Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Sheffield United: 5 talking points as Gareth Bale hat-trick floors the Blades | Premier League 2020-21

#3 Should John Fleck have been sent off?

John Fleck might've been red-carded for a stamp on Giovani Lo Celso but got away with it.

It was probably a good thing that Tottenham Hotspur ran out comfortable winners on the night. Had Sheffield United managed to take anything from the game, an incident early in the second half would’ve become even more controversial.

The incident in question saw Sheffield United’s John Fleck appear to stamp on the head of Giovani Lo Celso as the Argentine was on the ground following a tackle.

Replays seemed to show that Fleck could easily have avoided the contact with Lo Celso’s head, meaning the incident was violent conduct and should’ve seen Fleck sent off. However, VAR somehow decided that the contact was accidental and allowed Fleck to continue.

Lo Celso, meanwhile, was substituted later in the half and sat in the dugout with an ice pack attached to his head. How VAR reached that conclusion is perplexing, particularly given that the likes of Fabian Balbuena have been sent off for a far lesser 'offence' during the current season.

The incident on Sunday was yet another black mark on the Premier League’s use of VAR, and surely the system needs to be reviewed before next season.

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#4 Will Tottenham Hotspur bring Gareth Bale back next season?

Gareth Bale has been Tottenham Hotspurs' go-to man against the lesser teams this season.

Gareth Bale had an absolute stormer against Sheffield United, scoring a hat-trick to take his total for the season to a respectable 14 goals, with nine of them coming in the Premier League.

However, despite Bale taking his goals brilliantly – just as he has done whenever he has scored for Tottenham Hotspur this season – it’s worth noting that the Welshman has only scored against weaker opponents this season.

His goals in the Premier League have come against Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Southampton and now Sheffield United – all sides languishing in the bottom half of the table.

However, having a player who is essentially the ultimate flat-track bully is quite a coup in the Premier League these days, particularly for a side like Tottenham Hotspur, who have struggled to put opponents away at times. So would Tottenham Hotspur look to bring Bale back to North London next season?

With Jose Mourinho no longer at the helm, that's entirely possible. Tottenham Hotspur head honcho Daniel Levy loves Bale and was apparently buzzing after 'bringing him home' this season. Real Madrid certainly don’t appear to want the Welshman back as well.

Considering these facts, Tottenham Hotspur fans can probably expect to see Bale back next season and will hope to see him on the same form he was in against Sheffield United.

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#5 Harry Kane has a surprisingly poor outing

Harry Kane struggled to make an impact against Sheffield United tonight.

Tottenham Hotspur put on one of their better performances of the season to sweep Sheffield United aside, but surprisingly enough, their one weak link was arguably Harry Kane.

The leader in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot had a number of chances. But surprisingly, he failed to register himself on the scoresheet. In fact, the England captain had a total of six shots – more than that of any other player except Gareth Bale, who scored a hat-trick.

Just one of Kane's six attempts were on target, with three missing their mark and the other two getting blocked. Obviously, every player is entitled to the odd bad game, however great they are. This was probably Kane’s worst showing in a Spurs win this season, and it’s likely he’ll be back to his best against Leeds.

But it’s also hard not to wonder whether Kane’s head isn’t spinning right now due to all the speculation over his future. Tottenham Hotspur fans will be hoping that isn’t the case, but only time will tell, for sure.