Stoke surrender at Spurs
Written By: Robert Halter
The writing was on the wall for Stoke City as Tottenham Hotspur had won each of their last three Premier League games against the Potters by a four goal winning margin. On nine minutes, a push in the back of Xherdan Shaqiri by Mousa Dembele, resulted in the Swiss playmaker taking the free kick and a cushioned header from Mame Biram Diouf was caught in the clutches of Hugo Lloris. Three minutes later from an assist by Ben Davies, a low drive by Heung-Min Son, went straight towards the Potters keeper, Jack Butland. In the thirteenth minute, after a push in the back of Harry Winks from Joe Allen, a free kick in by Christian Eriksen, was cut out from Stoke captain, Ryan Shawcross. Then from a dangerous ball forward by Erisken on seventeen minutes, Shawcross made a lunging clearance to defuse the situation. But on twenty one minutes, Shawcross headed the ball into his own goal, when from a pass across by Dembele, a delivery on the left by Son, cannoned off Kurt Zouma and then Shawcross’s head and into the back of the net. In the twenty fifth minute, from a poorly taken corner by Shaqiri, the ball was won in the air by Son, who raced the length of the field before his low right footed strike was blocked with the feet of Butland. After Kevin Wimmer hacked down Dele Alli in the next two minutes, a curling free kick from Eriksen, was saved at the bottom left corner at full stretch by Butland, as he clawed the ball away. In the thirty second minute, after Winks set up Dembele, it took a reflex stop by Butland to keep out Dembele’s strike at goal. On thirty seven minutes, there was a glaring miss from Kane, as Dembele supplied Son, whose through ball beat the offside trap, before Kane drove ball past Butland and wide of the left post. In the forty first minute, after Shawcross failed to clear properly, a cross from Kieran Trippier on the right, was blazed over by Son. In the following three minutes, from another Trippier delivery, a shot by Kane, was scrambled back to Butland by a block from Shawcross. In the second half, on fifty eight minutes, Spurs doubled their advantage, as the ball was swung over from Winks, and an incisive pass down the middle from Alli, paved the way for Son, to drive the ball into the bottom right corner. The nerves were showing for Stoke, when from a back pass by Erik Pieters, a miss kick by Butland nearly let in Kane, before the ball went out of play. But the Potters hopes were short lived as from a deep high delivery by Davies, a downward header by Kane, crashed into the goal to give the Lilywhites a 3-0 lead on fifty four minutes. It was free and easy for Spurs, as Son found Dembele, who missed to the left which soon followed with an assist by Son, and a bending strike by Kane, missing the target. On sixty one minutes, Lloris made his first save to keep out a low drive by Shaqiri, who had collected a pass from Diouf. But Spurs grabbed a fourth as from Eriksen’s delivery, Son’s challenge deflected off Thomas Edwards and Kane drilled the ball into the bottom right corner, on sixty five minutes. Tottenham soon switched Alli with Erik Lamela, before the Potters brought on Peter Crouch for Edwards. On seventy three minutes, from Son’s low cross, the out stretched leg of Lamela, fired straight at Butland. It was five of the best a minute later, as Son opened the way for Eriksen, who drove the ball from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Stoke then changed Shaqiri with Geoff Cameron, before the Lilywhites replaced Winks with Moussa Sissoko and then the Potters took off Allen for Ibrahim Afellay. On eighty minutes, Stoke got a consolation goal when from a corner by Darren Fletcher, the ball was headed into the bottom right corner by Shawcross. Tottenham were close to adding six, as Son paved the way for Eriksen, whose strike was pushed away by Butland. Another substitution by Spurs saw Son taken off for Fernando Lorente. In the ninetieth minute, Butland made a close range stop to deny Kane a hat trick after Lamela’s over the top ball as Tottenham ran out 5-1 winners.