Well, we’re going to wrap this blog up now, but there’s always more football: follow Southampton v West Ham with Scott Murray here!
Thanks for reading. Goodbye!
Final moments elsewhere:
A thoroughly deserved win for Tottenham. The scoreline makes it look close, but it wasn’t: Watford came for a 0-0, were hanging on for most of the first half, and failed to rouse themselves sufficiently after Trippier’s goal in the second. Spurs had all the ball, forced a whole raft of corners, and should have won by more: they looked very, very good, and Davies and Trippier sliced Watford open time and again. Spurs go second: if they keep playing like this, who knows – they might win the league.
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Full-time: Tottenham 1-0 Watford
Spurs go second!
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90 min+5: And Lloris comes and claims, dominantly. That should be that.
90 min+4: One last chance for Watford. Free kick in the centre circle and everyone goes forward.
90 min+3: Oh, a chance for Watford! No: offside! Long ball in for Deeney, who heads it back for Ighalo, but he didn’t quite get hold of his shot, and it bobbled through to Lloris. In any case, the whistle had gone.
90 min+2: Eriksen off, Tom Carroll on. Eriksen’s been great today.
90 min +1: Four minutes of stoppage time! Where did that come from? Jurado is down and the physio comes on, which rather takes the momentum out of Watford’s attacking rhythm.
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90 min: OK, time for some real talk: Watford have been rubbish today. Defensive, negative – and they’re lucky it’s only 1-0. They’ve barely had a shot.
88 min: To be honest, Watford don’t look like scoring. They’ve got two minutes and not much stoppage time.
87 min: The first proper spell of Watford possession in Spurs’s half, but Ighalo’s acrobatic attempt is well wide.
86 min: Eriksen flashes one across the six-yard box, but no one could find a touch! Maybe a suspicion of holding on Harry Kane, but no call.
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85 min: Son, who’s so direct, looks for Alli, and then Davies … but Gomes is quickly out to block! Gomes has been Watford’s best player by a distance.
84 min: This is better from Watford, and at 0-1 they still have a chance. But there’s space for Spurs on the break, and Eriksen goes for goal. It’s deflected wide. I can’t remember a side winning so many corners in a game as Spurs today.
82 min: Good block from Dier to stop Ighalo! Deeney ran beyond the defence, but checked and fed Ighalo rather than taking the shot himself, which allowed Spurs to recover. It’s a corner … and Watson hits it straight out of play. Groan.
81 min: Oh, Alli was close to making it two! Eriksen was free in the box, fired it at goal, and Gomes stopped well, but it rebounded to Alli … who couldn’t react in time. Alli’s made a difference since his introduction.
80 min: Davies, who’s such a positive attacking full-back, looks for Kane, who is inches away from controlling it and getting clear. I think there’s another goal in this for Spurs.
79 min: Watford need a goal, but they’ve been so defensive all game: can they change their mindset? Tony Gale makes the point on commentary: “Did Quique Sanchez Flores get it right at the start of the game? You can’t turn that tap on, and all of a sudden want to play.”
76 min: Watford no longer have eight players crouched in their penalty area, so that’s progress, at least. Deeney looks to go in behind, but good defending from Wimmer, and no alarms for Spurs.
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74 min: Watford have perked up a bit, and Jurado looks for Ighalo through the middle, but Gomes is quickly out. Now Son at the other end! The Korean goes past Cathcart, fires a low shot at goal, and for a moment it looked as though it was going to sneak through Gomes’s legs, but the keeper managed to get it up and over. Corner for Spurs, but it comes to naught.
73 min: Oh, what a chance for Wimmer! Eriksen was free on the right, and he played a lovely sharp, low cross for the Austrian, but he couldn’t sort his feet out and got his shot all wrong. Kane would have scored that: he was unmarked 15 yards out.
71 min: Generous applause for Erik Lamela, who makes way for Song Heung-min. Tottenham win another corner. How many is that now? 10? 11? 300?
70 min: Capoue catches Trippier late. Careful, Etienne! No second yellow this time.
69 min: Watford had clung on determinedly, but they’ll have to change their strategy if they wish to nick a draw. They’ve been so deep all game, but at least Deeney and Ighalo are both on the field.
66 min: Spurs are in the mood here, and Lamela streaks clear of Ake, but his shot is toilet. He never looked confident taking it on his right foot. A lovely pass from Eriksen to set him clear, however.
Jim Denvir has a great stat: “By my reckoning, Trippier just became Spurs’ 13th different scorer in the league this season. Goals from all over the pitch.”
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65 min: That’s a deserved lead, and Trippier, who has been excellent, gets a thoroughly deserved goal. Kane held it up with a lovely touch, fed Dembele, who played in Alli down the left side, and Alli’s ball across the box was delicious: low, hard, with the outside of his right boot, beyond Gomes, and Trippier just tapped home from six yards. Excellent stuff.
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GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Watford (Trippier 64)
The full-back’s first Tottenham goal!
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61 min: Watson handballs, but it’s not given. To celebrate, the midfielder releases a giant volley of slime from his left nostril. Soooooo gross!!!
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60 min: Lamela shoots, and it’s easy for Gomes. The wrong option: that needed to be fired in across the six-yard box.
Change for Spurs: Alli is on for Chadli, to huge cheers.
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59 min: Capoue trips Trippier right on the edge, and it’s yellow. Frustration for the Watford player after he was caught in possession. Great chance for Spurs here, on the corner of the penalty box, right side.
57 min: I can’t quite believe Tottenham haven’t scored. They’ve completely dominated possession, but just can’t score. It’s like Italy v England 2012 all over again.
55 min: Another penalty claim! Prodl on Kane! Prodl lost his footing, and just fell into Kane as the cross came in. It was magnificently ungainly from the centre-back, but perhaps Kane wasn’t really in position to receive the cross, and there wasn’t too much argument from Spurs. The artlessness from Prodl was A1, however.
54 min: Spurs are all over Watford here. Britos can’t continue, so he’ll be replaced by Sebastian Prodl, the Austrian centre-back who’s built like an anvil.
53 min: Just looking at the replay, I think Gomes got lucky. He was nowhere near the ball: the question, I suppose, was whether Gomes brushed him sufficiently from behind to cause him to fall. Kane did go down rather easily, but it looked like he was caught. Lucky Watford!
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52 min: And Kane could have been in there! Davies’s shot was deflected, but Kane was first to react, but his touch let him down! If his first touch had been better, he’d have been in.
51 min: Ooh, was that a penalty?! Lamela’s cross was deflected, and Kane was alive – he got the ball first, poked a toe in, and Gomes seemed to take him from behind! No call, and Roger East says corner, but I think the Watford goalie got away with one there. Close!
49 min: Spurs have started really well, and it’s another corner. Spurs play it short, but the ball was rolling because of the wind, and they’ll have to re-take. It’s blustery in north London.
48 min: Britos hobbles to the touchline, but I think he’ll be OK: he just took a whack from Chadli. It was accidental: no card for the Spurs player.
47 min: Spurs starting in much the same fashion, and Alderweireld barrels into the box, but Britos is caught by Chadli, and it’s a free kick.
We're back!
46 min: And a double change for Watford: Troy Deeney and Val Behrami on for Mario Suarez and Almen Abdi.
Follow the rest of the day’s scores with Nick Miller:
Spurs well on top: it’s just a surprise they haven’t scored. Davies and Trippier have been hugely influential, and Spurs have had almost all the ball, but Watford have clung on, gamely, and they’re still in it. Harry Kane had the game’s best chance, but Heurelho Gomes has made several good stops, and has looked dominant at set pieces. Watford need to find something going the other way, else they’re in for a long 45 minutes.
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Half-time: Tottenham 0-0 Watford
And there’s the whistle.
45 min: A minute of stoppage time. Cathcart belts it clear, and that should be that.
44 min: Trippier is down, so we’ll take a pause.
43 min: Loris has been a spectator. Watford just haven’t offered anything going forward. They’ve been willing in defence, but their forward thrust has been minimal. Spurs have pushed right up the halfway line, and every time Watford clear, Spurs just come again.
41 min: Lovely ball in from Dier, and Watford were way too deep. Kane ran beyond Cathcart, and got to it first, but put it over! Big chance for the skipper: he had to take it first time and cushion the volley, but he should have scored.
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39 min: Trippier’s ball is repelled, but Watford can’t get out. Trippier and Davies have been almost exclusively focused on attack, and the exact opposite for Nyom and Ake.
37 min: Davies gets in again, and slams one across goal, but Gomes pushes it clear! It’s Tottenham v the goalkeeper at the moment. This Spurs pressure is really intense. Another corner, but nothing comes of it.
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36 min: Watford’s best chance: a long kick from Gomes, Lloris came to meet it, but Ighalo made a nuisance of himself and it fell to Abdi, 30 yards out. He tried to lift it back in with the keeper off limits … but it was over the bar. Spurs had players back so they’d probably have been OK, but that was better from the visitors.
34 min: Ake clips Trippier by the touchline, and this is a good position for a cross. Tottenham’s full-backs are so high – they’ve really given Watford’s defence a working over. Chadli gets up highest from Dembele’s cross, but the he totally mistimes it! A chance missed, but a goal feels like it’s coming.
32 min: Excellent stop by Gomes! Davies did so well down the left-hand side, combining with Chadli, and his low shot was hit hard … but Gomes got down really smartly to block. Kane couldn’t get there on the follow-up, but Watford are hanging on here.
30 min: A bit of a lull here, but suddenly Eriksen finds Davies on the edge of the box, and his shot is deflected by Nyom … just wide! Gomes was beaten, but it rolled just the wrong side of the post. Gomes claims another corner: his handling has been excellen so far. Spurs have had 64% of the play and must have had half a dozen corners. The hosts well on top.
27 min: Lamela dives in on Jurado, and that’s a bit naughty from the Argentinian. Good on Jurado for not making a meal of it. No card brandished by Roger East.
26 min: Watford have so many bodies back to defend these corners: there’s just no space for Spurs to get a shot away. Chadli’s effort is wide.
25 min: Chance for Chadli! It’s blocked away for a corner, but Chadli should have done better with the header: he just didn’t get the contact he wanted. Spurs cranking it up here.
@timmyhilleh No manifestos, but here's a bad drawing of Hugo Lloris. pic.twitter.com/xSahgKkI4W
— Panini Cheapskates (@CheapPanini) February 6, 2016
Yes! More of this, please.
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24 min: Poor tackling from Eric Dier, and poor crossing from Ben Watson. Another free kick that didn’t beat the first man. Rubbish!
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23 min: Ighalo does well to win a throw near the corner flag, because everyone was 20 yards behind him. And that’s Dier again! A silly trip on Jurado. Chance from the set piece for Watford.
21 min: Great long kick from Lloris, and Nyom concedes a needless corner. Eriksen takes, and Gomes punches clear. It’s attack v defence at the moment.
20 min: Dier makes another clumsy tackle, and it’s a Watford free kick. People talk admiringly of Eric Dier, but he’s not exactly Neil Franklin, is he?
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17 min: Dembele and Davies are worrying Abdi and Nyom on that left hand side. Ighalo is Watford’s furthest forward player, but he’s spent most of the game on the wrong side the centre-circle. Another corner for Spurs, and again Alderweireld was interested, but Gomes catches confidently.
15 min: Ake was running down a cul-de-sac, but Dier made a needless free kick. First time for the Hornets to get the ball in the box. Whipped in by Watson, but it doesn’t beat the first man. Gah!
13 min: Ighalo hasn’t had a touch. Spurs are dominant.
Anyone got any thoughts/book reviews/online manifestos they’d like to share?
11 min: Mario Suarez was caught on the ball, Dembele nicked it, and Spurs were away. Corner for the hosts. Alderweireld was the target, but Watford hammer it clear.
10 min: Watford are under pressure here: they’ve barely been in the Spurs half. This time Ake and Watson do enough to put Kane off, and it’s a goal kick.
9 min: Lovely touch from Kane to bring down Alderweireld’s pass, but he can’t find the finish! Ooh, actually, that looked as though Ake had a handful of Kane’s shirt. Kane didn’t make an argument, but Ake got lucky: that could easily have been a penalty.
7 min: Eriksen with it, and it’s into the wall. Disappointing.
6 min: Dembele and Davies combine down the left and Spurs win the corner. Eriksen takes, but Gomes, who loves to punch, gets fists to it. But Watford can’t clear, and Dembele picks it up on the edge, and is tripped. Good area for Spurs, this.
5 min: Spurs have pushed up high to the halfway line. Dembele comes deep and looks to conduct the play. “If he plays well, Spurs tend to play well,” says the excellent Tony Gale on commentary.
No real openings so far, but Spurs have seen most of the ball.
3 min: Loris, to my mind the Premier League’s best goalkeeper, plucks one from the sky and smashes it downfield. Eriksen tries to get on the end of it, and shoots for goal, but it’s blocked. Watford starting in compact fashion.
2 min: Watford have changed things around a bit, and they’re more of a 4-5-1. Can they get enough support for Ighalo? Kane runs in behind, but he’s offside.
And we're off!
1 min: The pitch at White Hart Lane looks beautiful, and striped. Kane and Eriksen get us going. Let’s play!
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Raymond Reardon has the gags: “Dele Alli’s dizziness could be contagious due to Tottenham’s climb up on the high rungs of the Premier League ladder.”
Ayyyyy!!!
Teams emerging from the White Hart Lane tunnel as John Williams’ Duel of the Fates plays on the PA system. I still say Diamond Lights would be most appropriate.
But Jeremy Dresner is nervy: “This game does look like a crescent shaped yellow fruit peel on the floor. Spurs not at full strength without two of the powerful Mr Consistencies Jan and Deli today against a resolute, physical and defensively stout Watford. Do not underestimate the bragging rights which Watford fans want – their team will be fired up. This will be a very real test of nerves for Spurs fans methinks.”
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Back to today’s game: Tottenham are trying to win their sixth straight match in all competitions for the first time in 20 years. Expect them to do it: I fancy they’ll be too strong for Watford.
Many other games going on today, including a Jurgen Klopp-less Liverpool against Sunderland. The Reds boss has appendicitis, so Zelkjo Buvac, Peter Krawietz, Pepijn Lijnders and John Achterberg will take charge. The four amigos. Follow it here:
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So that result means Spurs can go second with victory today. Leicester top, Spurs second: who’d have thought it?!
It’s finished at the Etihad. Unbelievable!
An important moment of reflection: today we remember the Munich air disaster, 58 years ago. In total, twenty-three people died, including eight members of Matt Busby’s young thrilling team: Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Billy Whelan, and, of course, Duncan Edwards. “The darkest day in the club’s history,” as Manchester United write on their official website. They’ve a ton of stuff there about the crash, and it’s really sensitively done. As Harold Hardman, the club’s chairman at the time, put it: “United will rise again.” They sure did.
Today we remember the #flowersofmanchester: https://t.co/0nthLSUeXW pic.twitter.com/RkKczDAYS2
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 6, 2016
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So the big news is that Dele Alli is not fit to start: he was complaining of dizziness against Norwich, so he’ll begin on the bench. Kieran Trippier is in, and Jan Vertonghen is still out with a knee injury, so Kevin Wimmer plays in central defence. For Watford, Troy Deeney surprisingly starts as a substitute, but Miguel Britos and Etienne Capoue are fit to start.
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Your teams
Tottenham: Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Davies, Dier, Dembele, Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli, Kane. Subs: Walker, Rose, Son, Mason, Vorm, Alli, Carroll.
Watford: Gomes, Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake, Abdi, Mario Suarez, Watson, Capoue, Jurado, Ighalo. Subs: Prodl, Behrami, Deeney, Amrabat, Pantilimon, Anya, Holebas.
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
It’s the most amazing game at Manchester City. Leicester, bloody hell!
Hello and welcome
Tottenham – an all-new, un-shambolic Tottenham – are sneaking up on the title leaders, and they can really press their case with a win against Watford. Spurs’ recent form has been excellent, and they’ll fancy it today: Watford are no pushovers, and have a nifty front two in Ighalo and Deeney, but this should be a home banker, especially with Harry and Dele in top form. It’s a big one in Hertfordshire. Kick off is 3pm local time, 10pm ET. Join us!
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Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s why Mauricio Pochettino is happy with his mix of young and old:
Tottenham are third in the Premier League, five points behind the leaders, Leicester City, before their home game against Watford on Saturday and the club’s fans are daring to dream of a first title since 1961. Pochettino sees clear parallels between his current team – who have the youngest average age in the division – and that of Newell’s when he first tasted success. “When we won three titles and arrived to the final of the Copa Libertadores, we were very similar to the squad we have now at Tottenham, in terms of the balance between younger and more senior, experienced players,” he said.
“Young players have hunger, energy and potential and if they show they have enough quality, it’s perfect, especially if you have good team-mates, who give you good advice. I was 18 years old when I won my first title with Newell’s.
“There are a lot of factors in football but if you have good balance between younger and experienced players, it is a perfect mix to try to achieve big things.” Always in life, you need to show and to do, rather than speak too much about the things you cannot change with your words.”
“It’s important to show that we are in the race to achieve big things. You can speak a lot but you need to show that we are a team. I think my players are clever and I trust in them.”
