samesy.
With Norwich back at the bottom of the Premier League, this had the chance of being one of those Spursy games but in an almost replica of the previous league game, they scored and kept a clean sheet.
Just like the Brentford game Spurs helped the visitors have chances and those chances came early for Norwich, only a couple of minutes in when Pukki probably should have scored. Davies was getting praise later in the game but defensively he’s still a liability, as is Sanchez.
It wasn’t long after that nerves were settled. As with that previous game a goal came from the one moment of real class, the way that Spurs should play and the way you didn’t see them play for nearly the rest of the game.
How long have I been saying that Spurs need to play with pace, one touch, triangles, one/twos, pass and move? Ten minutes in and Moura played a one/two with himself, knocking the ball round the Norwich player and running around him, he knocked the ball off for a one/two with Son. It looked like he’d messed it up, with the ball getting stuck under his feet but cutting back he got space and then fired a shot from outside the D, into the top corner, that gave the keeper no chance.
A glorious goal. It was Moura’s first in the league since February. Only his third in any competition for the club since then. Yes, he gives his all but this just highlights how frustrating a player he is. This was so good, decisive, instinctive, exact, but for one moment of clarity you get game after game of headless chicken.
I said in the previous game, when Son scored from a great bit of play “you won’t see them doing it again this game”, this time I Tweeted as soon as the goal went in…
One touch… triangles… one twos… that's how to do it… what chance we don't see it again this game… #COYS #THFC
— Токсическая сеть (@Toxic_Web) December 5, 2021
Well, almost no chance. There was one moment later, a lot later. But for over an hour you didn’t see anything like that from the home team.
What you did see was them fannying about at the back, causing themselves problems, Norwich showing how bad their finishing is. More dithering up front from Spurs. Harry Kane missing chances he would have finished off any previous season. Moura playing a ball through to Kane, Tim Krul was well off his line and Kane tried the chip. Last season, the one before, any of them Kane is running away celebrating and it’s two nil. Not this season as it goes wide. When he did get a shot on target, Tim Krul was doing his best Tim Krul playing Spurs impersonation.
It was after the hour when the stadium felt the relief of that second goal. It came almost like the opener against Brentford. From a Son corner, Davies was fighting for the ball, the ball bounced off a Norwich player, where things changed and Sanchez banged in his fourth goal for the club. His first league goal since February 2019.
It took another ten minutes before the next bit of real good football. A one two between Davies and Skipp, saw wing-back run into the box and play the ball to Son, who worked himself some slight space before banging in the third.
It’s another win. It’s more than one goal scored – that goal difference is almost in positive figures – and a clean sheet. But a better team than Norwich, and Brentford before them, would have scored. Players and fans were bothered about Nuno picking one side for the league and one for the cup. Well, it’s the usual suspects for the league. Tanganga being the only change for the ill Royal, but will things chage with Reguilon going off injured and Tanganga being replaced by Doherty? I like Tanganga but does his central defender mentality stops him when going forward.
If only they could string more moments together like those that brought Son’s goal here and against Brentford, as well as Moura’s. Play like that more often, going forward and less fannying about…