GUY WITH THE MAGIC TOUCH LIFTS SPURS
Ndombele eases nerves
IT WAS the brilliance and frustration of Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham side wrapped up in a single moment.
Steven Bergwijn, under pressure, had the presence of mind to pause and delicately chip his ball forward rather than slide it into the Sheffield United area.
The pace was perfect and without breaking stride, Tanguy Ndombele met the ball with a languid flick from the outside of his right boot and flopped the ball over Aaron Ramsdale and just inside the far post.
It was a moment of absolute attacking class. So why can they not do it more often?
That irritating habit of sitting back too much on an early lead was looking in danger of catching Mourinho’s side out yet again. Just as against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Fulham, there was a sense among the Sheffield United contingent, buoyed by that long-awaited first win against Newcastle, that there was still something for them in this game.
David McGoldrick had just risen above Ben Davies to flick John Fleck’s well-delivered free-kick into the back of the Spurs net.
The visitors had taken the lead after only five minutes from a set-piece of their own – the diminutive Serge Aurier the unlikely man to have met Son Heung-Min’s corner with a free header amid some suspect Blades marking. Disastrously, late in the half Ollie Norwood had been robbed too easily by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg just outside his own area and, when the Spurs midfielder fed the ball on to Harry Kane, the England captain supplied the inevitable finish. Yet, when Sheffield United pulled that goal back after 59 minutes, there was an immediate sense that even two goals might not be enough.
Son had hit the outside of the post just after the opening goal and a breakaway chance early in the second half inspired by Kane disintegrated into nothing as Bergwijn was shut out.
Despite Mourinho’s orders to the contrary, Tottenham were once again guilty of allowing things to drift without killing their opponents off. Perhaps Ndombele sensed the sudden urgency.
As it was, the Spurs defence were strong enough on this occasion, but a few more moments like the Ndombele goal would make Tottenham’s Champions League credentials – and indeed outside title hopes – far more convincing.
SHEFFIELD UTD (3-5-2): Ramsdale 5; Basham 6 (Sharpe 74), Egan 6, Ampadu 6; Bogle 7, Lundstram 7, Norwood 5 (Bryan 67, 5), Fleck 7, Stevens 7; McGoldrick 7, Burke 6 (Brewster 71). Goal: McGoldrick 59.
TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris 7; Rodon 7, Dier 6, Davies 5; Aurier 7, Hojbjerg 6, Ndombele 8, Reguilon 8 (Sanchez 90); Bergwijn 7 (Moura 87), Kane 7, Son 7 (Vinicius 90). Goals: Aurier 5, Kane 40, Ndombele 62.