Spurs win but not much to cheer for either side at wet Wembley

Spurs get back to winning ways after losing against Barcelona in midweek (photo credit: Steve Clare/Prost International).

Not much to cheer for either side at wet Wembley

Spurs 1 : 0 Cardiff

by Steve Clare, Wembley Stadium

An Eric Dier goal in the eighth minute settled this chippy encounter at Wembley between Tottenham Hotspur and Cardiff City. With the win, the Lily Whites carry on their 100% record at home against promoted sides since 2012 with 21 straight wins.

Tottenham had 19 shots , of which seven were on target, and missed some real sitters especially just before and after half time. But their most embarrassing moment may have come in the middle of the pitch when their players overreacted to a Joe Ralls foul on Lucas Moura harassing referee Michael Dean into awarding a straight red to the Cardiff midfielder. It was unedifying and not something any fan would want to see repeated.

Dier’s goal came from a corner which was flicked on at the near post. He pounced first after a weak touch from Joe Bennett. Deluge to match the weather looked likely.

City keeper Neil Etheridge denied Harry Kane in a first half full of chances and at the other end Junior Hoilett took too long on the ball and having delayed his shot simply fell over and. For Spurs, Moura and Trippier shot just over, keeping the lead at just a solitary goal.

Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris was mainly a spectator but had to be sharp to deny Josh Murphy after another flick on. South Korean international Heung-Min Son did the work down the left side and found Lucas Moura, who carefully slotted the ball the wrong side of the post just before the interval.

The hosts came out on fire after the restart.

First Harry Kane had a header saved by Etheridge and then Moura thumped the rebound towards the goal but Sean Morrison’s superb block kept the score at 1-0.

The talking point came just before the hour mark. when Ralls brought down Moura on the touchline just inside the Cardiff half. Referee Dean seemed to be content with a yellow but the vehemence and quantity of the Spurs players’ protests overwhelmed him and he produced a red as they had demanded.

Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin wrote on BBC Radio 5 live:

“I think the referee was going for a yellow but he gets surrounded by Spurs players. The challenge isn’t dangerous, it’s very cynical.

“It’s high and it’s very cynical but the Tottenham reaction and the stadium’s reaction has had an effect on his decision.”

Just after that, Lloris makes his best save of the game, low down to deny a header from the excellent Morrison onto the post. Spurs had a few more worrisome moments but saw out a game that should never have been in doubt,

It’s hard for either side to draw too many positives from the game. Spurs were leggy, weary and their shooting was awful. Cardiff lacked edge and, most of all, creativity. It’s hard to see where their goals will come from, even against lesser sides.

Op-Ed: Team GB is an affront to Wales’ most loyal fans