Spurs Back on Track W/Player Ratings

After the blip against Blackburn Rovers last weekend Tottenham are back to their winning ways. A good 1-0 win over West Ham puts us on 41 points, so safety is now definitely assured. After seeing the defense fall apart late on last week, I was pleased to see the team hold its shape and not concede late on. I was nervous today, but I felt that the team would do better for some reason, and thank goodness I was right. A really nice little goal came from Roman Pavlyuchenko who was seeing his first action since Sunderland a month ago now. That should give his confidence a boost. Overall, a good 3 points, now we have to make sure we keep this up against Newcastle next Sunday.

Player Ratings:

Gomes- 8 One of Gomes' better games. Did well coming to punch the ball clear against Boa Morte's challenge in the first half, and was solid all game. Blocked shots when he needed to, and didn't give up bad rebounds like he has in the past. Maybe he's starting to find his stride, because the last month or so he has looked like a different keeper.

Corluka- 7 A good effort from Charley today. Got forward well, though his final ball left a little to be desired, but he is a defender right? Could have had appeals for a penalty, but the referee wasn't having it. Defended well as per usual.

Woodgate- 7 The only reason I don't rate Woody higher is the slip-up he had with Di Michele in the second half that gave Di Michele a free shot at goal, which Gomes stopped. Otherwise Woody was solid as always, winning headers and keeping the ball moving through the defense.

King- 8 Did Ledley put a foot wrong today? I don't think so, you barely heard anything from Tristan and he covered well on the left side when BAE ventured forward. He and Woodgate are one of the best center-back pairings in the Premier League without a doubt, and today was proof of that again.

BAE- 7 BAE did a good job shutting down Boa Morte for the most part, and did well getting forward, allowing Modric to put inwards. His final ball was missing something today, the crosses were just not there, but he helped add width to the team, and did his job defensively. I will say that he is not my whipping boy anymore.

Lennon- 7.5 Good game out of Aaron, the dummies and flick-ons were in full effect today. His final ball is getting better, but still let us down a few times. But his crossing is much better than earlier in the season, you can tell he is working on that in training. Was unlucky not to score on that late breakaway, but held the ball just a bit too long, a first-touch shot might have caught Green in no man's land.

Huddlestone- 7 Tom's first start since Boxing Day, and he acquitted himself well. Had several good shots that were parried away by Green, and one other that was a little ill-advised. His passing was good as always, and he did a good job defensively. Not the best player on the field, but he did a good job filling in for Palacios.

Jenas- 7 Went off at halftime with a hamstring issue, but he did well in the first half. Worked well, especially with Keane and Lennon. Tracked bet to help provide support for Huddlestone like I thought. He's putting out the effort now and keeping his concentration more than he did earlier in the season.

Modric- 7.5 Great job by the little guy with the assist for Pavlyuchenko. With JJ out in the second half you saw him push further and further infield, with BAE helping to add width. May have held the ball a little too long at times when a shot might have been the better option, but I'll give Luka the benefit of the doubt any day of the week.

Bent- 6 Not a bad effort out of Darren, and had one of the best chances of the first half with his flick header. Never really synced up with Keane, so he went off early in the first half.

Keane- 7 Robbie did a good job dropping back as he usually does to generate play. He'll think he deserved a penalty, but even I didn't think so. Was unlucky not to get the goal late-on with the good clearance by Collins. I realized something in the first half when I watched him tracking back and starting the play, this is what we were missing earlier in the season, a striker getting involved and helping overload the midfield.

Substitutes:

Zokora- 5.5 Today was a good example of Didier and his play. Reckless challenge leading to a card shortly after his introduction. Some errant passes that stalled the movement of the team throughout the second half, and a horrible touch late on when he had Pavy and Lennon as options that would have killed the game off. And also his attempted shot when he had Keane and Modric available that went well wide. Pretty much sums up Didier for me. But he did add the grit we needed to kill off the game.

Pavlyuchenko- 7.5 Great goal from Pavy, I was really happy for him. Had a good flick header earlier on, and a few more efforts. Got involved in the play, and especially late on helped kill off the game by collecting and holding the ball well. Was unselfish looking for Lennon, I don't think a lot of strikers would have done that. I'm happy he had a good shift today.

Good effort by the boys today, hopefully they enjoy their Easter Sunday and get ready to take on Shearer and Newcastle next week. COYS!!!!!