Jermain Defoe hit Spurs' winner against QPR

Published: 23 September, 2012
by DAN CARRIER at White Hart Lane

Premier League
SPURS 2, QPR 1

DEFENDER Jan Vertonghen praised his manager's tactical savvy after Spurs fought back from a goal down at the Lane this afternoon (Sunday) to grab three crucial points.

QPR had taken a deserved first-half lead – prompting Andres Villas-Boas to make half-time changes that turned the game on its head.

AVB pushed the Belgium centre-back to the left, giving Gareth Bale more freedom and man-of-the-match Vertonghen said this switch turned things in Tottenham's favour.

Vertonghen said: “We started slowly and we let them play far too much. But AVB changed the system for the second half and it worked.”

Spurs started slowly and relied on Brad Friedel to keep them level. The veteran keeper stopped a blistering volley by Junior Hoilett on 13, and had a far busier first half than his opposite number. However, he could do nothing about former Spur Bobby Zamora's neat finish on 32.

At half time, AVB with drew Gylfi Siggurdson for centre-back Steven Caulker. It allowed left-back Bale to move forward. The second half exploded into life on 59. Under pressure from Jermain Defoe, QPR defender Alejandro Faurlin turned the ball over his own line, and then two minutes later Defoe finished after Bale had struck the bar.

With Rangers having to be adventurous, the forward quartet of Bale, Lennon, Dempsey and Defoe found chances coming their way, and with more composure the lead could have been extended further. But late equalisers this season have made this a shaky start to the new campaign. Under Harry Redknapp last year, there were often criticisms that he didn't have a plan B if things weren't going well. Today, AVB showed he has tricks up his sleeve.

Spurs: Friedel, Dempsey, Vertonghen, Lennon, Bale, Gallas, Defoe, Dembele, Sigurdsson , Walker, Sandro. Subs: Lloris, Huddlestone, Dawson, Falque, Townsend, Caulker, Mason.
Man of the Match: Jan Vertonghen was a calm and composed figure in a shaky opening 45. He saved his team-mates’ skins mid-way through the second half with one last-gasp tackle and looked just as good at left-back as he was in the middle.
Attendance: 36,052

SPURS COMMENT by Dan Carrier

WHILE Jermain Defoe keeps scoring, it is going to be hard not to start him.

But the team's inability to hang on to the ball in the final third of the pitch is often because he isn't strong enough with his back to the goal.

If the ball is moved forward too quickly, Defoe can find it hard to hang on while the midfield cavalry arrive.

He’s a great goal-scorer, indeed, but one of the issues of this new formation is what happens when attacks break down. When Adebayor is fit again the option to play someone who can hold on to it and relief the pressure on the midfield is nice to have in the armoury – but an option that will be hard for AVB to consider when for all of Defoe's shortcomings in terms of all-round contribution, his name is on the score-sheet at full-time.