London: Tottenham Hotspur moved back into second place in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool, after cruising to a 3-0 win at lowly Cardiff City Tuesday.
Tottenham had a point to prove after their title credentials were undermined by a poor home loss to Wolves Saturday, and they delivered a composed display in South Wales to move back into second place in the Premier League.
The Mauricio Pochettino-coached side took just three minutes to get in front in South Wales through the familiar source of captain Harry Kane.
After Kane launched an attack, surging from deep, Kieran Trippier crossed and the England forward had a simple tap-in when the ball ricocheted off Cardiff defender Sean Morrison into the net.
Christian Eriksen then made it 2-0 for Spurs nine minutes later with a clever finish from the edge of the box, although Warnock will be disappointed with the way his defenders backed off and gave the Dane space to wriggle and shoot home.
The game was effectively over in the 26th minute when Son Heung-Min produced a clinical finish with a shot on the turn after being well set-up by Kane. The South Korean has scored 11 goals in his last 12 starts.
“We all know how it felt losing at home, and we had to bounce back,” said an impressive Eriksen. “We were lucky with the first goal, and afterwards we had the ball for the rest of the game,” he added.
With this win Tottenham move above Manchester City who face leaders Liverpool Thursday night. City could reclaim second place, however, if they avoid defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Pochettino praised the way his side seized control of the game early. “The energy we showed from the beginning was fantastic to dominate the game. We knew that it would be difficult to open the score and we wanted from the beginning to have a high tempo. We found the solution in the first 20 minutes,” the coach was quotes as saying to Sky Sports.
“I don’t want to see the table. Of course we are in a good position. We need to be consistent. You must be consistent during the whole season.”
The 46-year-old further added that he wouldn’t let nervousness over the table prevent him from watching Thursday’s clash between City and Liverpool, the league’s highest-scoring sides.
“I don’t care. Of course I will watch, it will be an unbelievable game and I enjoy football,” he said.