Tottenham Hotspur got their season off to a winning start against Aston Villa at the weekend, but with half an hour to go, it looked unlikely that Spurs would even avoid a loss.
Villa took the lead inside 10 minutes, and although Spurs were dominant for the majority of the game, they lacked their opponent’s cutting edge and killer touch.
Luckily for the Lilywhites, Christian Eriksen came to the rescue off the bench, dictating the tempo, finding space and releasing people in behind with his pinpoint passing.
Although the Great Dane only had a 26-minute cameo, he was still named in The Mirror’s team of the week for the seasoner opener.
Harry Kane, the scorer of Tottenham’s second and third goals in the 3-1 win, was also included on the list as he got his season’s scoring up and running.
However, it remains to be seen as to whether Eriksen will even be a Tottenham player come September.
The Mirror’s Alex Richards said:
Kane – ‘Speaking of ruthless, when chances came his way late on against Aston Villa, Harry Kane made no mistake. The England captain had little to go on against a well-drilled Villa defence for much of the game.’
Eriksen – ‘For an hour or so against Aston Villa on Saturday, Spurs spluttered and looked short of ideas against a well-marshalled Villans rearguard. Then the Dane was thrown into the fray by Mauricio Pochettino and transformed a side that had lacked clarity, directing those around him, demanding the ball and picking the right pass repeatedly.
Eriksen took up intelligent positions that gave Villa problems and his quality and calmness eventually allowed Spurs to make their dominance count. The 27-year-old was the catalyst for their victory, and showed why Pochettino and Daniel Levy must keep him this month.’
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