Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 3-0 victory immediately within the FA Cup, in what had the potential to be a very robust fixture.
Preston North End had been having fun with a run of three wins of their final 4 video games in all competitions however knew that welcoming the Lilywhites could be a tough activity regardless of their patchy kind.
Antonio Conte opted for an attention-grabbing lineup wherein no recognised central striker featured, and as such, the goalscoring burden fell as soon as extra onto Heung-min Son.
Would you give Tanganga a run within the staff now?
Yes
No
The South Korean has struggled this marketing campaign, and with simply 4 objectives within the Premier League, it marked a dangerous selection from the Italian to go for him over the substitute Harry Kane.
However, he greater than repaid that religion with a superb brace of the best order.
Cutting in on his ‘weaker’ left foot, he unleashed two luxurious strikes which discovered the other corners respectively to place the sport past doubt. They craved his magic on an evening the place, regardless of boasting 69% of the ball, may solely muster six photographs heading in the right direction.
Although he could earn the majority of the plaudits for his offensive exploits, it can’t be understated simply how strong Spurs had been on the again too.
Much of that was right down to the resurgent Japhet Tanganga, who Conte employed in a proper centre-again position alongside Davinson Sanchez and Clement Lenglet.
Despite being a pure full-again, the 23-yr-outdated loved an completed efficiency which culminated in a 7.4 Sofascore ranking; a quantity solely bettered by Son out of anybody on the pitch.
The defender was instrumental of their construct-up play, finest showcased by his spectacular 103 touches and 88 passes tried. What actually makes him stand out is that regardless of the amount being so huge he nonetheless retained a 91% success price, with one of these being a key go too.
Journalist Kat Lucas put it finest when she labelled Tanganga “very composed” in a publish-match tweet.
However, he would pair this with a wonderful defensive work price that basically pulled his entire efficiency collectively. Making 4 clearances, he supplemented that with a further two interceptions and one deal with (by way of Sofascore). He actually neutralised the assault of the hosts.
Son was admittedly very good tonight, and with out him, their journey into the fifth spherical of the cup would have been much more arduous.
But the inspiration for him to shine was constructed from the solidity and high quality of Tanganga, which is why he deserves explicit reward in sustaining their push for a trophy.
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