Tottenham Hotspur edged out the Black Cats on Sunday.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Alan Smith has highlighted Tottenham Hotspur’s resillience and determination in their 1-0 win over Sunderland on Sunday.
With Spurs hitting Stoke City for four goals last week and Sunderland winning just one point from a possible 15 so far this season, it did not look good for David Moyes’s side ahead of kickoff in North London.
But the Black Cats, to their credit, frustrated Tottenham for large spells, and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was particularly impressive.
That being said, Mauricio Pochettino’s side found the breakthrough just before the hour mark through Harry Kane, with his second Premier League goal of the season.
And it proved enough to lift the Lilywhites up to third in the table, four points behind Manchester City at the summit, and former Arsenal man Smith has said that the victory is owed to the gritty determination of Pochettino’s boys to grind out the win.
He told Sky Sports: “Pochettino was desperate for a win after that Champions League defeat to Monaco. He got that win, which wasn’t always pretty but they showed a lot of resillience and determination and finally got the three points.”
There was little of either in Spurs’ midweek defeat in the Champions League, but it is encouraging to see them wear down Sunderland on Sunday.
Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford saves from Tottenham’s Dele Alli
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