Tanguy, Tottenham Take all Three from Sheffield United
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur has temporarily righted the ship with a 1-3 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, behind a worldie from Tanguy Ndombele.
After taking only five points from the last 15 in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur stopped the bleeding with a 1-3 win over Sheffield United. Spurs were in charge from the off but needed a world class finish from Tanguy Ndombele to quiet a second half Blades rally. After the third the match was never in doubt, as Tottenham got the result, they wanted moving back into the top four, at least temporarily.
Fast Start from Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur got off to a terrific start to the match as Steven Bergwijn forced an early save out of Aaron Ramsdale. The subsequent corner kick, however, brought the result Spurs were looking for. Son Heung-Min drove the ball near post and Serge Aurier was able to beat his marker and rise-up to head the ball home. It was the start and mentality Spurs were looking for.
The play looked simple enough and without fans in the stands, the audio was so clear, you could hear someone say “easy” as the ball hit the back of the net. It was exactly the start Tottenham Hotspur were looking for, to step on last place Sheffield United early and never give them a sniff. Only minutes later, it seemed Spurs had finished the early job.
As we have seen all season, Harry Kane dropped a bit deeper from his center striker position to pick up the ball and on the turn, played in Son. Son was at a tough angle on the right and Ramsdale was charging at him as the defender pressed from the side. The South Korean hit a nice little chip up and over Ramsdale.
However, as has seemingly been the case of late for Son, the ball found the outside of the post and bounced out and the chance was lost. From that point forward the domination was not as great, but Spurs were on the front foot most of the half. While a 2-goal lead would have been a perfect first 8 minutes, settling for the 0-1 advantage would have to do.
Sheffield Went for It
Sheffield United had some possession at 42% and had 1 more shot than Spurs with 15 to Tottenham’s 14, but Spurs were the dominant side throughout the match. Sheffield had a few spells of possession where Spurs were pinned a bit deep. However, the urging of players like Pierre Højbjerg to press and push up, combined with the pressure coming from real work defensively propelled Tottenham.
Players like Son and Sergio Reguilón, who started at left outside midfield in a 3-4-3 line-up, and Joe Rodon who started in the back all put in strong shifts, working to keep Spurs on the front foot. So, yes Spurs got pinned in for a bit and yes Sheffield did score to make it close, but only three minutes later Tanguy Ndombele was scoring and putting the game out of site.