Terrific Tottenham trio too good for below-par Baggies.
SEE ALSO: (Video) West Brom 0-3 Tottenham Premier League Highlights: In-Form Striker Harry Kane Bags Brace.
Tottenham Hotspur recorded their biggest away win of the season on Saturday, as a brilliant Christian Eriksen free-kick and a Harry Kane brace saw off West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Hawthorns.
Eriksen broke the deadlock on seven minutes, before Kane latched onto a Mousa Dembele pass to double Tottenham’s advantage just before the quarter hour.
Kane then completed the comfortable victory in the second half with a firmly-struck penalty kick.
Here’s how Mauricio Pochettino’s men rated:
GK: Hugo Lloris – 8/10
Lloris had been rested in Tottenham’s three games prior to this clash. However, there were no signs of rustiness. The Frenchman made two superb saves in the first half, keeping out efforts from James Morrison and Claudio Yacob.
RB: Kyle Walker – 7/10
Walker spent much of the match effectively playing as a right winger, such was Tottenham’s possessional dominance. He looked sharp on and off the ball. Based on today’s showing, he is back to full fitness.
LB: Danny Rose – 7.5/10
Confident in possession and solid in defence. Rose won a couple of physical tussles against Saido Berahino. He also made an excellent goal-line clearance.
CB: Federico Fazio – 7/10
Playing against the pace of Berahino, this could have been a very difficult afternoon for Fazio, but he had pretty good game. His positioning should be applauded.
CB: Jan Vertonghen – 7/10
No errors from the big Belgian, who seemed very comfortable alongside Fazio.
CM: Ryan Mason – 7/10
Another high-energy display from the 23-year-old, who helped Spurs boss the midfield for the 74 minutes he was on the pitch. Mason was replaced by Benjamin Stambouli for the final quarter of an hour.
CM: Paulinho – 7/10
Considering this was his first Premier League start of the season, Paulinho did a good job. His passing was sharp, so was his movement.
AM: Erik Lamela – 7/10
Made plenty of pretty touches and finished the match with a higher pass completion rate than any other starter. Still, it would be nice to see him produce more chances.
AM: Mousa Dembele – 7.5/10
Only played for 61 minutes, before making way for Nacer Chadli, but Dembele was much livelier that usual. He assisted Kane’s first goal with a lovely through pass.
AM: Christian Eriksen – 8/10
Broke the deadlock with a stunning free-kick for the second game in a row. Eriksen played a key role in the move which led to Tottenham winning a penalty too, feeding the overlapping Walker, who saw his cross handled by Joleon Lescott.
ST: Harry Kane – 9/10
Ran his socks yet again. Kane is about much more than hard work though. He oozes class and confidence right now. His powerful finish for his first goal was superb, and his low penalty was unstoppable.
Subs:
Nacer Chadli – 5.5/10
The game was pretty much dead and buried when Chaldi came on, but getting 30 minutes under his belt, after missing Tottenham’s last four games on compassionate leave, will have done him a lot of good.
Benjamin Stambouli – 6.5/10
Kept Tottenham’s midfield tough until the final whistle, giving West Brom very little hope of staging a comeback.
Roberto Soldado – 5.5/10
Had just nine touches during a five-minute cameo. Most of them were ok. One was awful.
