Spurs are heading for a winter of discontent
AN incessant downpour at White Hart Lane was a fitting backdrop for the gloom at Tottenham.
Even the latest VAR nonsense — Sheffield United were cruelly denied a goal after a three-minute check yesterday — should not disguise the fact that Spurs are heading for a winter of discontent unless boss Mauricio Pochettino and his players can change the mood fast.
Thi s was Tot t e nham’s fifth Premier League game without a win, a run dating back to September. They have only won three league games all season, an awful record for Champions League finalists.
Indeed, they could have lost this game, both because of their own performance and t he dubious circumstances in which the Blades had a first equaliser chalked off.
Chris Wilder’s side are unbeaten away from home and certainly no mugs. But they did not have to play that well to get a draw here.
Tottenham’s goal, scored by Son Heung-min after 58 minutes, was from only their second shot on target and came from a Sheffield United blunder.
The home side then got lucky when David McGoldrick’s “goal” on the hour was ruled out by a three-minute VAR check because John Lundstram’s big toe was judged to have been offside in the build up. But they still could not capitalise on the good fortune.
Pochettino hooked Dele Alli for an extra defender in Juan Foyth after 72 minutes but the cautious approach did not work.
Spurs sat back and, when George Baldock’s intended cross nicked off Ben Davies and sailed past Paulo Gazzaniga after 78 minutes, even another VAR check t o decide whether Chris Basham had touched the ball from an offside position could not deny the visitors.
‘Sheffield United are the worst opponents to have when you come back from a long trip in Europe but of course we are disappointed. It is not a good feeling,’ said Pochettino. ‘They were more aggressive. More focused. We were a bit sloppy.’
Wilder was hopeful that another VAR farce — ‘John Lundstram’s big toe is bigger than it should be or whatever’, he said pithily — will not take credit away from another great away day for his players, following on from a win at Everton and draw at Chelsea.
‘ They filled me with immense pride with and without the ball,’ he said, after his side moved up to fifth. ‘I see some teams sit deep but it’s a dangerous game. We want to take the game to the opposition and score, not waiting to get beat.’
Spurs were on the back foot from the second minute when Eric Dier was booked and spent the rest of the game on a knife edge against the pace of Lys Mousset.
Davinson Sanchez treated the ball like a hot potato, Giovani Lo Celso did little in his first Premier League start to suggest he is the new Christian Eriksen — while the Dane stayed on the bench — and Tanguy N d o mb e l e w a s replaced at half-time. ‘He felt uncomfortable,’ said Pochettino, without being able to confirm a groin problem or some other physical ailment.
Sheffield United had dominated t he f i r s t hal f . The excell ent
Lundstram struck the post from the edge of the penalty area with Davies blocking the rebound shot from Mousset. Gazzaniga had to save from Lundstram, John Fleck and McGoldrick.
Pochettino did not look happy and Harry Winks came on for the second half. There was a marginal improvement. Son had the team’s first shot on target after 54 minutes and scored with the second, though it resulted from a misunderstanding in the Blades’ defence.
Alli’s ball to Kane in the penalty area was over-hit and Enda Stevens, with his back to goal, took a touch t o wards J o h n Egan that his team-mate was not expecting and Son nipped in and planted a finish between Dean Henderson’s legs.
Stevens responded to the error by setting up what he thought was the equaliser two minutes later. His cross was converted by McGoldrick only for VAR to chalk it off for a fractional offside earlier in the move, with Lundstram’s toe judged to have been ahead of Dier’s knee by millimetres, if that.
Wilder questioned the “reset” rules as the infringement had come during a cross from the right that led to a clearance, that led to a cross on the left, that led to the goal.
The comfort for Wilder is that his players did not let their heads drop at finding themselves still 1-0 down as they lined up to kick off. ‘Hugely pleasing,’ said the Blades boss.
It also helped that Spurs looked nervous holding on to the lead and Sheffield United found it easy to get forward. McGoldrick released Baldock down the right and his intended cross took a nick off Davies, bypassed Dier and sailed into the corner.
There was another VAR check to assess whether Basham was offside and had interfered with play, but the decision stood.
Spurs had only one genuine chance to win the game late on, Henderson t i pping over from substitute Lucas Moura, but even video technology could not deny the Blades another successful away day.