Tottenham Hotspur have been inconsistent but Ange Postecoglou’s side were at their rampant best on Sunday night with a 5-0 win over Southampton, prompting reaction from Leeds United fans.
Going into Sunday’s clash on the south coast, Tottenham had won just one of their last eight games in all competitions with the pressure firmly on Postecoglou. Not only that, but the Aussie was missing players.
Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma were all missing and it saw Leeds favourite Archie Gray start at centre-back.
A second Premier League start for Gray, with his only other start coming in a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth in recent weeks. But interestingly with Romero, Davies and van de Ven out, Gray started at centre-back.
Leeds United fans react as Archie Gray helps Tottenham win 5-0
Gray did not feature for Leeds at centre-back but has done so regularly for Spurs, also playing at right-back and left-back on occasion. On Sunday night, Spurs scored all five of their goals before half-time.
James Maddison’s second came after Russell Martin had stormed down the tunnel. Unsurprisingly given the heavy loss at home and Southampton sitting rock bottom on five points, manager Martin was sacked.
Leeds fans had their say on Martin’s sacking and now, six months on from the play-off defeat against Southampton at Wembley, Leeds fans discussed Gray’s performance for Postecoglou’s Tottenham side.
One Leeds fan reckons The Whites would have done “much better” than Southampton, given promotion would likely have seen Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter remain at Elland Road.
Another of a Leeds persuasion joked, “we want 10 and an Archie Gray goal” as he watched the Thorp Arch academy product impress in the middle of Tottenham’s defence against Southampton.
Another was stunned to see Gray playing in the middle of the defence, describing it as “absolutely insane”. But he produced a super display, helping Spurs keep only a fourth Premier League clean sheet.
Archie Gray’s stats for Tottenham in win over Southampton
In what was Gray’s fourth career outing against Southampton, he finally got a win after losing all three games with Leeds last season. It does look as if Southampton will be relegated come next summer.
And Spurs took full advantage with Gray shining in the middle of the defence for the North London side. Whether he can retain his place when the treatment room starts to reduce, remains to be seen.
Archie Gray’s stats for Tottenham in win v Southampton:
- 102 touches (most of any player)
- 91 successful passes, 94 attempted (97%, best of any player)
- Six passes into final third (joint-fifth, level with James Maddison)
- One interception, three recoveries, two blocks
- 100% of duels won (two attempted)
Gray will be hoping he retains his place in Tottenham’s side this week when Sputs take on Manchester United in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday night, having helped beat Coventry and Man City.
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