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Tottenham Hotspur thumped Sheffield United 4-0 to move to fifth in the 2020-21 Premier League table.
Spurs started the game slowly but took the lead after a nicely weighted lob from Serge Aurier allowed Gareth Bale to flick the ball over Aaron Ramsdale and into the net with ten minutes remaining in the first half.
Sheffield United came out stronger in the second half and attempted to create chances but could not trouble the Tottenham Hotspur defence before Bale doubled the hosts' lead at the hour mark. After Son Heung Min was denied a goal for offside, Bale put the game beyond the Blades by completing his hat-trick with a neat finish.
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Son then added a fourth with 13 minutes to go as Tottenham Hotspur ended the game on the ascendancy despite missing a few scoring opportunities. On that note, let's have a look at five talking points from the game.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur are alive in the top-four race
Tottenham Hotspur's win moved them to fifth place in the Premier League table, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and seven behind third-placed Leicester City.
So can they make a late charge and qualify for the Champions League? Or is such a finish beyond them now?
It’s honestly difficult to say. On the one hand, making up five points on Chelsea might be a difficult proposition given the current form of Thomas Tuchel’s side. Moreover, both Liverpool and West Ham have a game in hand on Tottenham Hotspur and could potentially leapfrog Spurs in the league table.
However, Tottenham Hotspur have three games remaining that look winnable, the ones against Leeds, Wolves and Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Leicester City are still to play Manchester United and Chelsea before facing Spurs on the final day.
So it’s definitely possible that the game between Spurs and the Foxes becomes a virtual playoff for a top-four spot, assuming other results go the way of Ryan Mason’s side. Based on their performance against Sheffield, Tottenham Hotspur would fancy their chances against Leeds, Wolves and Villa.
Spurs have now got a fighting chance of securing an unlikely top-four spot, or at least fifth. That seems like a better position than they were in when Jose Mourinho was fired two weeks ago.
#2 It’s easy to see why Sheffield United are going down
Tottenham Hotspur were excellent on the night, but it was easy to see why Sheffield United have been relegated. To put it simply, the Blades were poor against Spurs.
Not only did they fail to create any meaningful chances to test Hugo Lloris, but they also ended the match with only one shot on target. They were woeful in defence, too.
Time and again, they gave the ball away cheaply. Had it not been for a combination of VAR and some profligacy from Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield could well have lost this game by six or seven goals.
Sheffield United have now lost 27 Premier League games this season. The Premier League record for most defeats in a campaign is 29. And despite the Blades not having the trickiest run-in, based on their performance against Spurs, they could well break that unwanted record.
#3 Should John Fleck have been sent off?
It was probably a good thing that Tottenham Hotspur ran out comfortable winners on the night. Had Sheffield United managed to take anything from the game, an incident early in the second half would’ve become even more controversial.
The incident in question saw Sheffield United’s John Fleck appear to stamp on the head of Giovani Lo Celso as the Argentine was on the ground following a tackle.
Replays seemed to show that Fleck could easily have avoided the contact with Lo Celso’s head, meaning the incident was violent conduct and should’ve seen Fleck sent off. However, VAR somehow decided that the contact was accidental and allowed Fleck to continue.
Lo Celso, meanwhile, was substituted later in the half and sat in the dugout with an ice pack attached to his head. How VAR reached that conclusion is perplexing, particularly given that the likes of Fabian Balbuena have been sent off for a far lesser 'offence' during the current season.
The incident on Sunday was yet another black mark on the Premier League’s use of VAR, and surely the system needs to be reviewed before next season.
#4 Will Tottenham Hotspur bring Gareth Bale back next season?
Gareth Bale had an absolute stormer against Sheffield United, scoring a hat-trick to take his total for the season to a respectable 14 goals, with nine of them coming in the Premier League.
However, despite Bale taking his goals brilliantly – just as he has done whenever he has scored for Tottenham Hotspur this season – it’s worth noting that the Welshman has only scored against weaker opponents this season.
His goals in the Premier League have come against Brighton, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Southampton and now Sheffield United – all sides languishing in the bottom half of the table.
However, having a player who is essentially the ultimate flat-track bully is quite a coup in the Premier League these days, particularly for a side like Tottenham Hotspur, who have struggled to put opponents away at times. So would Tottenham Hotspur look to bring Bale back to North London next season?
With Jose Mourinho no longer at the helm, that's entirely possible. Tottenham Hotspur head honcho Daniel Levy loves Bale and was apparently buzzing after 'bringing him home' this season. Real Madrid certainly don’t appear to want the Welshman back as well.
Considering these facts, Tottenham Hotspur fans can probably expect to see Bale back next season and will hope to see him on the same form he was in against Sheffield United.
#5 Harry Kane has a surprisingly poor outing
Tottenham Hotspur put on one of their better performances of the season to sweep Sheffield United aside, but surprisingly enough, their one weak link was arguably Harry Kane.
The leader in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot had a number of chances. But surprisingly, he failed to register himself on the scoresheet. In fact, the England captain had a total of six shots – more than that of any other player except Gareth Bale, who scored a hat-trick.
Just one of Kane's six attempts were on target, with three missing their mark and the other two getting blocked. Obviously, every player is entitled to the odd bad game, however great they are. This was probably Kane’s worst showing in a Spurs win this season, and it’s likely he’ll be back to his best against Leeds.
But it’s also hard not to wonder whether Kane’s head isn’t spinning right now due to all the speculation over his future. Tottenham Hotspur fans will be hoping that isn’t the case, but only time will tell, for sure.
