Tottenham vs Hull City: Lady luck shines on lacklustre Spurs

Roberto Soldado

There is a familiarity to this Tottenham side. After going the whole of last season without picking up a single penalty and relying on the wonder goals of Gareth Bale in tricky games where creative inspiration was lacking, this season Spurs have now been awarded 3 spot-kicks, each of which has won them a game by a 1-0 scoreline. Again, Roberto Soldado slotted in from 12 yards to gain his side a narrow victory, but this could well be the most fortunate 3 points André Villas-Boas’ side obtain all season.

A resolute Hull side set up with 5 at the back and 4 in midfield, looking to crowd central areas in a way West Ham did so effectively in their 3-0 win last time Spurs played at White Hart Lane. The home team, after a long trip to Moldova in midweek Europa League action, looked jaded and uninspired as the clock ticked past the 75-minute mark without a goal.

Frustration built around the stadium and filtered through to the players, who themselves became increasingly rushed in their play. The ‘joke decision’, as Steve Bruce called it, came in the 80th minute when Ahmed Elmohamady was harshly penalised for a handball from point-blank range to deny Hull a hard-earned point. Credit should be given to Soldado, however, who again held his nerve, this time in an even more tense atmosphere than when he scored penalties against Crystal Palace and Swansea early on in the campaign.

Bruce will rarely be called a genius with his tactics but it would be fair to say he got his just right here. A man down in central midfield meant Lewis Holtby found pockets of space to make the most key passes (3) on either side, but the extra man at the back meant that Soldado was isolated and crowded out time after time, and rarely threatened as a result.

Again, Tottenham’s inverted wingers did not work. Andros Townsend started on the right, with Aaron Lennon making only his second Premier League start of the season, this time from the left. He looked uncomfortable, though, coming off the flank to look for the ball and not suited to the tight situations that ensued, while Townsend showed sparks of life with 8 successful dribbles and 4 shots but, again, little in the way of end product. His cross that ended up in the back of Aston Villa’s net remains the only Premier League goal he has directly contributed to [scored or assisted] this season.

For the visitors, chances were few and far between, as expected, but the midfield looked lively and willing to sit back waiting for chances, and bomb forward on the counter whenever possible. Often those breaks resulted only in corners, but it was from such set-pieces that Hull looked most threatening.

The delivery of former-Spur Tom Huddlestone caused the home team real problems, and they struggled to clear their lines to the extent that at times their defending resembled something of a Sunday league team. The ball pinged around the area and could so easily have ended up in the net, but lady luck shone on the hosts as they escaped on each occasion with their goal unscathed.

Huddlestone ended the match by some distance Hull’s best player, with a WhoScored rating of 7.27, contributing more passes than any other teammate (41) and also so nearly scoring, with 2 drives from range that whistled past the frame of the goal.

The winning goal was Tottenham’s first in 260 minutes of Premier League action at White Hart Lane against Hull, and whilst that record is impressive in itself, it won’t make what was a harsh loss any easier to take for Steve Bruce and his men.