BALE BLITZ!
Two goals and an assist help Spurs batter Burnley
THERE he is. That’s the package they thought they were unwrapping a few months back. The guy who used to win games with a savage beauty and then do that heart thing with his hands, like a killer with a conscience.
We might not see that Gareth Bale again in the biggest matches against the best teams. Who knows? But game by game there is a growing hope that we will, and maybe in time the resurrection will be traced to days like this, and what appears to be a spreading patch of form.
Again, some perspective. It was Burnley. They weren’t very good. But Bale was. In fact he was excellent, from the 67th second when he scored with a tap-in, to the 55th minute, when he got another goal of far higher quality.
He only managed another quarter of an hour from that point, with the steam gone from those 31-year-old legs, but by the time he was hooked, he had built up a fine body of work, including the 60-yard pass that made a goal for Harry Kane and a fringe role in one scored by Lucas Moura.
To think, a month ago he appeared to be on the cusp of a public falling out with Jose Mourinho amid the general acceptance that this loan would be ruled a misadventure for the ages. A few strong performances will not fully alter that conclusion, but now we can point to three assists and three goals in his past four games, and some exciting possibilities for the final third of the season.
How Spurs need it. And so does Mourinho ( right). With five defeats in their previous six, it was little short of a tailspin away from the top four, but this was a comfortable win. More than that, it was impressive, with Tottenham’s front four slapping the life out of Burnley before the game was 15 minutes deep.
Sean Dyche had a face like thunder for most of it, and it’s no wonder. His side were unbeaten in four and had the hope that a team so strong in the air might find joy against one whose manager is forever in doubt over his centre back pairing. If you squinted your eyes enough, there was surely potential for an upset.
But that was always the optimistic take.
It took less than two minutes for realism to play out, although there was more than a whiff of fortune about Tottenham’s opener, given Son Heung-min appeared to be targeting a deeper cross to Kane rather than the low cutter he delivered into the space between James Tarkowski and Nick Pope. From there, Bale read the path of delivery and side- footed past Pope.
Kane and Moura both came close ahead of the second goal, and
Bale’s wider contribution included the destruction of Charlie Taylor. He played the ball down the line and then hammered the left back for pace — just like the olden days.
His subsequent retrieval of possession near Tottenham’s area earned equal applause from Mourinho, and soon after Bale pinged the long, precise ball that made the goal for Kane.
Kane’s shot to the near post deflected off Tarkowski and its trajectory was raised sufficiently to clear Pope’s upper hand. Dyche looked pretty peeved.
The frustration for him is that Spurs give up chances. They leave spaces, and they have a defence and goalkeeper that time and again have shown new vulnerabilities.
For this week’s attempt to solve the centre half mystery, Mourinho had gone with Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez at the expense of Eric Dier, but Burnley rarely came close to putting them or Hugo Lloris under the microscope. When they did get forward, the Spurs pairing looked solid, particularly Sanchez, but keeping out Burnley is hardly the hallmark of a turned corner.
In the absence of any deterrent to get forward, the third Tottenham goal came around the half-hour mark. Bale was again involved, this time in passing to Sergio Reguilon, who crossed from the right. The delivery brushed Tarkowski’s head before falling for Moura, who lashed past Pope.
Bale’s finest moment came 10 minutes into the second half. Son led the break and threaded to Bale, who had a touch to set himself on the edge of the area and curled a shot in off a post with his left foot.
Not bad at all for what was only his third start of the season and his first at home for Spurs in a league game since 2013. Rather a lot has happened in the meantime, but at least he is looking more like his old self.
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Lloris 6; Aurier 6.5 (Doherty 81min), Sanchez 7, Alderweireld 6.5, Reguilon 7; Ndombele 7.5, Hojbjerg 6.5; BALE 8.5 (Lamela 70, 6), Lucas 7.5 (Alli 66), Son 7; Kane 7.
Subs not used: Hart, Winks, Dier, Sissoko, Davies, Vinicius. Scorers: Bale 2, 55, Kane 15, Moura 31. Manager: Jose Mourinho 7. BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 5.5; Lowton 5.5, Tarkowski 5, Mee 5, Taylor 5.5; Brownhill 6, Cork 6 (Stephens 81), Westwood 6, McNeil 6; Rodriguez 5.5 (Richardson 88), Vydra 5.5 (Wood 73, 6).
Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Bardsley, Long, Dunne, Benson, Driscoll-Glennon.
Manager: Sean Dyche 5.5. Referee: Kevin Friend 7.