Spurs 3 - 0 HullTwo-goal Christian Eriksen inspires Tottenham to victory over Hull City
Home team scorersChristian Eriksen 14
Christian Eriksen 63
Victor Wanyama 73
Christian Eriksen might have departed White Hart Lane with the match-ball and only the width of a post denied him what would have been the first hat-trick of his club career. It was the lone complaint for him on what was a near-perfect night, as he and Tottenham Hotspur recovered a little of their rhythm.
The north London club had needed a response to Sunday’s defeat at Manchester United and Eriksen was the orchestrator of it. Apart from a wobble at the start of the second-half, they were too good for a Hull City team that once again looked too passive away from home, where they have now lost six on the spin.
Eriksen scored twice and they were similar goals, following balls up the channels and low crosses from the full-backs, and he thought he had completed the hat-trick with a trademark free-kick on 73 minutes. The Hull goalkeeper, David Marshall, pawed the ball onto the inside of the post and Victor Wanyama followed up to lash into the empty net. Eriksen now has five goals in five appearances. Tottenham had what they wanted.
Mike Phelan had stuck with the three-man backline that he used in Saturday’s 3-3 home draw against Crystal Palace but the surprise was that Mauricio Pochettino also went with three in defence. Eric Dier returned to the starting XI, in the absence of the injured Mousa Dembélé, but not in the midfield role that he craves.
Clearly, Pochettino does not want to partner him with Victor Wanyama in the middle of the pitch and, instead, he used Eriksen alongside the Kenyan, with Dier on the right side of the back three. The idea was to provide the platform for the full-backs, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, to bomb forward, something that is fundamental to Pochettino’s approach but has been absent, at times, over recent weeks.
After 14 minutes, Rose got around the back of the Hull defence and, seconds later, Tottenham were in front. The initial floated ball up the channel had come from Jan Vertonghen and, when Rose jinked inside Ahmed Elmohamady, all too easily, and rolled back for Eriksen, he crashed his shot high past David Marshall. Pochettino gave a thumbs up from the touchline. The statistics showed that Tottenham had completed 30 passes in the build-up but it was only Vertonghen’s that got them motoring.
Phelan had stressed the need for Hull to “take part in the game higher up the pitch” but there were only flashes from them in an attacking sense during the first-half. Jake Livermore worked Hugo Lloris after 25 minutes and, shortly afterwards, from Andrew Robertson’s dangerous cross, he extended the Spurs goalkeeper more fully.
It was Tottenham who called the tune, with Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli prominent in support of Harry Kane. Sissoko had been recalled to the line-up and he caught the eye with some rampaging runs. Alli was all slippery menace, impressing with his touch and he forced Marshall into a smart low save on 35 minutes.
Tottenham enjoyed themselves up to the interval and they appealed in vain for a penalty when Eriksen’s shot hit Harry Maguire’s arm. There was also the moment when Vertonghen stormed over halfway and into the area, finding the space for a shot inside the area. It was blocked by Michael Dawson.
It was curious to see Tottenham experience an attack of the jitters early in the second-half. Their control had been almost total but Walker got away with an unwise lunge inside his own area and Wanyama was almost robbed as he attempted to play out from the back.
When Wanyama side-footed weakly at Marshall after a shooting chance had opened up, the home crowd chuntered. He also played a loose pass back to Toby Alderweireld while he trod on Robert Snodgrass. For a short spell, Wanyama found himself under an uncomfortable spotlight.
Hull had their big moment when Livermore got forward on the break, after Eriksen had appealed for a penalty following a challenge from Robertson, and he saw his first shot blocked. The follow-up was an even better chance but Lloris stuck out a boot to save.
Pochettino made an immediate change, swapping Harry Winks for Alli and pressing Eriksen further forward. Moments later, the Dane had scored again, following a Dier chip forward and Walker’s low cross, and it was Wanyama who added the gloss to the scoreline.
Guardian