Tottenham Hotspur only needed a point to finish in fourth place; instead, Spurs put on a show with an emphatic 0-5 win at Norwich and book a return to the Champions League.
As a Tottenham Hotspur fan, nervy finishes are something we know well. With some illness running through the team the last two weeks, you cannot blame fans for being a little trepidatious and avoiding lasagna. Under the leadership of Antonio Conte, this is a Spurs side made of the right stuff, and Tottenham gave us all the results we needed.
All Tottenham from the top
Against an already relegated team, the last thing a side wants to do is give them hope. Tottenham was on the front foot and dominating possession from the very start. Although Spurs did not score immediately from the kickoff, the intent was clear, pin Norwich in and suffocate the Canaries, and take all three points.
As the first big chance came and flew over the bar for Pierre Hojbjerg, Spurs were pushing for a result. Hojbjerg made up for that miscue soon after, as the midfielder played a great forward one-two ball with Rodrigo Bentancur. After a perfect touch to bring the ball down, rather than push for a finish past a closing Tim Krul, Bentancur opted for the unselfish square ball for a clear slot finish from Dejan Kulusevski.
It would be the first of two for both Deki and Bentancur, as the Swede would bag a brace, and the Uruguayan got two assists as Tottenham rolled from there.
A poor decision from Krul and a lack of effort from Mathias Normann led to Bentancur intercepting Krul’s short pass from the back and sending a lovely cross to the head of Harry Kane for the 0-2 Spurs lead. At that point, the Spurs were in total control, and the only questions were what was the final result going to be and would Heung-min Son score and win the Golden Boot.
Story continues…
Spurs, Son step up in the second half
Norwich came out ready to fight in the second half as they held some possession and pushed Tottenham back into their defensive block. Norwich’s push persisted for much of the half, but the Canaries ultimately paid for the space over the top conceding three more goals.
After Deki and Sonny had just missed connecting on a goal, Kulusevski made no doubt about the outcome, cutting in from the right side of the box onto his left foot and curling a beautiful shot past Krul.
It was a three-goal lead now for Spurs, and as Deki was coming off, the question remained, would Son score.
Shortly after Lucas Moura came on, he headed a flick past the defence onto a rushing Son. Unfortunately, for the second time in as many chances, Krul was up to the task and made an excellent save on Son’s shot. Moments later, Krul could not make a third.
Kane had the ball near midfield and played it forward to Moura, who used a delicate touch to split the defenders and play Son in on goal. After striking two powerful shots that Krul had saved, Sonny calmly slotted between Krul’s legs for his 22nd goal of the season.
Five minutes later, Son would collect the ball near the edge of the box off a Spurs free-kick and blast a superb shot into the top corner as Krul tried to stretch for it. With his 23rd goal, Son finished tied with Mo Salah, who scored for Liverpool and will share the Golden Boot.
Regardless, it was mission accomplished overall for Tottenham, as the clean sheet and the Golden Boot both take second fiddle to fourth place and a return to the Champions League.