Premier League 2018/19: Tottenham Hotspur vs Watford

Tottenham Hotspur returned to Premier League action against Watford on a cold evening at Wembley. Mauricio Pochettinos side were looking to cement their place in the running for a Champions League place and put a tough week behind them after back to back FA Cup & League Cup exits. Watford, having a strong season under Javier Gracia, arrived in ninth position in the table, knowing a victory would see them leapfrog Everton and Wolves into seventh.

With Tottenham looking to win their first trophy in over a decade a victory was needed to keep them on the fringe of a title race. In the end, Spurs ran out 2-1 winners with a victory that had to come the hard way after a late turnaround. Tactically the game had some moments of interest in the first half as Spurs dominated the ball with Watford offering a threat on the break. Watford, leading 1-0 at half time, were content to frustrate in the second half, with Spurs eventually finding two late goals to take the points.

Lineups

Mauricio Pochettino once again had his work cut out in selecting his starting line-up. With star players Harry Kane and Dele Alli missing through injury, the Argentine would have to conjure up some more magic to give Spurs an attacking threat. Spurs were boosted by the return of Son Heung-min from international duty, but there were concerns about the South Korean’s freshness going into the game. Indeed, with the sheer amount of injuries Spurs have accrued throughout the season, there are a lot of Spurs players running on empty at the moment.

Spurs lined up in a 3-5-2 system, with their first choice back three of Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld tasked with keeping a lively strike pairing of Troy Deeney and former Barcelona man Gerard Deulofeu quiet. Up front Fernando Llorente was again selected, with Son playing off the Spanish target man. Spurs central midfield has been an issue this season, but Pochettino has found a formula that works with Winks and Sissoko, who were joined in a three by Christian Eriksen.