HOT-SHOT HARRY’S LIFELINE FOR POCH
Late double gives Spurs hope
THE Wembley surface is threadbare, looking weary and devoid of its usual lustre — and Tottenham are not what they were, either.
They, too, have lost a little of the gloss which made them so pleasing on the eye. Perhaps, like their home from home, they are tired and overworked and confused by all the debate about their true purpose in life.
This Champions League campaign has wheezed and spluttered from Milan to London to Eindhoven and back but finally Spurs have secured a victory in Europe for the first time in 2018.
It came late. And in scruffy fashion. And it came thanks to two goals from Harry Kane, who typified his team’s refusal to accept defeat when they went behind after 61 seconds to a header by Luuk de Jong.
Kane forced the winner in the 89th minute, a header at the far post which took two deflections as it bobbled and spun into the net.
Perhaps his goals will trigger the sort of miraculous escape which they will talk about for decades but it seems unlikely. The odds lean heavily towards an exit at the group stage for Mauricio Pochettino’s team. They face daunting tasks against Inter at Wembley and Barcelona in the Nou Camp, and the struggle to survive in a difficult group has eaten away at the harmony carefully nurtured by the manager.
As frustration grew and PSV resisted last night, Pochettino’s decision to take off Lucas Moura was jeered. His jinking runs had caught the eye but the Brazilian was chosen to make way for Erik Lamela, who helped produce the win. This was forgotten by the final whistle of course, as the Glory, Glory tunes rang around the stadium and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Pochettino praised the spirit of his players and can be quietly satisfied with his substitutions and his rotation of the squad. There were six changes to the team which won in Wolverhampton. Paolo Gazzaniga came in for Hugo Lloris, who was suspended, and Dele Alli returned as part of an adventurous formation.
Gazzaniga’s first touch of the ball was to pick it out of his net in the second minute. PSV, the first Dutch club to play at Wembley since Ajax won the final here in 1971, were straight on the attack to force a corner.
Not for the first time this season, Spurs defended a set-piece feebly. On the edge of the penalty area, Alli lost De Jong, attempting briefly to pull him back by the shirt before deciding to let him go. His efforts to recover were foiled when he was blocked by Nick Viergever.
By the time De Jong, scorer of the late equaliser in Eindhoven two weeks ago, sprang to meet Gaston Pereiro’s corner he was all alone and easily able to direct a firm header which offered Gazzaniga no chance.
Amid all the issues swirling around Pochettino, such as delays to the new stadium, interest from Real Madrid and an absence of new signings, there is this glaring footballing problem. Nine of the 22 goals scored against his team have come from set-pieces and they have conceded eight headed goals.
As the Dutch champions and nearly 5,000 of their rowdy supporters celebrated the early De Jong strike, Pochettino tapped furiously at an iPad where the PSV set-piece routines would be stored. Tottenham at least summoned a positive response. Christian Eriksen fired wide and full back Angelino cleared from the goal line as Alli flicked with his heel at a header by Davinson Sanchez.
Kane forced Jeroen Zoet into a save and Lucas Moura dribbled deep into the PSV penalty area before he was smothered to a halt by blue shirts.
Zoet made a very impressive double block to deny first Eriksen and then Alli, although both efforts might have been finished more clinically rather than fired into the body of the goalkeeper.
Toby Alderweireld released Alli and a neat first touch brought the ball down but again he failed to connect sweetly with his finish and Zoet scrambled across to save.
Tottenham did not threaten Zoet’s goal in the same way after
the interval as PSV defended the edge of their penalty box.
Moura was sacrificed to throw in- form Lamela into the fray. Fernando Llorente and Kieran Trippier followed from the bench.
Kane found a way through with 11 minutes remains, driving low past Zoet with his left foot after a knock-down from Llorente.
The winner was a header from a cross by Ben Davies which took two deflections, the second decisive one off substitute Trent Sainsbury on its way past Zoet.
Not pretty but so important.