da gbg bet： Tottenham Hotspur picked up a hard earned victory against Middlesbrough in Saturday’s evening kick-off to keep pace with Chelsea’s victory over Arsenal earlier in the day.
da bwin： Mauricio Pochettino’s side found it tough to break down Boro across the ninety minutes and required a second half penalty to see off Aitor Karanka’s side. Still, three points are three points and Spurs appear to be the last team standing in terms of being close enough to Chelsea to still mount a title challenge.
It was massively important the Spurs picked up victory given they dropped points mid-week and fans will be hoping they can now go on an extended winning run and do everything they can to try and somehow peg Chelsea back.
Middlesbrough will have regrets they couldn’t pick up a point, so close to holding Spurs to a draw with only one lapse in concentration denying them a result to bring back to the North East.
Here are FIVE things we learned from Saturday’s match…
Middlesbrough are a tough nut to crack
Middlesbrough offered a resolute performance throughout the 90 minutes with even the free-flowing Spurs unable to break them down for the most part.
Karanka put out a team with organisation and determination and in a way were unlucky not to bring a point back north with them. Spurs did create a few chances but nothing Victor Valdes couldn’t deal with.
If not for one moment in the second half where Son Heung-min got the better of his opponent in the box, Boro would be celebrating a very creditable point.
Despite being just one point away from the relegation zone, that resolute defending should give them a big chance to escape the drop come May.
Davies can step up in place of Rose
With Danny Rose having to see a knee specialist to determine how bad his injury is, Ben Davies will be called upon in the coming weeks to perform on the left hand side of the Spurs defence.
The Lilywhites’ wing-backs have been a massive part of their recent good form so it’s vital that Ben Davies is able to step up and fill Rose’s boots. He didn’t look out of place against Boro, showing he’ll be comfortable performing dual duties of defence and attack.
No-one really excelled in a Spurs shirt so when the entire team are clicking it’ll be interesting to see if he can reach the performance levels of Rose before his injury.
Spurs are capable of grinding it out
Everyone knows that on their day Spurs can produce thrilling attacking football and dismantle teams almost at will but the match against Middlesbrough was a good chance for them to show they can also grind three points out when they are not performing well.
That’s just as important a component to a team’s season if they are serious about finishing towards the top end of the table and it’ll be a heartening thing for their supporters to see.
There’ll be plenty more occasions they turn on the style but they need to ensure that when they aren’t they are still winning and on Saturday they did that.
They’ll probably finish 2nd
With Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City recently falling away, Spurs are the last team standing when it comes to challenging Chelsea.
Spurs are in great form and if they keep it up they’ll probably finish second. That would be a big achievement and also their highest finishing position in the top-flight since 1963. If Pochettino achieves that it gives them a great chance to push on further next year and edge closer to securing a famous league title.
The Lilywhites now face a massive encounter against Liverpool at Anfield next week. If they can come through that one with a victory they’ll only consolidate their position further. Given the form Liverpool are currently in, you wouldn’t bet against Pochettino’s men doing that.
Victor Valdes is still a smashing ‘keeper
Victor Valdes is rolling back the years this season at Middlesbrough and showed again at White Heart Lane he is still a smashing ‘keeper at the top level. The Barcelona legend made four saves across the 90 minutes and was well on his way to keeping a clean sheet before his defence conceded the penalty that Harry Kane stuck away.
Middlesbrough have conceded fewer goals this season than any other team outside of the top 7 and Valdes has been a big part of that.
If they can start adding goals to their game they should see themselves move well clear of relegation danger.