Middlesbrough vs Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League.
Riverside StadiumAttendance32,703.
Sunday 25 September 2016 19:14, UK
Heung-Min Son bagged a first-half brace as Tottenham secured a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough to remain unbeaten and go second in the table.
The Londoners were without last season's Golden Boot winner Harry Kane but their attacking threat was undiminished in the first half.
The visitors were less inspired after the break and an improved Boro side pulled one back through Ben Gibson, but they could not find an equaliser and Spurs are off to their best ever start to a Premier League season.
Vincent Janssen deputised for Kane and made a good impression, linking well with Son, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli.
Meanwhile, Premier League new boys Boro have now lost three in a row, but showed plenty of fight in the second-half, buoyed by the introduction of Adama Traore.
The onslaught on the Boro goal began early on, Victor Valdes doing well to keep out a long-range piledriver from Alli.
However, Eriksen got on the ball after the resulting corner was cleared and fed it through to Janssen, who calmly held it up before laying it off to the onrushing Son, and the South Korean cut inside past two challenges and then found the net with a low shot.
Son was at it again in the 23rd minute, initially appearing to lose the ball but then winning it back as Antonio Barragan and Cristhian Stuani dithered fatally, before slamming a beautiful finish into the top corner.
Spurs should have had more goals before the break, Stuani appearing fortunate not to give away a penalty when he bundled Alli over in the box.
Alli also put a good chance over the bar after Calum Chambers had lost the ball in his own area, while Valdes did well to block a Moussa Sissoko effort.
And Spurs initially continued to hold sway after the break, but their build-up play was a little more laboured and an end product was also lacking.
The speedy Traore arrived on the hour and brought the Boro fans to their feet with a scintillating run, leaving Spurs players trailing before almost picking out fellow sub Jordan Rhodes.
And Boro then got back into the game, Stewart Downing sending over a lovely free-kick from the left, allowing Gibson to rise above Sissoko and score with a downward header which bounced into the corner.
Downing produced another excellent cross 10 minutes later, but Rhodes could only direct his header straight at Hugo Lloris, and the Boro comeback bid ran out of steam somewhat after that, sub Adam Forshaw volleying a tricky late chance wide of the target.
Player ratings:
Middlesbrough: Valdes (6), Barragan (6), Friend (6), Gibson (7), Chambers (5), Stuani (5), Clayton (6), Ramirez (5), De Roon (6), Downing (7), Negredo (5)
Subs: Traore (7), Rhodes (6), Forshaw (6)
Tottenham: Lloris (6), Walker (6), Davies (6), Vertonghen (6), Alderweireld (6), Eriksen (8), Son (8), Alli (7), Sissoko (6), Wanyama (6), Janssen (6)
Subs: Lamela (6), Winks (6), Nkoudou (6)
Man of the match: Heung-Min Son
