Previously v Tottenham Hotspur
RELIVE – Spurs v Watford: 11 first-half minutes prove the difference as Hornets battered
Watford well beaten by four-goal Spurs
Spurs’ third goal ‘cut our legs completely’
Mariappa was ‘one of the best today’
Tottenham kept up the pressure on leaders Chelsea with an impressive home victory over Watford, their sixth consecutive Premier League win. Watford had started brightly, but Dele Alli’s sumptuous strike – curled into the top corner after Son Heung-min’s pass – signalled their quick decline.
Tottenham kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea as they swept past Watford 4-0 at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
The traditional, daring swagger is intact and, with Harry Kane returning too, Tottenham can keep believing. They may be only on the edge of crazy, of greatness, but their tenacious presence just off the shoulder of Chelsea is still sufficient to keep the title race captivating. Perhaps the seven-point gap will not be bridged after all, with only seven games remaining – but this expected victory over Watford was their sixth successive win in the Premier League and the seventh in eight games.
Tottenham kept the pressure on league leaders Chelsea with a thrilling dispatch of London rivals Watford on Saturday afternoon at White Hart Lane, firing four past a side that struggled to match the quality and intensity of Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
The lunchtime kick-off meant an earlier than usual departure for a London game. I had arranged to meet my niece at Euston and decided to get an earlier train to give me time for a leisurely breakfast at Café Rouge (and very good it was too). When Amelia arrived, we got the tube to Seven Sisters before taking a walk in the sunshine up Tottenham High Road to the stadium. As we arrived at the security cordon outside the ground, there was a woman in front of us with a couple of children who had “Daddy 6” on the back of their shirts. How lovely to see Mariappa’s young family back in Watford kit.
In hindsight 4-0 was probably a little bit harsh.
However after the first goal went in Spurs’ quality shone almost as bright as the afternoon sun.
They were excellent and deserved their three points.
We’re at not at their level and so there’s no point dwelling on this defeat any longer.
clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary
Live coverage of Lloyd Doyley’s testimonial between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur.
A decent turnout for a pre-season game, it’s reasonable to suppose that few were left on the edge of their seats by the spectacle. That’s what pre-season games are like of course, the pace tends to be rather lacking irrespective of the score or the standard… but limited as the excitement was, we acquitted ourselves reasonably well in the first half.
