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In what was a tough game to watch at the Hawthorns today, Tottenham Hotspur managed to overcome West Bromwich Albion 0-1. It took until the 88th minute for Tottenham to make their breakthrough, but the scorer's identity was no surprise.
Harry Kane rose to head home a Matt Doherty cross, claiming all three points for Tottenham to send them top of the Premier League table. Prior to the goal, it’d been a frustrating match for Jose Mourinho’s men, who found it hard to break down an overly physical West Brom outfit.
Here are five talking points from Tottenham’s 0-1 win over West Brom.
#1 Harry Kane rises to the occasion for Tottenham again
For a long while, it looked like this game would be a massively frustrating draw for Tottenham. Jose Mourinho’s men struggled to find traction throughout, despite bossing possession, and time after time West Brom’s defenders put their bodies on the line to prevent goals.
They did such a good job, in fact, that Tottenham had just two shots on target in the entire match.
Even Mourinho’s positive substitutions – he sent on Giovani Lo Celso, Lucas Moura, and Carlos Vinicius – didn’t really help matters. Just when it looked like time was running out, though, Harry Kane rose to the occasion once again to bail his side out and claim three points for them.
Kane had barely had a sniff of goal throughout the entire game, seeing his shots blocked for the most part. But when he stole some space between West Brom’s defenders and keeper Sam Johnstone, he was never going to miss. Sure enough, the England captain flicked a header into the net to win the day.
The goal was Kane’s 150th in the Premier League, and incredibly, it was his 13th goal of 2020-21 in just 14 matches. Right now, there’s no player in the Premier League on better form than the Tottenham striker, and he’s leading the title charge for Mourinho’s side.
#2 Can West Brom’s Burnley impression be enough to save them?
If you’d disguised West Brom’s players to make them anonymous today, you’d have been forgiven for thinking Tottenham were actually facing off with Burnley. The game was a hard watch for both Tottenham fans and neutrals, and that was all down to the hosts.
Slaven Bilic’s side were overly physical from the off, being all too willing to simply barge Tottenham’s players off the ball at times. When the final whistle went, they’d conceded a total of 17 fouls. However, they’d also only allowed Spurs a total of two shots on target throughout the entire game.
While this style didn’t pay off today thanks to Harry Kane’s last-gasp goal, on another day, the Baggies could easily have claimed a point, if not more, from this game. And given that they’re yet to win in the Premier League this season, every point has to count.
So can the Baggies blend this physical, defensive style with the attacking talents of Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira, who was absent today? It’s hard to say, but if they can, there may well be hope for them yet.
#3 Eric Dier continues to grow into his role as a center-back for Tottenham
When Eric Dier made a positional switch last season, playing as a center-back rather than a defensive midfielder, plenty of people asked questions. And to be fair, while the England man did well in plenty of games, he also made a handful of costly errors for Tottenham.
As the current season moves on, though, Dier seems to be growing more and more into his new role. Today’s match was perhaps his most impressive to date. Paired alongside the veteran Toby Alderweireld at the heart of the Tottenham defense, Dier effectively shut West Brom’s attacks down, restricting them to only half-chances throughout the game.
Dier won six aerial duels during the game, more than any other player on the pitch, and was never beaten in the air. He also made seven clearances, one interception, and kept a high pass success rate of 75%.
The partnership of Dier and Alderweireld might not be perfect for every game – the duo lack raw pace – but against a physical side like West Brom today, they were brilliant. Harry Kane might win the plaudits for his goal, but Dier was arguably Tottenham’s Man of the Match.
#4 Can Tottenham keep their momentum going against better teams?
When today’s game was all said and done, Tottenham moved to the top of the Premier League table. They’re now relying on both Liverpool and Leicester City failing to win in order to stay there. But with those two sides facing Manchester City and Wolves respectively, there’s every chance that the results go right for Jose Mourinho’s side.
So can Tottenham now go on to mount a real title challenge? It definitely feels possible. They haven’t lost since their opening day defeat to Everton, they have the best goal difference in the league, they’re on a three-match winning streak, and their new signings seem to be settling in well.
The big test, though, will come after the upcoming international break. Tottenham face off with Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool in quick succession – all while having to continue their Europa League campaign.
However, Mourinho seems to be turning Tottenham into one of those sides who can grind out results even when they’re not playing well. And against sides who will actually look to attack them, Spurs could make the most of their deadly counter-attack.
If Tottenham can come through that run of games relatively unscathed – even if they don’t win them all – then it’ll be fair to call them genuine title challengers.
#5 Do Tottenham need an injection of creativity – and could Dele provide it?
One thing that was notable today was that Tottenham struggled to break down a deep-lying, defensive side once again. Sure, they won in the end, but it was very close to call, and they left it very late before Harry Kane’s winner.
The game was, in fact, very similar to Tottenham’s 0-1 win over Burnley last month, when Son Heung-min headed a winner with just under 15 minutes remaining.
So how do they go about breaking down sides who aren’t really going to push forward and allow them to counter? Jose Mourinho has thus far used either Tanguy Ndombele or Giovani Lo Celso as his main creative hub. However, neither man is a classic playmaker in the sense that former star Christian Eriksen was.
So, could the role be tailor-made for a rejuvenated Dele Alli? Dele is seemingly out of favor with Mourinho at the minute after some poor performances. But the truth is that – as he proved in the Portuguese’s early days at the club – he’s still capable of brilliance on his day.
Mourinho has never outright frozen Dele out, which suggests that like Ndombele before him, there might still be a way back. If the England star can work his way back into his boss’s good books, perhaps it could be the key to breaking down stubborn defenses later in the season – allowing Tottenham to win more important matches.
