The topsy-turvy nature of Tottenham’s frantic season continued on Sunday afternoon as Ange Postecoglou’s men returned to form with their most impressive result of the season in the Premier League.
A week ago Spurs were suffering a pretty dismal defeat on the road against a winless Crystal Palace but have responded emphatically since.
On Wednesday, the Lilywhites beat Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and continued where they left off against Unai Emery’s high fliers, winning 4-1.
That said, it could have been very different. Morgan Rogers fired home in the first half to give the visitors the lead but the Londoners fought back through Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and a brace from Dominic Solanke.
The summer signing’s return to form was certainly timely…
Dominic Solanke's performance in numbers
Since signing from Bournemouth in a £65m deal over the summer, Solanke hasn’t exactly been bad but you would expect more from a big-money striker.
Indeed, over the last three league games – matches with West Ham, Brighton and Palace – he had registered just two shots – numbers that hardly show your centre-forward in a glowing light.
Well, against Villa on Sunday, he certainly returned to form, registering as many as five shots, from which he scored two goals.
The first was taken beautifully after being slipped in by Swede Dejan Kulusevski. Solanke had a perfect one-on-one chance and dinked it over Emi Martinez.
The Englishman’s second was a great deal easier, tapping the ball home from a matter of yards out after Richarlison’s cut-back.
With the Brazilian coming back from injury, it was imperative that the former Bournemouth man returned to form and that’s exactly what he did, registering an xG (expected goals) tally of 1.66 and winning six of his ten duels.
That said, he arguably wasn’t the finest player on display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The game’s man of the match should be midfielder Pape Matar Sarr.
Sarr's performance in numbers
Last weekend Sarr started the game from the bench in favour of James Maddison. That decision looks all the more bizarre when you consider his outstanding contribution to the win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Handed a 9/10 match rating by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, the Spurs reporter was one of a number of people who hailed the midfielder’s display, suggesting it was an ‘all action performance’.
Spurs fan and podcaster Lee McQueen described Sarr’s performance as “unplayable” while GOAL reporter Mitch Fretton summed things up succinctly, claiming it was a “masterclass” from the Senegalese.
Why did they think that? Well, the player’s numbers and key moments help to paint that picture.
Minutes played
90
Touches
80
Accurate passes
59/64 (92%)
Key passes
1
Shots
4
Ground duels won
2/7
Aerial duels won
1/2
Possession lost
7x
Clearances
3
Interceptions
2
Tackles
0
The 22-year-old was phenomenal, and it was his interception that led to the third goal, breaking up the play before the ball found its way to Richarlison.
That was Sarr’s finest moment during his 90 minutes on the field. What else did he do? Well, he left the pitch boasting a 92% pass success rate, had as many as four shots and supplyied one key pass. It’s safe to say he was everywhere.
The young ace has only started three league matches in 2024/25 to date but on this evidence he should be undroppable, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Spurs are undeniably a better side when he features in the team. The same cannot always be said of Solanke considering his performances prior to Sunday.
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