Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane were amongst the scorers as Tottenham Hotspur eased to a 4-1 victory against Sunderland on Saturday, despite them having gone behind.
Differing fortunes in recent weeks
Despite starting the weekend in fourth place, Tottenham had yet to win a game in 2016, suffering a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of joint league leaders Leicester City in midweek .
Struggling Sunderland, on the other hand, made the long trip to North London having picked up a vital three points at Swansea City in the week. Jermain Defoe scoring his ninth hat-trick in his career ahead of this weekend’s fixture against his former side.
With Sam Allardyce setting his side up with Defoe just behind Danny Graham up front, the Black Cats aimed to go long when possible and counter attack at speed with Adam Johnson on the wing.
After a frustrating opening period for the home side, the visitors took the lead when Patrick Van Aanholt raced onto a Johnson through ball to fire past Hugo Lloris in the home goal.
The lead didn’t last long, however, with Christian Eriksen firing level just minutes later when his deflected shot off Lee Cattermole beat Jordan Pickford, making his Premier League debut, in the Sunderland net.
Having switched things around in the second half, taking off Graham for debutant Jan Kirchoff, Allardyce was left to rue his lack of attacking options when Mousa Dembélé scored on his return to the starting line up from injury.
Eriksen added his second, and Tottenham’s third, when his long range strike deflected in off Kirchoff this time. The former Bayern Munich man’s debut went from bad to worse when he fouled Danny Rose in his area with ten minutes remaining, gifting Harry Kane the chance to score his fifteenth goal of the season which he confidently put away. Here's how we rated the Spurs players.
'Keeper and defence
Hugo Lloris: Had relatively little to do in the contest, left helpless by the strike by Van Aanholt in the first half and looked assured otherwise when called into action by a Defoe effort. 7
Kieran Trippier: Deputising for the rested Kyle Walker, the former Burnley man looked more comfortable than his teammate did against Leicester on Wednesday night. Putting in a number of dangerous crosses for Kane throughout, Trippier will be hopeful of cementing the right back slot as the season progresses. 7
Toby Alderweireld: The former Southampton star continued to show why he is one of the signings of the season so far. Dealing comfortably with the unique threat of Defoe, the Belgian international has built a formidable partnership with Jan Vertonghen at the back for Spurs. 8
Jan Vertonghen: Having struggled with inconsistency in recent seasons, thanks to constant rotation of his centre back partners, Vertonghen is back to his best alongside his former Ajax teammate. Having conceded a league low of 18 goals so far this season, Tottenham’s back four looks considerably more assured with the two Belgians at the back together. 7
Danny Rose: With Ben Davies falling victim of Pochettino’s rotation policy, Rose stepped in to offer more of a threat going forward. Winning the penalty in the second half after being fouled by Kirchoff, Rose is undoubtably an impressive full back but his final ball and decision making continues to let him down at times. 7
Midfield and attack
Eric Dier: The recent England debutant continues to go from strength to strength in the middle of the park for Tottenham. Breaking up play whenever necessary and helping his side build out from the back, Dier wasn’t overly worked as Sunderland looked to bypass the middle of the park whenever they could with Graham and Defoe up top. 7
Mousa Dembélé: With Alderweireld, Kane and Alli taking many of the plaudits this season, Dembélé looks to be the one player Tottenham just cannot live without. Having been absent for both recent defeats to Newcastle United and Leicester, the former Fulham man seamlessly stepped back into the starting line up, making all those around him look more confident in the process. 8
Erik Lamela: Coming close to opening the scoring in the first half, with an effort which curled just wide of Pickford’s post, the Argentine international had a decent game before being replaced by Onomah in the second half. With Lamela, Alli and Eriksen constantly switching positions on the pitch, Lamela can look lost at times. The work rate of the former Roma man cannot be denied, however, and the high pressing game of Tottenham does usually begin with Lamela. 7
Dele Alli: Having gone from a League One player to the star in a top four Premier League side, Alli seems to have more pressure on his young shoulders as the weeks go by. Sacrificed in the first half so that Eriksen could move into his more favoured central position, Alli doesn’t look as effective out on the wing. The former MK Dons man could have scored with a header in the second half and could arguably do with a rest against Leicester in mid-week. 6
Christian Eriksen: Having struggled in recent weeks, spending much of his time out on the left wing where he is arguably less effective than the middle, the young Dane was back to his influential best as he brought his tally to six goals for the season. Despite being a bit fortunate with both his strikes taking decisive deflections, Eriksen looked positive on the ball and will be hoping to build on this performance in the coming weeks. 9
Harry Kane: Like Alli, Kane could perhaps do with a rest but being the only recognised striker at the club, he is having to play as much as possible. With a new striker being a likely signing in the January window, Kane may be getting a rest soon but added to his goal scoring tally once again from the penalty spot. Tucking the ball into the corner with little hesitation, the England striker has now scored 11 goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances. 7
Substitutes
Josh Onomah: Making his eleventh appearance of the season so far, the 18 year old England youth international ensured Lamela had the last fifteen minutes to rest ahead of an FA Cup replay against Leicester on Wednesday evening. 6
Tom Carroll: Replaced the returning Dembélé, Carroll had started the last few matches in the Belgians absence and will have been happy to have been involved once again in his breakthrough season for his boyhood side. N/A
Heung-Min Son: Came on late in play to give Kane a few minutes rest, the Korean international had little to do as Tottenham played out the last few moments comfortably. N/A
Tricky away fixtures ahead for Spurs
Following consecutive home league games for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, taking three points in the process, they face three difficult looking away trips in the coming weeks.
An FA Cup third round replay away to Leicester awaits them on Wednesday night before two away matches against Crystal Palace and Norwich City back in league action.
With a top four finish a real possibility, and January additions likely, the next two weeks could prove to be pivotal in defining the 2015-16 season for Tottenham Hotspur.