The tumultuous 22/23 season has finally ended for Tottenham Hotspur as the Lilywhites played spoiler in Yorkshire by sending Leeds United down to the Championship with a 3-1 victory.
Dealing with highs and lows all season long, mainly lows, Spurs came into the season’s final game with a chance to not only send Leeds down but an opportunity to secure seventh and the Europa Conference League spot. (That would not happen as Aston Villa held on for a 2-1 win over Brighton).
Ninety seconds into possibly his last game with the club, Harry Kane bagged in a perfect strike thanks to passes from Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min to open the scoreline.
That goal marked Kane’s 29th of the Premier League season, something that’s seemingly gone under the radar because of Erling Haaland’s record-breaking season with the champions of Manchester City.
From then, it was all about defending as Leeds came forward in waves.
Using throw-ins and set pieces to try and find ways to level the scoreline, Spurs stood strong….even if shaky moments were coming from the defense.
Stop me if you’ve heard that this year.
Standing ground and working counter-attacks that might not have provided anything in the remainder of the first half, the start of the second half provided the nail in the coffin for Leeds.
Already scoring 90 seconds into the game, Spurs scored their second goal 79 seconds into the second half with a fantastic play from Kane.
Winning the ball at midfield with a flick around Liam Cooper, Kane took one touch before firing a pass for the streaking Porro down the right side. Seeing the ball come to him thanks to a poor clearance attempt by Pascal Struijk, Porro fired a shot across his body and into the back of the net for his third goal of the Premier League season.
Leeds brought Elland Road back to life as Jack Harrison fired a shot past the Spurs’ defense and put the game at 2-1 through the lumbering Fraser Forster.
But, Spurs played its style of counter-attacking football as a poor header by Cooper allowed Pape Sarr to win a header midfield and find Porro who dribbled to the middle of the final third and dished off a pass for Kane on his left. Taking one touch and not thinking twice, Kane lifted the ball past Robles for his 30th goal of the season — tying his record season from the 17-18 season.
Lucas Moura gets the perfect send-off with a recreation of his night in Amsterdam as he dribbled through three defenders and faked the keeper out. It was great to see the team lift him up and celebrate the perfect ending to his Spurs career.
With the three points in the bag, it all came down to the result of Aston Villa and Brighton as Spurs needed a draw or Brighton win to secure European football for the upcoming season. That fortune didn’t come through as Villa held on for a 2-1 lead to leave Spurs outside of Europe for the first time since the 07/08 season.
Notes:
- Kane scored in 26 games this Premier League season, tying Andy Cole’s record while being responsible for 42 percent of the teams’ goals. Truly incredible the professionalism he has shown in a down year around him on the pitch.
- Dejan Kulusevski had one of his better games this season as he played in the middle of the pitch to start the movement. A healthy Deki will be nice to see.
- Yves Bissouma seems to know the patterns of play, maybe it was previous management that didn’t let him become comfortable enough to show his Brighton days.
- Richarlison hasn’t had the year many thought of as he became the most expensive transfer for the club, but I believe a summer to get the confidence back can allow him to get the ground running.
- Congrats to Matthew Craig and George Abbott for making their senior debuts.
- The future of Kane is up in the air, does he stay or does he go?
- There is a lot that needs to be done now that the season is officially in the books. A manager, a DOF, outgoings (with Lucas Moura the lone one this far as the contract runs out), and incomings to fortify things for a 23/24 season.
