Tottenham turned around a one-goal deficit to beat Leicester 4-2, ensuring their place in the playoff round for next season’s inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.
The match at the King Power Stadium followed closely many of the storylines from Tottenham’s season, a campaign replete with disappointment, drama, emotional highs and lows and, of course, heaps of individual errors.
Individual mistakes a recurring theme on and off the field
Spurs conceded two penalties, handing Leicester, and Jamie Vardy, both of the Foxes’ goals. Toby Alderweireld clipped Vardy in the first half, which, after a VAR reversal, was given as a penalty. Begrudgingly, VAR made the correct decision.
Davinson Sanchez, who appeared for the first time since Ryan Mason took over, committed a howler after the interval, wrestling Vardy to the ground on the perimeter of the box. While the decision was slightly controversial, Sanchez has no business putting himself in such a vulnerable, exposed position.
You can see why he hasn’t featured during Mason’s short reign. Those mistakes typified Spurs season, a michrochosm of occurrences on and off the pitch. From countless errors on the field — the most severe of which usually committed by Eric Dier, Sanchez and Serge Aurier — to hapless, deeply consequential decisions from the ownership group, Tottenham shot themselves in the foot more often than a striker practices finishing in training.
Intermittently influential, Gareth Bale scores another brace
When Gareth Bale scores, he scores in bunches.
Bale scored all of his 11 Premier League goals in just six matches. Bale had multi-goal games in all but two of those six matches. His late brace against Leicester, after coming on as a sub in the 68th minute, helped Tottenham to a come-from-behind victory.
Bale waited until the final day of the season to score his first Premier League goal away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And in typical Bale fashion, he scored in bunches, this time in very short succession.
Bale, along with securing his fourth multi-goal performance of the season, has led Tottenham to an immaculate record of six wins and no losses when he scores. Today perfectly followed the season script for Bale in his first year back in north London.
Akin to Bale, Tottenham also scores in bunches when Bale scores. Today marked the fourth time (from six matches) this season that Tottenham scored four goals when he bags at least one.
- Scoring in bunches — check
- Tottenham wins when Bale scores — check
- Tottenham scores four goals when Bale bags one — check
Likely suspects score Tottenham’s goals
Aside from Kasper Peter Schmeichel’s own goal, it was the usual suspects who contributed offensively for Spurs. Kane and Bale scored three goals between them. That makes 23 goals — and another Golden Boot — for Kane, with Bale chipping in with 11 top flight goals.
Add Son, who scored 17 league goals, to the mix and you have 51 of Tottenham’s 68 goals, 75 percent of the team’s entire output.
Now imagine both Kane and Bale leave this summer. I shudder to think of that distinct possibility becoming reality, but it’s quagmire supporters and the hierarchy must face and figure out how to solve.
A match and season full of drama
The Leicester match was chockfull of swings in momentum and drama, again reflecting Tottenham’s rollercoaster season.
Spurs went down 2-1 before coming from behind in the final few minutes to snatch victory. The late drama in today’s match closely resembled the off-the-field happenings throughout the topsy-turvy campaign.
Here’s a recap of the most dramatic events from the season:
- Jose Mourinho was sacked just six days before the Carabao Cup Final
- Tottenham’s ownership group decided to unilaterally include the club in the Super League
- Spurs were upended by Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League Round of 16 after leading by two goals going into the second leg
- Harry Kane conveyed his desire to leave Tottenham after the season without first discussing it with the club
- The saga of trying to find a suitable manager to replace Jose continues. The decision to sack Jose was clearly made impetuously, without a contingency plan in place
- Tottenham, with Bale’s late heroics, avoided finishing below Arsenal, a distinctly relieving silver lining