AVB is slowly getting it right

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Queens Park Rangers 1

Not that there was much sign of a developing partnership between manager and supporters at half time at White Hart Lane when the home side trooped off to a chorus of jeers having been outplayed by a vibrant Queens Park Rangers side who were ahead through a Bobby Zamora goal.

Changes were needed and Villas-Boas did what he reportedly does best and found a tactical solution that worked. Two goals in a minute – an own goal from Alejandro Faurlin and a wining strike for Jermain Defoe – were the result, enough to ensure Tottenham followed up their first league win of the season at Reading last weekend with their first success at home.

Villas-Boas decision to switch to two strikers and urge his backline to press further up the field was vindicated and suddenly, with his side lying eighth, the Premier League table is not something to be avoided for sensitive Spurs fans.

“The players really put on a show in second-half,” the manager said. “We felt that we need to be a little bit more aggressive, more desire and the players really understood it and became very, very strong in the second half.

“We also understood that scoring the first goal would make a massive difference. It came on a lucky situation but it gave us a boost of confidence to go and look for the second. They fought hard it to get this first home win that was important. The desire made a big, big difference.

“All credit to them for having that strength of character and showing resilience to come from negative result and turning it to a win.”

It was a much less rewarding experience for Mark Hughes, the QPR manager, who saw his side once again fail to claim three points despite performing impressively. Two points from the opening five games is hardly the start the west London club’s owners imagined when they bankrolled the overhaul of the squad during the summer months but there was certainly cause for optimism despite the defeat.

“Yes we should have won,” Hughes said. “Certainly in the first half we dominated proceedings, “If it wasn’t for Brad Friedel we would have been even more in a position to have taken the game away from Spurs and seen it out. But overall, the performance level we are delighted with.

“They got a break at the right time obviously with an own goal which lifted them. Then for the second we are very disappointed with the referee in terms of what he’s seen. In the build up, there was a clear foul on Esteban Granero then an even more blatant foul on Nedum Onuoha as he is trying to retrieve the situation running back towards his goal and gets taken out, that the referee saw but he didn’t think it even warranted a free kick. So there’s two issues leading up to their winning goal. Overall the performance level we’re delighted with.”

The visitors quickly tested Brad Friedel but Tottenham didn’t take notice of the warnings and on 32 minutes Rangers finally found a way past Friedel. Spurs failed to clear Rangers latest corner and the ball fell to Alejandro Faurlin who brilliantly slipped in Zamora to score.

Villas-Boas reacted by replacing the ineffective Gylfi Sigurdsson with young centre-half Steven Caulker at half-time. Jan Vertonghen moved from centre to left-back, Gareth Bale was pushed forward from left-back to his more usual left-wing position and Clint Dempsey joined the previously isolated Jermain Defoe up front.

Whatever words of wisdom Villas-Boas also said worked wonders judging by the way fired-up Spurs burst out of the blocks after the break. Dempsey and Caulker finally tested QPR keeper Julio Cesar who was a spectator for most of the first 45 minutes.

Then Spurs struck twice in 90 dramatic seconds to turn the game on its head. The equaliser was fortunate as Caulker’s header from Bale’s corner rolled in off unlucky Rangers midfielder Faurlin. A minute later Defoe fired Spurs in front. Vertonghen charged forward and released Bale down the left. Cesar spread himself well to divert Bale’s drive onto the bar but was helpless as the ball fell kindly for Defoe to fire home.

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Friedel 8; Walker 7, Gallas 6, Vertonghen 8, Bale 8; Sandro 6, Dembele 7; Lennon 7 (Townsend 90), Sigurdsson 5 (Caulker 46, 7), Dempsey 7 (Huddelstone 88); Defoe 7.

QPR (4-4-2): CESAR 8; Onuoha 6, Nelsen 6, Hill 6, Bosingwa 2 (Dyer 2, 7); Wright-Phillips 7 (Mackie 76) Park 6, Granero 7, Faurlin 8, Hoilett 8, Zamora 7 (Cisse 73).

Referee: P Dowd.