Tottenham won every match when midfield ace scored

Tottenham dominated when Bale scored

Outscoring opponents 20-5, Spurs comprehensively dominated when Bale got on the scoresheet.

However, all of Bale’s goals — with the exception of yesterday double against Leicester — came against teams in the bottom half of the bottom half of the table.

Before yesterday’s brace, he scored against Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Sheffield United, none of which finished above 14th place. So if there’s a disclaimer to mention, that would be it.

In an ordinary season, you’d expect Tottenham to win those matches regardless of whether Bale scored. However, with a palpable lack of secondary scoring this season there is no guarantee that Spurs would have won those matches without Bale’s significant contribution.

Bale’s first season back at Spurs was pockmarked with inconsistency, plagued by injury trouble and, for the first half of the season, derailed by an obvious lack of match fitness.

But he came up with the goods when Tottenham needed him the most. While qualifying for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League won’t satisfy Spurs supporters, it’s a far cry better than finishing below Arsenal while staring down the barrel of a season completely devoid of European competition.

So if yesterday’s win against Leicester was Bale’s last as a Tottenham player, Daniel Levy should thank him for securing a place in the playoff round of next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League, and with it, another guaranteed revenue stream.