A wonderful team goal finished off by Ryan Mason gave Tottenham Hotspur their first win of the season away at bottom of the table Sunderland.
Strong finish gets Spurs the points
Spurs had struggled for much of this game, and their desperation shone through as both teams chased a first victory. However, a really strong showing in the last 20 minutes managed to push them over the line. The crucial moment came in the 82nd minute when three players carved the Sunderland defence wide open.
Goalscorer Mason started the move by playing the ball into Harry Kane's feet, who laid it back for substitute Erik Lamela. He then played it through the middle for the young England midfielder who had continued his run, and he managed to prod the ball past Costel Pantilimon. Mason was injured after the Romanian caught him on the way through but the ball snuck into the bottom left corner regardless.
It would not have been deserved but Spurs could have put a more flattering gloss on the scoreline as they began to get a lot of openings against a deflated defence. Kane had the best of these just four minutes after the goal when replacement Andros Towsend slid him in on the right side of the box, but his powerful effort was well saved and then Nacer Chadli fired over at the death.
Lucky breaks at the back
Sunderland had the better of this game in parts in and probably should have scored. Tottenham's luck was in though, as both the bar and the post denied their hosts. The best chance came in the first half when a fantastic ball from Jermain Lens split the Spurs' centre-backs, who trailed behind former hero Jermain Defoe. He went through on goal but did not get a good connection and the ball hit the foot of the left post.
Then, much later in the game just after Spurs had scored, the woodwork came to their rescue once again. Another former Lillywhite was involved as Younes Kaboul drove down the right side and pulled the ball back for late substitute Jack Rodwell. His first-time shot swept the ball across goal, only to see it come back off the face of the bar with Hugo Lloris well beaten.
Big relief but still lots to work on
Spurs can probably count themselves a tad fortunate to walk away from the North East with all three points as, overall, they did not play well.
Although there were some positives with Erik Lamela and Andros Towsend making an impact off the bench, they may have forced themselves into Mauricio Pochettino's thoughts to consider them for their next outing.
New signing Heung-Min Son struggled and along with Mason's injury, there will be plenty to ponder but, for now, Spurs can breathe easier with this monkey off their back.