielders and that is okay. Not on the ball as much as we are used to seeing, Winks worked hard defensively to allow Højbjerg to push forward as much as possible. Had a nice interception and pass to earn the penalty for the first goal. Had a couple successful dribbles and took a half chance from distance. Was a much less active game in terms of passing numbers for Winks but did all the other stuff to help lead Spurs. Seemed to wear down as the match went on.