Tottenham Hotspur are hanging on by a thread in the race for fourth place in the Champions League, though they're not looking particularly encouraging heading into their decisive games. Roberto Soldado scored just his second goal from open play in the Premier League on Sunday, but it was one of few significant events in an otherwise dull 1-0 win over Cardiff.
Tim Sherwood apparently liked what he saw from the partnership of Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor on Thursday and opted to start in a 4-4-2. That decision paid dividends in the 28th minute when Adebayor found Soldado with a pass across the face of goal that Soldado ran onto, then poked into the back of the net from eight yards with his first touch.
Cardiff should have found an instant equalizer, but Steven Caulker failed to capitalize on a golden opportunity. He had a free header inside the six-yard box, but hit the underside of the crossbar when he should have scored without much of a problem.
The second half was mostly uneventful until the dying minutes. Harry Kane came on as a late substitute and nearly scored his first Premier League goal, but was denied by the outstretched left leg of David Marshall. Cardiff pushed hard for an equalizer and earned a couple of late set pieces, but couldn't test Hugo Lloris, and Spurs held on for three points.
Notes:
- Oh my god I am sleepy
- Seriously, this was on at the same time as Atleti-Real, why were you even watching?
- Why do all of our players just stand around?
- ROBERTO SOLDADO