SPURS 3-0 LEEDS
- Goals: Harry Kane (£11.0m), Son Heung-min (£9.7m), Toby Alderweireld (£5.4m)
- Assists: Steven Bergwijn (£7.0m), Kane, Son
- Bonus points: Kane x3, Son x2, Alderweireld
It may be a new year but the lethal Harry Kane (£11.0m)and Son Heung-min (£9.7m)combination once again proved devastating, as Tottenham beat Leeds 3-0 to end a four-game winless streak.
By linking up for Spurs’ second of the afternoon, their goal-assist partnership has reached a tally of 13 – already the joint most fruitful Premier League duo in a single campaign and by only their 16th game.
New father Kane scored a penalty after 29 minutes when Steven Bergwijn was fouled by Ezgjan Alioski (£4.5m) around the 18-yard line. Then, minutes after both going down with knocks, Kane and Son began 2021 like they ended 2020.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£4.9m) won possession in midfield and gave the ball to Kane. The striker then clipped in a cross that was met at the near-post by Son, converting past Illan Meslier (£4.6m) for his 100th Tottenham goal.
“The players understood how to close the door to the danger and how to explore some fragilities in the way they play that can be exposed. I don’t say a very good performance, I say a good performance and very important three points.” – Jose Mourinho
KANE AND SON: STILL IN BUSINESS
The recent form of both had coincided with Spurs’ poor December, as Son and Kane blanked in the previous two and three games respectively.
It may have also concerned FPL managers that both had been heavily out-performing their season’s expected goal involvement (xGI) numbers. Additionally, the South Korean international’s six goal attempts from the last five Gameweeks had been bettered by the likes of Rodri (£5.4m), Luka Milivojevic (£5.6m) and Conor Gallagher (£5.5m).
Yet here, albeit against a Leeds side that promises goals at both ends, the two had several promising opportunities. Early on, the two combined down the left-hand side, where the ball ricocheted back to Kane and a left-footed shot that sailed over the bar.
In the second half, Son cut inside from the left in plenty of space but hesitated to the point of not even shooting. He later set up a big Bergwijn chance where the right-footed shot was saved by Meslier, followed five minutes later by another save that denied Kane from a tight angle.
Both Son and Kane were popular Gameweek 17 captaincy choices for a reason. Kane is now in double-figures for both goals and assists, with Son notching his seventh double-digit haul of the campaign.
They also take part in one of the five Gameweek 18 matches and, although they only play once in the following week of doubles, it is away to bottom side Sheffield United. When devising a chip strategy, getting rid of these whilst blindly chasing those with two matches might prove hasty.
REGUILON MISSES OUT
Jose Mourinho had never faced Leeds before but, because Wednesday’s match against Fulham was postponed due to positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test results, his players entered proceedings with a six day rest since conceding the late equaliser against Wolves.
Two changes were made to the side, including Sergio Reguilon (£5.7m) being named as a substitute and missing out on a clean sheet – Spurs’ first since the four of Gameweeks 8 to 11.
Toby Alderweireld was the other change and he didn’t miss out on it, also nodding home the third goal from a Son corner. Matt Doherty (£5.7m), sent off in stoppage time after picking up his second yellow card, brought in just three points. He will miss the EFL Cup semi-final against Brentford.
“We suffered a goal from a set-piece and in the game we created 10 chances but didn’t score any goals, our opponents created 12 but scored three. For me the fundamental difference was the efficiency and the fact their offensive game came about through errors we could have avoided.” – Marcelo Bielsa
BOX OFFICE LEEDS
Kalvin Phillips (£4.9m), however, will be absent for Leeds’ next league match after being booked for the fifth time this season. That will be the first of their two Double Gameweek 19 fixtures, arguably denting the appeal of assets in all departments for the bumper round of fixtures.
This will, of course, be a blow to Marcelo Bielsa too, after managing to name a virtually-unchanged side on the past six occasions – only replacing the injured Liam Cooper (£4.3m) with Pascal Struijk (£3.9m) three games ago.
Leeds side weren’t deterred by the third goal, controlling the rest of the match in the same positive way they started it. Left-back Alioski found himself in the penalty area after just four minutes, as his shot hit the side netting. On the other flank, popular pick Stuart Dallas (£4.8m) was constantly getting into the box from the other side.
“In the second half, of the second half, we started to dominate again. We had a good offensive production.” – Marcelo Bielsa
ENTICING DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 19
Despite Phillips’ absence from the Brighton match, Dallas is still highly appealing ahead of facing the Seagulls and Southampton in the Double Gameweek.
The Northern Ireland international produced a 12-point haul at West Brom and only Kurt Zouma (£5.8m) has scored more than his three goals in 2020/21.
Wildcard and Free Hit managers will also be looking at cheap winger Raphinha (£5.5m). He had the most shots of all midfielders in the preceding six matches and is always looking to get involved. In the first half, his left-footed in-swinger cross found Patrick Bamford (£6.6m), whose header went over the bar.
Bamford looked bright in the first half. Owned by 49.3% of FPL managers, he is the game’s standout cheap striker, whose ten goals and five assists make him the third highest-scoring FPL striker.
Tottenham Hotspur XI (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Doherty, Alderweireld, Dier, Davies; Hojbjerg, Winks (Sissoko 76’), Ndombele (Lucas Moura 78’), Bergwijn, Kane (Vinicius 87’), Son.
Leeds United XI (4-1-4-1): Meslier; Dallas, Ayling, Struijk, Alioski (Shackleton 64’); Phillips; Raphinha, Klich, Rodrigo (Hernandez 65’), Harrison (Poveda 61’); Bamford.
Lessons learned from FPL Gameweek 17
- Everton 0-1 West Ham United
- Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa
- Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Leeds United
- Crystal Palace 2-0 Sheffield United
- Brighton and Hove Albion 3-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
- West Bromwich Albion 0-4 Arsenal
- Burnley P-P Fulham
- Newcastle United 1-2 Leicester City
- Chelsea 1-3 Manchester City
- Southampton 1-0 Liverpool
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