Ange Postecoglou’s dream start continues with victory over London rivals
Things are falling into place perfectly for Ange Postecoglou.
I ordered my Christmas tree. I won’t be decorating it until December 8th though. I’m not a complete animalThe former England manager admitted that his opposite number’s successful start to life at Spurs had come as no surprise to him having previously locked horns when Postecoglou was in charge of Australia back in 2016. But despite still lacking the creativity of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, Hodgson had promised a response from his players against the league leaders.
Tottenham slowly found their feet, however, with one probing run down the left flank from James Maddison ending when his cross was cleared by Jefferson Lerma with Son Heung-min lurking. Despite one comical moment when he completely missed the ball as he attempted a cross to the delight of the home supporters, Sarr was particularly impressive in midfield as Spurs began to establish dominance.
Tottenham failed to muster a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes and Postecoglou responded to his side’s lacklustre performance by withdrawing Davies for Emerson Royal at the break. Hodgson had only tasted victory against Spurs once before in 20 previous Premier League meetings but must have sensed a real opportunity when Schlupp’s cross almost deflected into the path of Édouard.