Tottenham Hotspur’s Ryan Mason downs Sunderland but needs stretcher
Sunderland 0 - 1 SpursRyan Mason 82
For much of the afternoon Mauricio Pochettino’s players performed with the heavy legs and foggy brains of a team who had been required to complete the Great North Run before kick-off.
Travelling fans could have been forgiven for feeling they had endured a mental half-marathon of their own by the 76th minute when Eric Dier’s header forced Costel Pantilimon into a save. It was his side’s first effort on target.
A switch belatedly flicked, Ryan Mason then scored an excellent winner, rather out of sync with what had gone before, to earn Tottenham a first Premier League win of the season.
Slightly unlucky here, Sunderland are still waiting for theirs but, despite this latest setback, a refreshingly attractive display from Dick Advocaat’s radically remodelled side was much improved on previous weeks. Indeed it contained cause for cautious optimism that relegation can be avoided after all.
Remarkably, no one at Spurs had realised that on Sunday was Great North Run day and they unwisely spent Saturday night at a hotel in Newcastle before arriving at the ground later than planned after being forced to take a lengthy diversion.
“We got there in the end,” said Pochettino. “The goal showed our philosophy, how we want to play. It was fantastic.” His side – who have parted company with Emmanuel Adebayor by “mutual consent” – improved considerably after the introduction of Andros Townsend and Érik Lamela but the need for such changes can be construed as a compliment to Sunderland.
“Disappointing but I’m not disappointed in how we played, I think we could see a very big difference,” said Advocaat. “If we keep going this way, we’ll pick up points.”
Out went the Dutchman’s previously preferred 4-3-3 formation to be replaced by a 4-4-1-1 system featuring Jermain Defoe in the central striking role supported by Ola Toivonen. This represented quite a volte-face, Sunderland’s manager having previously insisted Defoe belonged in a wide role these days.
While Fabio Borini played his first game back on Wearside after a £7m move from Liverpool wide on the left, Advocaat’s team-sheet proved politically freighted with Lee Catttermole dropped to the bench along with his fellow “old guard” members Jack Rodwell and Sebastian Larsson. Deployed in Cattermole’s place, Yann M’Vila more than vindicated his manager’s faith.
Pochettino refrained from similarly bold statement making. His principal change involved introducing Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s £22m signing from Bayer Leverkusen, in a right sided attacking capacity.
Spurs might have had a second-minute penalty but Patrick van Aanholt escaped unpunished after a clumsy challenge on Kyle Walker. Yet if Sunderland were sporadically troubled by the wonderfully talented Dele Alli – the moment when he confounded the backtracking Borini courtesy of a back heel and a nutmeg proved particularly memorable – the best first-half chance fell to Defoe.
Connecting with a fabulous through-ball from Jeremain Lens, the former Spurs striker accelerated beyond the visiting defence and, having taken a steadying touch, unleashed a low shot which confounded Hugo Lloris before coming back off a post.
Clearly relishing playing off Toivonen, Defoe was enjoying himself and the moment he turned Toby Alderweireld with consummate ease before shooting off target, albeit while having his shirt pulled, emphasised his enduring suitability for a central brief.
Not that locals were entirely optimistic. The protracted spells when Pochettino’s players passed the ball around Sunderland for fun could not be ignored. The Londoners’ problem was that they came over all stodgy when it mattered. Fears that they were incapable of finishing what they had started merely intensified when neat work from Nacer Chadli created a most inviting close-range chance for Son. Embarrassingly the new boy got his feet in an awful tangle and miscued.
The overall lack of visiting invention when it came to the final ball was such that John O’Shea and the Spurs old boy Younès Kaboul, at times appeared Champions League class – well, almost.
Ryan Mason is carried off during after scoring Tottenham Hotspur’s winner at Sunderland Facebook Twitter Pinterest
They were out-foxed when Alli’s skill prefaced a splendid cross but Harry Kane failed to react fast enough and could not quite get there. If it was not Kane’s day, Townsend, on for Son, caused Van Aanholt all sorts of problems but, still, Spurs could not break the impasse.
At least that was the case until a gorgeously geometric passing sequence ended with Mason and Lamela combining cleverly to bisect Sunderland’s defence. Smartly defying an offside flag, Mason advanced to chip the on-rushing Pantilimon, injuring a knee in the process.
The scorer left on a stretcher and Rodwell struck wood before time ran out. “We didn’t get the point we deserved,” said Advocaat. “But I think we’ve found an attractive way of playing.”
Man of the match Yann M’Vila (Sunderland)
Guardian