‘Special One’ yet again guilty of producing the stuff of magic

TOTTENHAM Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho displayed the touch of magic which has often accompanied his storied managerial career in his side’s 3-0 triumph over Leicester City at home in the Premier League on Sunday.

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In an astonishing occurrence here, Spurs cantered to victory with just 29.5 per cent possession, their lowest ever tally in a game played at home. Mourinho’s side cast The Foxes aside in the first half thanks to a James Justin own goal and a brace from the ever-reliable Harry Kane. But it is not all as the final scoreline suggests; that it was a dominant victory for the Lilywhites. Instead, the converse holds truer.

Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur overcame Arsenal in emphatic fashion despite losing the battle of possession against The Gunners (Image: Sourced).

British sports analytics company Opta has revealed it is the least possession the north London outfit have had in any Premier League game since 2012. The week that has been, including the latest result, has translated into the best week the Portuguese has enjoyed since joining the club in November – taking the mantle from Mauricio Pochettino – defeating bitter rivals Arsenal last Sunday as well as Newcastle United in midweek.

His side got off to the perfect start in front of absent home support when Son Heung-min’s effort deflected in off Justin inside six minutes. Before the break and still leading the encounter by a single goal, Spurs broke on the counter to add a second through Kane, who effortlessly slotted beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

Jose Mourinho makes Premier League title prediction about ...
Jose Mourinho again displayed the touch of magic which has so often accompanied his storied managerial career (Image: The Sport Review).

Another three minutes would pass before the forward doubled his tally with a lovely curling effort that fell just inside the far post. With this result, Spurs moved up to sixth on the table while defeat leaves Leicester in fourth, having played a game more than top-four rivals Chelsea and Manchester United.

Spurs still have a mathematical yet unlikely prospect of breaking into the top-four, a feat which would require all three sides in Leicester, Chelsea and Manchester United to stumble and fall embarrassingly, at this advantaged critical stage of the campaign.