Tottenham Hotspur had plenty of the ball but couldn’t secure a win against London rivals West Ham United on Tuesday night, leaving Ange Postecoglou to settle for a 1-1 draw.
Tottenham were looking for a second win in just a few days having beaten Luton Town 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
It all started so well at the London Stadium with Brennan Johnson tapping Tottenham into the lead inside the first five minutes.
Tottenham were pegged back 15 minutes later as Kurt Zouma headed home a corner with Spurs again struggling on a set piece.
Ange Postecoglou’s side dominated possession but couldn’t break through a stubborn West Ham defence.
Too much of Tottenham’s play was sideways and backwards with their attacking players unable to come up with a moment of magic.
A point at the London Stadium isn’t a bad result by any means but failing to build on that early opening goal will be a major disappointment.
Glenn Hoddle praises Tottenham Hotspur player
The likes of Son Heung-min and James Maddison were off-colour whilst Timo Werner had little impact on the game after seeing up Johnson’s opener.
Johnson was probably Tottenham’s most dangerous attacker on the night as his pace caused problems.
On a couple of occasions, Johnson put menacing balls across the box but nobody was there to convert.
Johnson has been in fine form of late and has now received praise from a Tottenham legend in Glenn Hoddle.
Hoddle told TNT Sports (02/04, 22:45) that he loved seeing Johnson’s ‘wonderful’ run to beat Emerson to the ball and score.
Hoddle noted that Johnson was ‘screaming’ for the ball earlier in the attack but didn’t switch off, instead making a great run into the six-yard box
The former Spurs boss added that Johnson is ‘getting good’ in terms of his runs off the ball and his attacking of the back post, believing that he is reaping the rewards of making more runs out of possession.
“You see Johnson screaming for it there, but he doesn’t go to sleep, Werner for only once went on the outside and took Coufal on, and in the end Johnson has made this wonderful little run,” said Hoddle. “He really is getting good with his little runs off the ball. He just goes on the blind side, the full back Emerson has a glance at him but just as he takes his eyes off and goes back to the ball, that’s when Johnson makes his run. It was a well-timed run from Johnson and he’s doing it more and more and he’s getting his rewards, he’s either assisting or he’s actually scoring himself,” he added.
Brennan Johnson making himself undroppable
Johnson took a little while to really get going after his deadline day transfer from Nottingham Forest.
The Welshman is in great form right now though, racking up four goals and three assists in his last nine Tottenham appearances.
Postecoglou loves the pace Johnson can provide but that willingness and desire to get into the box and meet crosses is absolutely vital.
Johnson is really developing that side of his game and it’s difficult to imagine him not starting for Tottenham right now.
Dejan Kulusevski is under real pressure on the right side and with Johnson again making a real impact in the final third, he is fast becoming a key player for Postecoglou and is repaying his hefty price tag.
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