Soldado’s 1st official goal for Spurs
The mighty Spurs started the season with an away win. The win is a morale boosting victory as we have yet to find compatibility with 4 new faces in the team. Paulinho, Nacer Chadli and Roberto Soldado all started the game with Ettiene Capoue coming in the second half.
Debutant Nacer Chadli against Joel Ward
There were slight injury concerns, as a few players were seen limping. Jan Verthonghen especially, who somehow managed to play the whole 90 minutes. Danny Rose too had to be replaced by Younes Kaboul, who is back after a long layoff.
My personal Man Of The Match, Hugo Lloris.
We didn’t play relatively well, but a win is a win. The 3 points are vital. I certainly hope the momentum will build up from here and look forward to see us challenge for the title. Come On You Spurs!
Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris – 9 – Brilliant performance. Led the backline well and stopped Palace from scoring in two or three occasions.
Kyle Walker – 8 – He looks like he is back after a lackluster season. Defended well, and his runs troubled the Palace players.
Michael Dawson – 8 – Captain Fantastic came up with the goods again and was completely solid at the back. Daws was keen to get on the ball to launch his signature counter-attacking cross-field passes and made an outstanding 75 touches in the game.
Jan Vertonghen – 9 – Stellar game from SuperJan who had a quite brilliant pass success rate of 97%. Tackled, headed and brought the ball out from the back with ease and grace. His ball through to Defoe after an interception adequately summed up this excellent display.
Danny Rose – 7 – Similar story with Rose again – looked promising going forward, but gave away needless free kicks in dangerous areas. His pace evidently helped our backline out and hopefully he can kick on if given a run in the team.
Paulinho – 8 – Covered every blade of grass and a hardworking player. Knew when to play it simple and knew when to drive forward and support our attack. Had a passing accuracy rate of 91%.
Mousa Dembele – 6 – Had a relatively quiet game for his standards. Replaced mid way in the second half.
Aaron Lennon – 7 – Looked energetic and lively on the wing, but still struggled to pick the right ball when played in behind his full back. The Palace LB, Moxey had the better of him, and of course we have seen a better Aaron Lennon.
Nacer Chadli – 7 – Not really there yet, but showed glimpses of what he is actually capable of. Played much better in the second half. Cant wait to see him in action soon.
Gylfi Sigurdsson – 7 – Showed hunger throughout the game, but missed 2 goal scoring opportunities in the second half. Could have contributed more.
Roberto Soldado – 8 – A wonderful start for his Spurs career with a goal. Led the line well and dropped deep when required to increase his involvement in the game. Made 41 touches in the 90 minutes and all possessed finesse and class. No doubt with the penalty – first of many goals we hope.
Substitutions
Etienne Capoue – 8 – An impressive display from the debutant. Bossed the midfield, tackled well and created chances upfront. French media labeled him as an outstanding midfield player with the ability to defend and attack.
Jermain Defoe – 7 – Unlucky to not have scored, but he looked lively and ‘in the mood’.
Younes Kaboul – 6.5 – Brought on to counter Palace playing the long ball in the dying minutes. Brilliant to see him back on the pitch.
