EPL Roundup: Tottenham, Watford secure wins

Tottenham and Watford notched up spectacular exciting wins as Jack Wilshere's life at Bournemouth began on a positive note.

Published : Sep 11, 2016 00:47 IST

Tottenham's Son Heung-min was in red-hot form as he served as the catalyst for Spurs' big win against Stoke.
Tottenham's Son Heung-min was in red-hot form as he served as the catalyst for Spurs' big win against Stoke.
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Tottenham's Son Heung-min was in red-hot form as he served as the catalyst for Spurs' big win against Stoke.

Stoke city 0 Tottenham 4: Son inspires rampant victory

Son Heung-min scored an impressive double as Tottenham romped to a 4-0 Premier League victory away to out-of-form Stoke City.

Winger Son was brought in for his first appearance of the season as part of three changes from Mauricio Pochettino and rewarded his manager with two fine strikes either side of half-time.

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Dele Alli added a third and Harry Kane — having been set up by a rampant Son — sealed the victory with his 50th Premier League goal.

The triumph saw Tottenham continue its solid start to the new season, taking its tally to eight points from four matches.

Stoke, on the other hand, remain bottom of the table with only one point and 10 goals conceded after a miserable afternoon in which manager Mark Hughes was sent off.

The host, which handed debuts to loan signings Wilfried Bony and Bruno Martins Indi as part of three changes, actually made the brighter start and Marko Arnautovic had a goal correctly disallowed for offside after finding the net with a powerful strike.

Glenn Whelan saw his volley deflect inches over, while Ryan Shawcross tested Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris – back in the team after a hamstring injury – with a close-range header.

Tottenham, meanwhile, had a penalty claim turned down by referee Anthony Taylor when Son went down under Geoff Cameron’s challenge, before Stoke keeper Shay Given kept out Alli’s chipped effort.

The visitor was improving and it wasted a glorious chance to open the scoring on the half-hour mark as Son’s pass deflected off Arnautovic to send Alli through on goal, but the midfielder somehow missed the target with his left-footed effort.

Arnautovic’s booking for diving then resulted in a furious Hughes being sent to the stands by Taylor, before Spurs’ breakthrough arrived four minutes ahead of half-time.

Christian Eriksen twisted and turned on the right to beat Joe Allen and pick out Son with a low cross, with the South Korea international doing the rest by finding the bottom corner with a clever first-time volley.

Shawcross stabbed just wide for Stoke early in the second half, before two Spurs goals in three minutes ended the game as a contest.

Eriksen was involved again, beating Shawcross’ challenge and connecting with Son, who unleashed a magnificent curling strike into the top corner on 56 minutes.

A swift counter-attack then made it three, with substitute Erik Lamela and Kyle Walker combining down the right to set up Alli, who made amends for his earlier miss with a cool finish.

With 20 minutes remaining, Son found Kane from the left and the striker somehow had the time to take a touch and slot home from two yards out for his first goal in six league outings, becoming the fourth Spurs player to reach a top-flight half century.

Walker cleared a Shawcross header off the line in the closing stages, but Given also denied Eriksen and Moussa Sissoko — handed his debut from the substitutes’ bench — at the other end as the visitor threatened to make it five in an emphatic triumph.

West Ham 2 Watford 4: Mazzarri’s men come from behind to seal first win

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Walter Mazzarri secured his first win as Watford manager as his side came from two goals down to claim a 4-2 Premier League victory against West Ham at London Stadium.

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The Hornets had lost their previous three fixtures in all competitions heading into Saturday’s clash and Mazzarri’s men looked to be heading for another defeat when a headed brace from Michail Antonio put the hosts into a commanding lead – with Dimitri Payet at his best with two spectacular assists.

However, two strikes in the space of five minutes from Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney respectively levelled proceedings heading into the interval. And Slaven Bilic’s side’s capitulation continued after the break – Etienne Capoue hammering in a third before Jose Holebas added a fourth.

And despite a late glut of pressure from West Ham, the host did not manage to create a clean-cut chance as its second league appearance at London Stadium ended in defeat.

West Ham was boosted by the return of Payet to the starting line-up for the first time this season and the France playmaker would have given the host the lead if not for an instinctive stop by Heurelho Gomes – who had previously denied Antonio.

But Gomes could do nothing to prevent Bilic’s side going ahead moments later, Antonio stealing in to nod home from Payet’s whipped corner – with the help of a deflection from Deeney.

Matters were almost made worse for Watford soon after, Daryl Janmaat inexplicably turning the ball onto the upright of his own goal before, at the other end, Arthur Masuaku did brilliantly to prevent Ighalo netting from close range.

West Ham continued to control proceedings and had its reward just after the half-hour mark, Payet executing a magnificent Rabona cross to the back post, with Antonio on hand to head home his second.

Watford responded well, though, and Mazzarri’s side hauled themselves back into the game when Ighalo’s strike took a wicked deflection off James Collins – the Nigeria striker’s first league goal of the season.

And the visitor’s comeback was complete on the stroke of half-time as, after capitalising on a mix-up between Adrian and Collins, Deeney levelled with a precise finish into the top corner.

Watford continued to build momentum after the restart and went ahead after 53 minutes, Capoue thumping a powerful half-volley that Adrian could only turn onto the underside of the crossbar.

West Ham was shell-shocked and Watford wasted no time in taking advantage – Holebas drilling in their fourth from the edge of the area just after the hour mark, though Adrian should have done better with the attempted save.

The host looked to forge an immediate response, but would have found themselves further behind if not for a fine save from Adrian to deny substitute Isaac Success.

Watford thought it had a fifth soon after, as Stefano Okaka prodded in after getting on the end of Younes Kaboul’s knockdown, but the goal was correctly disallowed for offside.

However, that decision mattered little as the visitor held firm to secure the spoils and condemn West Ham to a third league defeat of the campaign.

Other Results

>Bournemouth 1 West Brom 0: Wilshere debut ends in victory

Key Opta stats:

- Tottenham has won 4-0 in more than one Premier League away game versus the same opponent for the first time.
- Harry Kane became the fourth Tottenham player to score 50 Premier League goals for the club after Teddy Sheringham, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane.
- Stoke has won just one of its last seven Premier League matches at home (D2 L4).
- Only Mesut Ozil (19) has provided more top flight assists than Christian Eriksen (15) since the start of last season.

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