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Tottenham won every match when midfield ace scored

Gary Pearson
Gary Pearson

Hotspur HQ

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspur acknowledges the fans following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 19, 2021 in London, England. A limited number of fans will be allowed into Premier League stadiums as Coronavirus restrictions begin to ease in the UK. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Tottenham won every match this season when Gareth Bale got on the scoresheet, including yesterday’s 4-2 come-from-behind victory against Leicester. 

Say what you will about Bale, but it was his brace in the final minutes against Leicester that secured a playoff spot for Tottenham in next season’s inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League.

It was also his late heroics that ensured Spurs finished above Arsenal for the fifth successive season. That incredibly important bragging right for Tottenham faithful was in dire jeopardy until Bale bagged the winning goal in the 87th minute. The Welshman benefitted from a selfless passage of play from Kane.

https://twitter.com/SpursOfficial/status/1396579187767472128

Bale added to his goal tally by scoring an insurance marker late in injury time. He finished the season with 11 Premier League goals, all of which coming in just six matches.

While a relatively small sample size, Tottenham enjoyed a perfect 100 percent winning rate when Bale bagged a goal.

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.

Gary Pearson

Gary Pearson

A freelance sports journalist, Gary primarily focuses his attention on football coverage (proper football, that is). He is a sports aficionado and has lived in five continents – Africa, Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Currently residing in the mountainous region of Canmore, Canada, his family hails from jolly old England while he spent the lion's share of his formative years in Calgary, Canada, home of the Calgary Stampede, the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and the 1989 Stanley Cup Champions. He is an ardent Flames and Tottenham Hotspur supporter and dreams of more fruitful days, when the Flames once again lift Lord Stanley aloft, a seemingly impossible goal if the past few decades is anything to go by. Spurs are closer to glory, but are still starving for the rapturous joy their supporters so obviously deserve.