MX23RW : Friday, April 19 22:44:31| >> :120:8374:8374:

Live Commentary: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Norwich City - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's text commentary of the Premier League clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City at White Hart Lane.
2

Tottenham Hotspur returned to winning ways in the Premier League this afternoon with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Norwich City.

Spurs took the lead in the first half when some lovely build-up play between Roberto Soldado and debutant Christian Eriksen set up Gylfi Sigudsson, who took a touch before curling an effort into the bottom corner.

Sigurdsson doubled his personal tally early in the second half when he tapped in from close range following Paulinho's low cross.

You can read how a dominant 90 minutes for Tottenham unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage below.


Sort:
Newest
Oldest
Right, that is it from me this afternoon! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for what was a dominant performance from Spurs as they cruised to a 2-0 win over Norwich. Be sure to stick around for our match report, which will be up shortly, and analysis which will be up within half an hour. If it's more live football you're after, you can join Jack Prescott from Chelsea's trip to Everton here. From me, though, it is goodbye!

For Norwich, it was a very disappointing performance as they only really threatened on two occasions in the entire match. Both chances fell to Ricky van Wolfswinkel, but Danny Rose was there on both occasions to thwart the new Norwich striker. Chris Hughton will be demanding a much-improved performance in their match against Aston Villa next Saturday.

Sigurdsson's first goal was undoubtedly the pick of the bunch. It was a typically fluid move from Spurs as Soldado chested the ball down to Eriksen, who a slid a pass to Sigurdsson to control before curling it nicely into the bottom corner. The second goal also had a nice build-up, and Paulinho's pass across the face of goal was inch-perfect for Sigurdsson to apply the easiest of finishes. Spurs also hit the post in the first half, with Soldado flicking a brilliant back-heel against the woodwork.

Spurs may not get a more comfortable win that that all season. They were in control for the vast majority of the match and coped with what little Norwich threw at them with ease. Gylfi Sigurdsson is the man who will make the headlines with his brace, but it was a fine performance all round from the hosts, who move onto nine points from a possible 12 this season.

FULL TIME: Tottenham 2-0 Norwich

UPDATE: West Brom have got their first goal of the season in dramatic fashion! Gareth McAuley gets a late equaliser for the Baggies against Fulham.

For all of Lamela's undoubted quality, he must be one of the easiest players to read as he only ever uses his left foot. I honestly don't think I have seen him use his right once since his move to Spurs, he is so one-footed. However, knowing what a player is going to do and actually dealing with what a player is going to do is very different.

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match. Still time for a dramatic ending? I doubt it, but Spurs will be desperate to keep that clean sheet.

Having survived a couple of late scares there, it looks like Tottenham will comfortably see out this match. Their defence hasn't been troubled much in this match, but they will still be delighted with a third clean sheet in four matches this season.

Lloris really did get away with that one. He probably should have been sent off for that even if he thought he was still inside his penalty area, and the resulting free kick is slammed straight into the wall.

YELLOW CARD! It is a nightmare couple of minutes for the Tottenham keeper. After that earlier spill, he comes a long, long way to punch a high ball clear. He comes so long, in fact, that is is outside his area when he punches it! The linesman is perfectly positioned to see it, but Lee Mason decides on just a yellow card.

Tottenham will not want to concede late on here. Lloris spills a ball inside the box and Norwich almost get to it, but Dawson manages to scramble it behind for a corner. Shaky goalkeeping from Lloris.

TOTTENHAM SUB: It's time for Erik Lamela's introduction, and the Tottenham record signing will have three minutes to influence this game. He replaces Dembele.

That is better from Townsend. He has had plenty of shots this afternoon, most of which have not threatened the keeper at all. This latest one takes a deflection that sees it curl over the bar and out for a corner.

TOTTENHAM SUB: There will be no hat-trick for Gylfi Sigurdsson today as he makes way to a standing ovation. On comes Sandro in his place, while Lamela remains on the bench.

UPDATES: Newcastle have regained the lead against Villa after Christian Benteke had brought the hosts level. It was Yoan Gouffran who got the latest goal to put the Magpies 2-1 up. Arsenal have also extended their lead, with Ramsey doubling his personal tally.

Norwich fail to clear a corner but Tottenham just can't seem to get it under control enough to have enough. Eventually the ball is laid back for Townsend to have a go from the edge of the box, but he doesn't catch it right and it rolls safely into the arms of Ruddy.

NORWICH SUBS: Double change for Norwich as Redmond and Elmander make way to be replaced by Anthony Pilkington and Alexander Tettey. That is all three subs used by Hughton, so we won't see a debut for Hooper today.

UPDATE: Arsenal have regained the lead against Sunderland, and it is Aaron Ramsey who has continued his upturn in form with a goal. The Gunners now lead 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Tottenham's first change of the day sees an end to Eriksen's debut. He has been classy and creative in equal measure today and will be very happy with his first performance in the white of Spurs. He is replaced by Lewis Holtby.

YELLOW CARD! Elmander enters the book for a poor late challenge on Rose. It was good refereeing as he allowed play to continue as Tottenham had a shot that went wide, before bringing play back and flashing the card.

CHANCE! Big chance for Norwich, but Van Wolfswinkel is once again denied by Rose! Lloris comes to punch a cross but only gets it as far as the edge of the box. A shot deflects around the box before falling to Van Wolfswinkel, who just takes too long sorting his feet out before his shot was blocked by Rose. That was a very good chance for the striker.

UPDATE: Cardiff have equalised against fellow Premier League new boys Hull courtesy of Peter Whittingham. It is now 1-1 at the KC Stadium.

CHANCE! Spurs are queuing up to shoot here. Bassong gives the ball away with a sloppy pass and Spurs immediately commit plenty of men forward. Paulinho's pass to Soldado is slightly over-hit, causing the striker to miss out on a very good chance but the ball still falls to Townsend, who hammers a shot towards the near post that Ruddy does well to save with his feet.

NORWICH SUB: The first change of the day unsurprisingly comes from the visitors as Bradley Johnson makes way from Jonny Howson. That is a like-for-like swap in midfield for Norwich.

From the other side, Townsend fizzes a similar low ball into the six yard box and this time it is Turner who makes the vital interception to deny Soldado. The Spurs striker is getting into all of the right positions at the moment, but it may be time for him to gamble at the near post soon.

Vital interception from Bassong. Rose makes his way down the left flank and plays a low ball into the six yard box, where he knows Soldado will be waiting. Bassong is well-positioned at the near post to put it behind for a corner with the Spaniard lurking right behind him.

SAVE! What a way that would have been to get a hat-trick! Sigurdsson goes for goal from 25 yards out and he has plenty of power and accuracy in his shot but Ruddy gets across to push it away from his top corner.

YELLOW CARD! Garrido becomes the second Norwich player in the book, and he can have no complaints. Townsend beat him all ends up down the touchline, and Garrido took the winger down with a mis-timed challenge.

That may just be Lloris' first real action of the day. Whittaker lifts a high ball into the box and the Tottenham keeper comes out to collect in commanding fashion.

I wonder whether we will see Hooper soon. It would be a risk to bring him on considering his recent injury, but Norwich are severely lacking in attacking threat and Hooper could be the man to change that. It depends whether Hughton thinks that they can still get something out of this match, I suppose.

Sigurdsson nicks the ball away from Turner before crumpling into a heap on the floor. It looked like a foul, but Lee Mason was having none of it.

UPDATE: Tottenham fans will be in an even better mood when they hear that Sunderland have equalised against Arsenal. Craig Gardner got the goal from the penalty spot.

Looking back at the replay, Ruddy may feel unhappy with himself there. He seemed to get fingertips to the cross but it still managed to find its way through to Sigurdsson at the back post. The Norwich keeper could have perhaps intercepted the cross, but it wasn't a glaring errors by any means.

Perfect start to the second half from Tottenham. It is another nice move as Eriksen plays it to Paulinho who advances down the right side of the area before sliding a superb low ball across the face of goal that Sigurdsson is on hand to tap in. He won't get an easier finish than that all season, and he is now on a hat-trick.

GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Norwich (Gylfi Sigurdsson)

SHOT! Eriksen has the first shot of the first half as he goes for goal from range, but his effort flies harmlessly over the crossbar. Spurs have gone for plenty of long-range shots today, which is perhaps a ploy from Villas-Boas knowing that Soldado will be ready to finish any spilled shots from the keeper.

KICKOFF: We're underway in the second half here as Norwich kick us off for the second time today. Can they produce a better performance in this second half?

Spurs' domination of that half is reflected in the stats. They had 73% of the possession, barely giving Norwich a sniff. That is Barcelona-esque domination of the ball, but it counts for nothing if they can't turn it into goals. You feel that they need one more to make things a little more comfortable in the second half.

The moment of the half so far, though, has undoubtedly been that Tottenham goal. Here is a picture of the moment Sigurdsson steered his effort past Ruddy and into the far corner:

Tottenham's Gylfi Sigurdsson scores the opening goal against Norwich City on September 14, 2013© Getty Images


The hosts came within inches of taking the lead after just 12 minutes when Soldado struck the post with an inventive effort. Eriksen was the creator, showing impressive close control to beat two men inside the box before seeing his shot spilled by Ruddy. Soldado was quick on to the loose ball and desperately unlucky to see his back-heel come off the post.

For Spurs, they will be happy with their performance so far. They have been irresistible at times so far and their new boy Christian Eriksen has looked particularly bright. He produced the assist for the goal and looks capable of creating something whenever he is on the ball.

Norwich have had very little to offer in terms of attacking threat so far, but they did fire a warning shot shortly after going behind through Ricky van Wolfswinkel. It needed a fine last-gasp block by Danny Rose to deny the Norwich man, and Hughton will be using that as an example of how his side are still very much in this match.

Sigurdsson's goal is the difference between the two sides so far, but he was merely the end product in a beautifully-worked Tottenham move. Soldado was involved as he chested the ball down to Eriksen, who played a simple yet brilliantly little pass into the path of Sigurdsson, who finished well.

Well, that is one of the most one-sided halves of the season so far, but Spurs only have a one-goal lead to show for it. It was a lovely little goal, but Villas-Boas will have wanted his side to extend their lead before the break.

HALF TIME: Tottenham 1-0 Norwich

We will have on minute of added time at the end of this half.

Another long-range strike from Townsend is curled high over the bar to groans from the home fans. He has made a bright start to the season, but he needs to be careful of trying to do too much. Sometimes looking for a teammate is a better option.

UPDATE: In the battle of the newly-promoted sides today, Hull have drawn first blood. Curtis Davies has given the Tigers a 1-0 lead over Cardiff City at the KC Stadium.

Half chance for Spurs as Soldado gets in front of Bassong with some very bright movement, but he can't get enough on his header at the near post. It reaches Rose at the far post, but he blasts his shot well over the bar.

A back-heel from Soldado even catches Walker out on the right touchline, but the full-back just about reacts in time to keep the ball in play. He feeds it inside to Eriksen, but this time the debutant can't find the killer pass and is forced out wide before being dispossessed.

That chance should serve as a reminder for Tottenham that, no matter how dominant you are, 1-0 is not a safe scoreline. Spurs will be eager to capitalise on their performance so far by turning this possession into more goals and give themselves a bit of breathing space.

CHANCE! Out of nothing, Norwich get a big chance to level the scores. Van Wolfswinkel takes advantage of a slip by Dawson to get on the end of a low cross into the box, but Rose comes across to make a vital last-ditch challenge on the striker, just as he looked like scoring. It should be a corner, but the referee points for a goal kick, much to Van Wolfswinkel's chagrin.

Townsend certainly doesn't lack confidence with his long-range shots. This latest one is his third - and best - of the match so far, but it is straight down Ruddy's throat.

Paulinho isn't renowned for his pace, but he shows greater determination to reach a Dembele flick than any of the three yellow shirts around him. He picks up the ball just inside the box before feeding it out to Townsend, whose cross is disappointing.

No let up for Norwich after that goal. Spurs have resumed control of this match since the restart and Norwich have their backs to the wall at the moment. They can't seem to get out of their own half and any thoughts of launching a meaningful attack have been put on the back-burner for now.

That is no more than Tottenham deserve from this opening half an hour. Spurs have been dominant, verging on rampant, so far and have completely controlled the ball. They needed to wait a little while to break Norwich's defence down, but they certainly showed that they have the quality to do that.

Tottenham gets their first goal from open play of the season, and it was worth waiting for. Superb build-up play from the hosts as Soldado chest the ball down to Eriksen, who slides a short little pass into the path of Sigurdsson inside the box. The former Swansea man takes a touch before curling it past Ruddy into the far corner. Lovely, fluid football from Spurs and Eriksen marks his debut with a typical assist.

GOAL! Tottenham 1-0 Norwich (Gylfi Sigurdsson)

CHANCE! Big chance for Tottenham! Norwich fail to clear the corner and Dembele eventually makes his way back to the touchline before pulling it back for Soldado. The Spaniard instinctively swings a left leg at the ball, but Bassong is stood right in front of his keeper to deflect it just wide. Good defending from the former Tottenham man, but Ruddy probably had it covered.

A Whittaker foul on Rose has given Tottenham a free kick in a good position for a cross, but Eriksen's delivery is comfortably cut out. The ball comes back out to the Tottenham man, but his effort is deflected over the bar.

UPDATE: Newcastle have taken the lead against Aston Villa through Hatem Ben Arfa, while Fulham have also just moved into a 1-0 lead against West Brom thanks to Steve Sidwell. The Baggies are still searching for their first goal this season.

Plenty of promising attacks for Tottenham in the opening 20 minutes as they continue to dominate the ball but, apart from that Soldado chance, they are yet to really find a way through this Norwich defence.

YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the game goes Norwich's way as Roger Johnson is cautioned for a challenge on Soldado. He made a good tackle initially, but his second bite at the ball was where the offence took place. I'm not sure it deserves a card, but you can see why Lee Mason has given it.

Tottenham's first corner sees Eriksen drift the ball in towards Paulinho, but it is well defended. The Tottenham man seemed to have got ahead of his man there, but he just couldn't connect with the ball.

UPDATE: News from the other North London side coming through as Arsenal have taken the lead against Sunderland. It is Giroud who has continued his fine scoring form, and guess who got the assist? That's right, debutant Mesut Ozil. What a start to life in English football for the German.

For all Soldado and Eriksen's clever play in the build-up to that chance, Ruddy would have been disappointed if that ended in a goal. It was a decent save from the initial effort, but he would have expected to hold on to the ball.

OFF THE POST! Big let off for Norwich after sublime play from both Eriksen and Soldado. Eriksen dances with the ball inside the box, taking it away from two defenders in close proximity before firing a shot towards the near post that Ruddy fails to hold on to. Soldado is onto the loose ball quick as a flash and, with his back to goal, attempts a cheeky back-heel that comes back off the post. So unlucky for Spurs, that would've been some goal!

Crunching tackle from Whittaker as he slides in hard and fair on Danny Rose. He gets all of the ball and still sends the Tottenham man sprawling to the floor. Brilliant challenge.

Norwich have set up quite defensively in these early stages, challenging Spurs to break them down. Their midfield is staying quite narrow, forcing Tottenham to play it out to the wings. With Townsend and Sigurdsson preferring to cut inside, that could be clever play by the Canaries.

Eriksen's first notable action sees him send a cross into the sort of area that Soldado loves. This time it is cleared by the defence, but if he continues putting the ball in those sorts of areas, then he and Soldado will have a fruitful partnership.

Norwich have their first sight of goal of the day, and it is great work from Elmander. He picks the ball up on the halfway line and, despite not being blessed with electric pace, drives his way to the edge of the box before scuffing a tame shot goalwards that Lloris comfortably collects. Good, positive run from the striker there, but the finish was lacking.

What a turnaround Andros Townsend has had at this club. A year ago he was deemed not worthy of a place in the squad and loaned out to QPR, but now he is the man everyone seems to want to pass to. The vast majority of Tottenham;s attacks so far this season have come down that right flank.

SHOT! Townsend is involved again in the early stages as he is left in space around 25 yards from goal. He doesn't need a second invitation to shoot, and his effort flashes a yard or so past the post.

SHOT! Bright start from Spurs as Townsend makes an early run down the left. He cuts inside onto his stronger left foot to pass the ball across field to Sigurdsson, who cuts in from the other wing only to fire his shot over the bar.

KICKOFF: Here we go then, Spurs get us underway as they look to get back to winning ways against Norwich this afternoon. Great atmosphere inside White Hart Lane.

Chris Hughton gets a good reception from the home fans as he walks out with Villas-Boas. He may be on the opposing side today, but the supporters are not likely to forget the contribution that he has made to the club over the years.

Enough about the past, though. Today's match is one that Spurs will be expecting to win, but Norwich are the sort of side who can pull off a shock if Tottenham aren't at their best. I am particularly excited to see how Eriksen takes to English football as, I am sure, are the thousands of Tottenham fans in attendance today.

Last season, these two sides met three times, with Norwich remaining unbeaten throughout. Both league matches ended 1-1, while the Canaries ousted Spurs in the League Cup with a 2-1 win at Carrow Road. Overall, these two sides have met 62 times, with Tottenham winning 26 to Norwich's 19, while there have been 16 draws.

They can find solace in their home form extending back to last season, however. Spurs have lost just once in their last 14 matches at White Hart Lane, winning 10 of those games. As previously stated, though, Norwich have a good recent record here so one of those records will have to give today.

One thing Tottenham will have to address if they want to seriously challenge for the top four, and maybe beyond, is their early-season finishing. Only Everton have had more shots than Tottenham's 42 so far this season, yet Villas-Boas's side are still yet to score from open play in the league. Paulinho himself has had 11 shots without scoring, which is more than any other player in the league.

PREDICTION: We are 10 minutes from kickoff at White Hart Lane, which means that it is time for a prediction! Norwich have been tough to second guess so far this season, but they will do very well to get anything out of tonight's game. Spurs may have struggled to find goals galore in the league so far but, with the quality at their disposal coupled with home advantage, they should have enough about them to win this game. I'm going to go for a 2-0 win to Spurs.

In fact, Spurs have not beaten Norwich at White Hart Lane since way back in 1995. They seem to struggle against the Canaries at home, having won just two of six matches against them at the Lane in the Premier League era. In general, though, Norwich are lucrative opponents for Spurs. Only Manchester United (nine) and Liverpool (eight) haven beaten the Canaries more times in the Premier League than Tottenham's six wins.

The worrying news for the Canaries is that their away form has not been good this year. In 2013, Chris Hughton's side have won just one of their 10 matches on their travels, although that solitary success did come against Manchester City. Their recent visits to White Hart Lane have proved a little more fruitful, however, with the Canaries picking up four points from their last two matches here.

They also have the option of bring Gary Hooper off the bench for his Norwich debut. The former Celtic man has not featured for his new club yet due to a shin injury, but the Canaries have high hopes for him when he returns. He had a phenomenal scoring record in Scotland for the Bhoys, but so often we see players struggle to reach the same heights in the Premier League. Will Hooper prove different? Only time will tell, but we could catch a small glimpse of the answer today.

In Redmond and Snodgrass, they have just the men for the job. Redmond has made a blistering start to his Norwich career and is a real handful for defenders. He actually leads the Premier League in successful dribbles past more players (13) than anyone else so far this season. Snodgrass is a slightly different type of player, but his crossing ability could be exactly what that attacking duo need to make an impact today.

Plenty of quality in the Tottenham ranks, then, but Norwich have players capable of causing the hosts problems today too. Up front, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Johan Elmander will cause the Spurs defence plenty of problems in the air, provided they are given service by the Norwich wide men.

Behind them, Dembele and Paulinho are capable of running the midfield, and you will struggle to find two central midfielders more solid than them in the Premier League this season. They are dangerous going forward and will give ample protection to a decent, if not spectacular, defence. In Hugo Lloris, Spurs have one of the best keepers in the league who can really dig them out of any problems with his pace off the line, anticipation of play and sheer reflexes.

As for the men who will be looking to provide him with chances, few teams can match Tottenham's strength in depth in midfield. Townsend has been in fine form this season, resulting in an England call-up recently, while Sigurdsson has the ability to slide clever passes into his striker even if he hasn't reached top form yet this season. All eyes will be on Eriksen today, though. He comes to England with a big reputation already, and by all accounts it is very much deserved. A number of top clubs have been tracking him for a while now, and Tottenham have pulled off a real coup in securing his signature.

Their main threat will no doubt come from Soldado, who has made a fine start to his Tottenham career and has already shown himself to be a natural goalscorer. He had a fine career in Spanish football and has adapted to the English game very quickly. If he is given chances, he will score goals - it is as simple as that.

So, what can we make of those two teams? Well, for starters, it is a very strong lineup that Tottenham are able to field. They have quality all over the pitch and plenty more options on the bench in the likes of Holtby, Defoe and Lamela. Andre Villas-Boas hasn't sprung any real surprises, though I would certainly expect to see Lamela at some point this afternoon.

NORWICH SUBS: Bunn, Martin, Howson, Hooper, Pilkington, Olsson, Tettey

NORWICH STARTING XI: Ruddy; Whittaker, Bassong, Turner, Garrido; Snodgrass, Fer, Johnson, Redmond; Elmander; van Wolfswinkel

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Friedel, Kaboul, Naughton, Holtby, Lamela, Sandro, Defoe

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Rose; Dembele, Paulinho; Townsend, Eriksen, Sigurdsson; Soldado

TEAM NEWS: The team news is in for both sides, and the headlines come from the Tottenham camp. Christian Eriksen will make his debut for the club as he is named in the starting lineup, but any fans licking their lips at how he will link up with Lamela may have to wait - the latter only makes the bench. Norwich, meanwhile, stick with Elmander and Van Wolfswinkel up front while Gary Hooper is on the bench and could come on for his debut. Full team news on its way.

The match will see a return to White Hart Lane for Chris Hughton. He spent 13 years as a player here between 1977-1990, making almost 400 appearances in all competitions and winning the FA Cup twice and the UEFA Cup once. He then added to his club service by acting as Tottenham's assistant manager for a decade between 1998-2008. He is undoubtedly a legend at White Hart Lane, but the home fans will be hoping that he doesn't go home happy tonight.

Their four points from three games leaves them ninth in the Premier League at things stand, a position I'm sure that manager Chris Hughton would be happy with come the end of the season. His side have only had one match outside of the league this season, beating Bury 6-3 in the League Cup second round.

Elsewhere this season, Norwich have started inconsistently to say the least. In addition to that win over Southampton, they have drawn 2-2 with Everton on the opening day and fallen to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Hull City. This afternoon will be their toughest test of the season so far, but their chances will depend a lot on which Norwich side turn up on the day. If it is the one that turned up against Hull, this could be a big scoreline for Spurs.

It was Redmond who scored the only goal of the match in Norwich's last outing, which saw them pick up their first win of the season by beating Southampton 1-0.

Speaking of big money, Norwich have splashed the cash as well this summer. Their spending has been nowhere near the scale of Tottenham's, but the additions of the likes of Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Gary Hooper and Leroy Fer were substantial signings for a club of Norwich's stature. It is arguably Nathan Redmond who has had the biggest impact of the new signings, however, and he will be looking to continue his impressive early-season form today.

Of course, Spurs have had a little time to get used to life without Bale. He didn't feature for Andre Villas-Boas's side this season, so we won't be expected much different from what we have seen in the opening three games this afternoon. However, Norwich may be expecting something different from the last few times that they have come up against Spurs. Bale scored Tottenham's only goals in the last two meetings between the sides, while he has also netted four of the last six goals that Spurs have managed against the Canaries.

Of course, you can't mention Tottenham's actions in this transfer window without Gareth Bale's name cropping up. The Welsh winger's protracted transfer saga finally came to and end just before deadline day, and today's match will be Tottenham's first in the post-Bale era. They have certainly recruited well to fill his absence, but any team in the world would still miss a player of that quality.

I mentioned Soldado earlier, and he has certainly had the biggest impact of Tottenham's numerous new recruits so far. He has scored their only two goals of the Premier League campaign so far and looks like being a very shrewd buy from Andre Villas-Boas. The other new signings have also impressed during their short Tottenham careers so far, but there is bound to be a period where they need to gel simply because so many new faces have been brought in in such a small amount of time. The personnel is certainly exciting for Tottenham fans, who must be relishing seeing Lamela and Eriksen link up, but they may need to be a little patient and not expect instant success.

That tally of six points from their opening three league games has left them sixth in the table at this very early stage. Outside of domestic action, Spurs have been in good European form. They thrashed Dinamo Tbilisi 8-0 on aggregate to reach the Europa League group stages, which will kick off with a home tie against Tromso on Thursday.

Elsewhere in the league this season, Spurs have picked up a pair of 1-0 wins to go with that 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. They opened their campaign by edging past Crystal Palace courtesy of a Roberto Soldado spot kick, while the Spaniard was also called upon to score a penalty to help Spurs overcome Swansea.

However, the international break should have given Spurs time to get over the defeat, as well as giving some of their new boys a chance to settle down at the club. Most of them will have been away on international duty - Spurs signed seven players who were full-internationals during the summer - but the likes of Lamela and Eriksen, who could make his debut today, should be more comfortable with their surroundings now.

We'll start, as ever, by looking at our hosts this afternoon. Spurs have made a decent start to the season after their summer of extravagant spending, but their promising beginning was brought crashing down to earth in their last outing. Any fan of Spurs or Arsenal will tell you that the North London derby is that match that really matters for them, and it was the Gunners who got the bragging rights with a 1-0 win earlier this month.

Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining us at Sports Mole for today's Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City at White Hart Lane. Let's get straight down to business.

ID:104759: cacheID:104759:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:51765:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Scottish manager David Moyes reacts during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester United at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, northwest England, on September 1, 2013
Read Next:
Transfer window: Winners and losers
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!