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I'm stealing an idea from the FOOTBAW blog I've been taking care of recently, introducing some post-game awards for each Spurs match. From now until the end of the season, we'll present the Man of the Match, Dud of the Week and Working Class Hero polls. I give the case for everyone, you vote, we see who wins. We'll throw these out on the weekday after every match, including Europa League matches, so check back for these and vote on the regular.
All subjective observations are mine, and all stats come from Squawka, because WhoScored is down right now! Your loss, WhoScored. Your nominees for Man of the Match are:
Gareth Bale: The most obvious choice, as he scored the game-winning goal. It was a stunning one, scored from just outside the penalty area with a vicious strike. He had two other shots that were saved, four that were blocked and one that was off target. His crossing didn't find any heads, but he completed 93 percent of his passes.
Lewis Holtby: In his substitute appearance, Holtby completed 42 of 44 passes, had two shots on target, made two tackles and had two interceptions. He didn't create any clear-cut scoring opportunities by himself, but he was also basically flawless.
Moussa Dembele: The Moose didn't put a foot wrong all match. His 76 of 78 passing performance was very impressive, and he showed off his dribbling skills by beating his man five out of six times he attempted to take on and beat a defender. His two interceptions and one tackle seem surprisingly low, but I guess West Brom didn't exactly do much in the second half.
Hugo Lloris: Here's where stats break down, and why they're only and indicator of what you should look for during a game, not what actually happened: Lloris was created with 0 clearances by Squawka, and I suspect by other stats providers as well. lol? He was brilliant in his sweeper keeper role, shutting down a couple of long balls over the top that less decisive and athletic keepers wouldn't have gotten to.
The field: Let's be real, lots of guys played well. I liked both central defenders, but didn't think one stood out above the other or Lloris. I would like to hear cases for them. Surely there are Scotty Parker defenders in the house, as well as people who think that Aaron Lennon's form caused West Brom to focus on him and open up space for others. Whatever you've got, throw it out in the comments, and vote away.
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