Tottenham’s U21s, managed by Wayne Burnett, reached the summit of the PL2 last night, courtesy of a superb attacking display.
Tottenham hosted a ninth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Lamex Stadium, usually the home of League One outfit, Stevenage FC. As is usually the case with youth football, Spurs made various changes from their last game against Reading, as Soonsup-Bell joined a sparkling attack of Donley, Lankshear & Santiago.
In defence, Sayers and Cassanova were brought in, with George Abbott sitting just in front of them, as Rio Kyerematen was deployed unusually as an attacking left-back. Much like the first-team, Tottenham enjoyed a large share of possession with Wolves struggling to cope with the dangerous dribbling of Yago Santiago, whilst also trying to mark the division’s top scorer, Will Lankshear.
It wasn’t long before Tottenham earned their deserved breakthrough. Santiago drew two Wolves players in, freeing up Rio Kyerematen who delivered a fantastic, whipped cross from near the byline, landing at the feet of former Chelsea player, Jude Soonsup-Bell who struck home.
Merely seven minutes after the opener, Wolves conceded again. Jamie Donley characteristically dropped deep, picking up the ball and threading Yago Santiago in on goal, although the Wolves defence did well to prevent the Spaniard from shooting, the winger backheeled it to Soonsup-Bell who fed the on-running right-back, Tyrell Ashcroft, who subsequently netted his first goal in lilywhite much to the delight of his academy teammates who huddled around and one-by-one, embraced the goal scorer (FBRef).
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Spurs worryingly let Wolves back into the game in the 32nd minute as Charlie Sayers’ back pass to Luca Gunter wasn’t dealt with and left Wolves striker, Fletcher Holman, an open net to roll the ball into, 2-1.
The hosts came out for the second half determined to make Wolves’ goal merely a consolation, and they did exactly that. Tottenham U21’s manager, Wayne Burnett, had clearly taken note of the Wolves high line, an idea that would be frequently exemplified by the opposing ‘keeper who would constantly be screaming ‘higher!’ at his back line. Therefore, Spurs started to play a lot more balls over the top for one of Lankshear, Santiago or even either full-backs to run onto.
Tottenham could have had rewards instantly for their tactical tweak as Jamie Donley once again provided an excellent through ball in behind the Wolves defence, this time for Tyrese Hall whose effort was outstandingly saved by the opposing ‘keeper.
Wolves’ goalkeeper, James Storer was at it again as the 19-year-old plucked Will Lankshear’s strike out of the top right corner. Despite Storer’s heroics, he could be blamed for Tottenham’s eventual third goal, caused by a dangerous ball towards the back post by Rio Kyerematen. The cross/shot slipped through Storer’s hands and landed in the back of the net.
Will Lankshear, who had become frustrated at the lack of crosses sent to him and offsides given against him, channelled his frustrations into scoring Spurs’ fourth of the evening. Wolves centre back, Alfie Pond, misjudged the ball passed to him, allowing Lankshear to pounce and slot home his 15th goal of the PL2 season (TransferMarkt).
Yago Santiago led one more lethal counter for Tottenham as the tricky winger used two quick step-overs to mesmerise the visiting defence and then curl a shot towards goal. Despite his hard work, the goal won’t be Santiago’s due to a deflection of Wolves’ Alfie Pond, but the Spaniard can be proud of his performance, nonetheless.
Wolves accepted defeat after the fifth and the game fizzled out with Tottenham, once again, being victorious in PL2. The victory sent Spurs to the top of the table, ahead of West Ham on goal difference, but with two games in hand, and with an impressive 13 wins from their 17 league games this season, you’d more than fancy the Lilywhite’s to win both the games in hand.
Tottenham U21 vs Wolves U21 Player Ratings
Luca Gunter – 7
The Spurs shot-stopper made a few good saves and was key in starting Tottenham’s moves which started with him, would have been disappointed with the mishap between him and Charlie Sayers which meant he missed out on a clean sheet.
Rio Kyerematen – 9.5 (MOTM)
An outstanding performance from a player who isn’t always deployed at left-back. The 18-year-old who has become a permanent member of the U21 struck up a great partnership with Santiago on the left flank and as a result of created two goals and deservedly got one of his own. A stunning performance which should be something for him to build upon for the last few games of the PL2 season.
Dante Cassanova – 7
Kept things ticking over for Tottenham at the back and helped steady the ship after conceding a freak goal, other than the routine tackles and passes however, a largely uneventful game for the Jamaican.
Charlie Sayers – 6
Barring his calamitous backpass a respectable performance from the centre-back, but the mistake for the goal will be a frustrating blemish on what was a decent game for the defender.
Tyrell Ashcroft – 7.5
A great finish earned the 21-year-old full-back his first Tottenham goal, and much like his other full-back, Rio Kyerematen, his overlapping runs were key to Tottenham’s threat with the attacking nature of both full-backs being reminiscent of the senior side.
George Abbott – 7.5
Calm and composed on the ball, Abbott rarely lost the ball. The 18-year-old’s mature performance explained why Ryan Mason handed Abbott his senior debut on the final day last season.
Tyrese Hall – 8
A performance that was pivotal to Spurs’ dismantling of Wolves. Abbott would often sit and allow Hall to wander further up the field, often offering his teammates an extra option for a pass by making under or overlapping runs should one of Ashcroft or Kyerematen not already be there. An impressive performance from the 18-year-old who has likened his playing style to Bissouma.
Yago Santiago – 7.5
It will undoubtedly be frustrating for Yago that the own goal he caused will not add to his tally of eight goals for the season, but the winger’s overall performance was good. Santiago often struggled to break down a Wolves defence who would often send two men to tackle him, but his patience to wait for the overlap, as well as his persistence on the ball to beat his man and manufacture an opening for his team, was commendable.
Jude Soonsup-Bell – 7.5
Jude’s goal meant that his tally reached double figures in the league this season which he will be delighted with. It was a performance that eventually fizzled out towards the end, but that can be forgiven when the 20-year-old was integral to Spurs’ bright start.
Jamie Donley – 9
Donley’s performance came across as mature and intelligent as the Spurs number 10 selflessly set up his teammates countless times. With a tendency to drop deep and spray passes, but also an eye for a shot, it’s clear to see why Donley has been compared to Spurs record-scorer, Harry Kane. Donley’s on-field demeanour was impressive too, on a night when many players became frustrated with refereeing decisions, Donley carried on with his own game and was the first to celebrate his teammate’s goals.
Will Lankshear – 8.5
A bullish performance from a striker who now leads Tottenham’s PL2 scoring charts by five after netting his fifteenth goal of the 2023/24 campaign. Lankshear’s threat alone invited pressure onto him, which would frequently leave gaps for his teammates to exploit. The 18-year-old’s physicality and pace became a nightmare for the Wolves centre-backs, his goal was more than deserved and his performance displayed very promising signs for the future.
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