TOTTENHAM 1
SUNDAY MIRROR
TOTTENHAM kept alive hopes of catching runaway leaders Chelsea.
But it took a second-half penalty from Harry Kane to ensure victory against a dogged and determined Middlesbrough outfit who came perilously close to taking a point to boost their survival hopes.
Marten de Roon had a glorious chance to equalise in added time and Kane summed up the hosts’ relief, saying: “We created the chances, we just weren’t finishing them.
“We are delighted with the win. No game is easy in the Premier League. We’ll take 1-0.
“We found it difficult midweek at Sunderland and knew it would be similar. We did better today. We should have won 2-0 or 3-0 but 1-0 is enough and we recover for next week. We have a strong squad. We can rotate players and keep them fresh. We want to win trophies. Hopefully we can.”
The White Hart Lane philosophy must be along the lines of where there is life, there is hope.
They will not surrender the title until it is mathematically impossible – but they need to add a cutting edge to their build-up play.
Leaders Chelsea have established a huge advantage and there is no question they are in pole position to finish as Premier League champions.
But Tottenham have to believe they can catch them and that points will be dropped by Antonio Conte’s team in the cluster of matches to come.
So victory was essential. In midweek, Spurs came away with a point from Wearside with the goalless draw against Sunderland. They planned and worked for more joy against the team from Teeside. But they made life hard for themselves.
The challenge was to keep some sort of respectable distance behind Chelsea who established a 12-point lead at the top of the table with the emphatic 3-1 lunchtime win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. It was reduced to nine with this and all Spurs can do is hang on and hope.
Middlesbrough’s priorities are at the other end of the table. The stunning wins by Sunderland and Hull and the ever-improving form of Swansea have put pressure on manager Aitor Karanka and his players.
Indeed, the first chance of the match went their way. The ever-dangerous Adama Traore gave a glimpse of things to come when he accelerated clear and crossed but Alvaro Negredo’s header was too high.
After that, Spurs ran the show. In midfield, Christian Eriksen, Moussa Dembele, Dele Alli and Victor Wanyama dictated the flow of the game. And on the wing Heung- Min Son was a constant menace. But for all their possession, the hosts could not make a first-half breakthrough.
“But they did go close. In the sixth minute, Alli robbed Adam Forshaw and set up Son but Victor Valdes saved.
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