Kane, Son Dominate Tottenham Player Ratings in Win Over Leeds
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Defensive Ratings
Tottenham did well most of the day defensively, although Leeds were able to move the ball up and down their left, Spurs right flank a bit more than maybe José Mourinho would have liked. Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld, and Ben Davies were all solid, but for Matt Doherty, a poor day went from bad to worse in injury time as the fullback collected a second yellow card.
Ben Davies – 7.5
Ben Davies had a strong game for Tottenham, as he did a nice job keeping Raphina under wraps for much of the match. Davies was good on the ball, without too many bad passes and was strong defensively. With five tackles, Davies tied Højbjerg for team lead. Ben Davies is not dynamic, but he is typically consistent, and Saturday was one of his consistent days.
Eric Dier – 6
Eric Dier did okay defensively on the afternoon, never being clearly beaten by Patrick Bamford although Bamford had some half chances. Dier was good in the air and had several clearances. Where Eric struggled was with his passing. Completing only 11 of 22 passes or 50% of his attempts is not good enough. This is particularly bad when it is from a center back as those can often lead to turnovers in the defensive half of the pitch. While the numbers are skewed slightly due to some longballs, Dier needs to work on his overall ball security.
Toby Alderweireld – 8
Toby Alderweireld was active on both ends of the pitch Saturday. The Belgian defender was stout in blocking several shots for Spurs to keep Bamford and company off the board. Connected just right for a header off a corner kick, as Alderweireld redirected the ball beyond the line. Like Dier did, Alderweireld struggled a bit with his passing although 66% completed is far better than 50% completed, both need to be improved.
Matt Doherty – 5
Matt Doherty had a difficult day at the office on Saturday. Doherty was the target of much of the Leeds attack going down their left, the Tottenham right. Whereas most of the team looked a bit brighter with the rest, Doherty just seemed a step slow all afternoon. A decent passing percentage hides the fact he gave several passes straight to the opposition. Picked up a professional yellow to slow up play, but his second yellow for a tackle – up three, with 30 seconds to go in the attacking half was simply unnecessary. Now Doherty will miss a game with the card.
Hugo Lloris – 7
Hugo Lloris saved all five shots on target he faced and kept a much needed clean sheet. Never really pressed to make anything spectacular happen, Lloris did his part by making his saves and not allowing any second chances. Lloris and the defense need days like Saturday for their confidence, which is no doubt boosted.