Tottenham Hotspur continued their perfect start in their first home match of the new Premier League season, with a trouncing 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
Nacer Chadli (brace), Eric Dier and Emmanuel Adebayor all got among the goals to hand new manager Mauricio Pochettino his first competitive match win at White Hart Lane.
After two rounds of matches, the ‘Lilly Whites’ are top of the table with five goals and six points, while coach Harry Redknapp’s QPR are yet to win a first game this season.
Harry Redknapp’s return to the ground where he enjoyed leadership between 2008 and 2012 was greeted with an unfamiliar welcome, as the hosts, fresh from last weekends opening day narrow win, hit the ground running with huge intent.
Spurs dominated the early stages and pulled ahead in the 12th minute, following a sweeping move forward orchestrated by Adebayor, whose delightful cross from the right was expertly controlled by Chadli and turned home from six yards.
Full-back Dier patrolled the right flank consistently, as Erik Lamela’s assertion of total control in the midfield troubled Redknapp’s side, who had spread out in 3-5-2 formation aiming to reduce the pressure on their defence.
What should have reduced pressure on the newcomers turned out a glorious Matt Philips squander, as the winger, after sneaking behind Younes Kaboul to latch on to a long ball, blazed his effort wide with just Hugo Lloris to beat.
Christian Eriksen almost doubled Spurs’ lead few minutes later, but rattled the woodwork with a beautiful free-kick from 25 yards.
Dier grabbed his second goal of the season on the half-hour mark. The right-back evaded Leroy Fer to head home Lamela’s corner from a tight angle at the near post.
Rangers’ organisation in the defence continued wrecking havoc, as Chadli completed his brace seven minutes later. The unmarked Belgian headed past Robert Green from Lamela’s pin-pointed delivery from the edge of the goal area.
After an awful defending in the first-half, QPR simplified their setup to suit the rampant attack of their opponent, switching to a 4-5-1 formation, yet failed to stop Adebayor from getting his first of the season.
The Togolese’s one-time finish from Danny Rose’s cross on the 65th minute ended a horrible afternoon for QPR.
