Hull vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Tottenham came from behind to beat 10-man Hull City at the KC Stadium on Sunday, grabbing a valuable three points in the Premier League.
Not for the first time this season, Spurs benefited from a red card that changed the course of the game. Jake Livermore had opened the scoring against his former club to give Hull an early lead, but Gaston Ramirez's red card just five minutes after half-time swung the momentum firmly in Tottenham's favour.
Harry Kane equalised shortly after that moment to restore parity, and from then on, it felt like a matter of time until the visitors completed the turnaround. In the end, it was Christian Eriksen who delivered the decisive blow in the 90th minute, finding the bottom corner with a sweet strike from the edge of the box.
Here are some winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Christian Eriksen
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Christian Eriksen was just about the most influential player in the match, so it was fitting that the Dane would pop up with the game-winning goal.
Having provided the assist for the opener with his near-perfect free-kick, Eriksen's radar was working slightly better in the 90th minute when he beat Allan McGregor from the edge of the box.
The goal exemplified everything good about Eriksen on Sunday: his sublime touch under pressure, his cool decision-making and his precise right foot combining to prove the difference between the two sides.
Some of his set-piece deliveries in the first half were perhaps not up to scratch, but his guile and cleverness in and around the box ultimately ensured that Spurs came away with victory in this one.
Afterwards, Eriksen told Sky Sports, "That gave us a bit a confidence for our next games. In the second half we played very well. In the first half we started slow and they were quicker than we were."
He added, "In the second half we played well, forward and attacking, and of course we played well against 10 men and it gave us more space."
Loser: Gaston Ramirez
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We can debate endlessly whether Gaston Ramirez deserved to be sent off for his altercation with Jan Vertonghen, but what cannot be debated is that the Uruguayan should never have given referee Craig Pawson the option.
There appeared to have been little cause for Ramirez to lose his temper five minutes after the break, especially from Vertonghen—who seemed simply to be trying to move the midfielder out of his way as the ball moved upfield. Ramirez's lashing out was petulant and stupid, even if it was relatively mild compared to some such incidents we have seen in the past.
Another thing that cannot be denied is the influence the red card had on the course of the match. Hull lost their grip on the contest entirely as a result, and it was only a matter of time before Spurs gained the lead.
That Tottenham took so long to do so only spoke to the home side's determination and resilience under pressure—characteristics Ramirez conspicuously lacked.
Sky Sports analyst Jamie Carragher was quoted as saying of the dismissal, "It’s nothing, it’s not a yellow card in my opinion. The linesman sent him off. If you’re the referee or linesman you say ‘get up both of you, get on with it, play on’. It’s obviously cost them the game."
Winner: Spurs' Resilience
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There was an element of Jekyll and Hyde about Spurs' display in this one. They were abject on occasions, particularly in defence, during the first half—and in the second half, their attacking was sometimes remarkably wasteful.
The fact they still won, despite all that, is rather impressive.
Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado continued their respective goal droughts with some careless work in the final third of the pitch. Federico Fazio also struggled in the first half, but he grew in composure as the game wore on. The same could be said for Ben Davies, although Eric Dier (withdrawn at half-time) was not given a similar opportunity.
Dier apart, it was notable how Spurs did not get discouraged by some of their early mistakes and instead kept pushing on even as their finishing let them down. The winner felt like a reward for all that resilience, especially as it came so late in the game.
Already criticised a lot for lacking character and leadership this season, for Spurs there was a certain degree of fortitude that contributed to this win—even if the red card also helped a lot.
Losers: Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore and Michael Dawson
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Hull's three former Spurs players will be devastated to have come away from this game without anything to show for their efforts, especially after Livermore had opened the scoring with a sweet finish.
The midfielder did not celebrate his strike overtly, although it is a fair bet that it meant a great deal to him.
The rest of the game was less enjoyable for all three. Huddlestone was withdrawn with plenty of the game still to go, Livermore was lucky to avoid being sent off and Dawson saw his resilient defensive effort ultimately count for nought.
Spurs got the victory, and all three opposition players were left without the revenge they must have been seeking against the team that let them go. It would not be unreasonable if all three are fuming at Ramirez over the course of the next week.
Winner: Mauricio Pochettino
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It should not be said that Mauricio Pochettino was instrumental in this comeback, and it cannot be said that Spurs do not still have some serious issues that need to be addressed.
Before the red card, they looked far from a settled side, with the defence particularly unstable and the forward line continuing to misfire.
Having said that, the Argentine deserves a certain amount of credit for the way his team responded once Ramirez had been dismissed. Playing against 10 men can be a tricky proposition, but Spurs absolutely dominated the final 40 minutes of the game. After swapping Eric Dier for Vlad Chiriches at half-time, the subsequent decisions to add Aaron Lennon and Paulinho to the fray both paid off handsomely for the Argentine coach.
Lennon was particularly influential, ensuring Hull could never get a moment's respite with his pace and crossing ability from wide positions, while Paulinho had a role in the eventual winning goal.
Pochettino still has plenty of work to do on the training ground to sort out the underlying issues, and they surely won't keep being bailed out by red cards. This was a valuable three points, however, and he played his role in the turnaround.
Loser: Craig Pawson
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It wasn't a great game for referee Craig Pawson, who did not even see the pivotal Ramirez incident—relying instead on his linesman to make the decision. When he watches it back on television, he may wonder if he got it completely right, although perhaps we can give him the benefit of the doubt.
One decision he did definitely get wrong, however, was the decision not to send off Jake Livermore for a second bookable offence after he lunged in late and from behind against Ryan Mason. It was a decision from Pawson that was hard to justify, even if it did not ultimately change the final result.
