At last. It is only the first half of September, but Tottenham’s wait for a win was dragging on. It seemed certain to extend until Saturday. Mauricio Pochettino’s draw specialists looked set to share the points for a fourth successive match.
Then Ryan Mason intervened. The identity of their match-winner at Sunderland was particularly significant for a manager who has cleared out his predecessors’ expensive imports to forge a more youthful side. Spurs’ worst start for seven years has become a promising platform.
Mason is a Pochettino protege, a player he identified and promoted at the first possible opportunity. He was the emblem of a brave new age even if Mason has shown more energy than quality at times.
His running power came in handy at the Stadium of Light: still going strong in the 82nd minute, he made a third-man run, bursting beyond the defence to meet Erik Lamela’s pass and prod a shot past Costel Pantilimon.
Mason was injured in the process of scoring. Nevertheless, it was just as well he struck. While Tottenham are off the mark, Harry Kane is not. His fortunes were encapsulated after 65 minutes. The cross was all too enticing. He scored far tougher chances last season. He barely connected with this volley.
Kane had scored in consecutive cameos for England, the international break seeming to exert a restorative effect on his sharpness.
But Tottenham’s 31-goal top scorer last season is yet to open his account for the new campaign. He possesses broad shoulders but Spurs have contrived to place the heaviest of burdens on them.
Because Kane remains their lone striker. Not in the team, but in the first-team squad. Emmanuel Adebayor was paid off and Saido Berahino remains at West Bromwich Albion, with chairman Daniel Levy’s attempts to drive a hard bargain backfiring.
It is vital Spurs source goals from other departments of the side, and midfielder Mason obliged with just his second in the top flight.
Spurs could unveil one newcomer. Son Heung-Min began on the right wing, flitted in and out of the game, suggested he is a set-piece specialist and offered hints of quality.
But the South Korean is a £22 million support act. Tottenham require scorers and the fifth most productive in their history led the line for Sunderland.
Dick Advocaat abandoned his attempts to reinvent Jermain Defoe as a winger and let him lead the line. His movement was enviably good and, after scoring 143 goals for Tottenham, he almost added one against them.
Instead he, like Jack Rodwell later, struck the woodwork. Defeat was harsh on Sunderland who look more purposeful and more organised than they were a month ago. Advocaat fielded four of his signings in the front six and his side have had an injection of ability but they sank to the foot of the table nonetheless.
They are habitual slow starters. They have not begun a season as poorly for all of 12 months. A September station in the relegation zone is starting to feel an annual occurrence.
sports@thenational.ae
Leicester move to second
Leicester City fought back from two goals down in the last 18 minutes to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at home yesterday and maintain their stunning start to the Premier League season.
Having only just avoided relegation last season, unbeaten Leicester are second after five games under former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri.
“Fantastic, fanastic, spirit and good character,” Ranieri said. “At 2-0 I watched my players and they believed everything was possible. You can lose, but you have to believe that anything is possible.
“I told the players I have a lot of experience, but this group is fantastic. We have to play every match in this way.”
Jack Grealish and Carles Gil had put Villa ahead, but Richie De Laet began the comeback in the 72nd minute before Jamie Vardy equalised in the 82nd and Nathan Dyer got the winner in the 89th.
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