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Attendance: 24,169
Huddersfield logo
Premier League
Sep 30, 2017 at 12.30pm UK
 
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0-4

FT(HT: 0-3)
Kane (9', 24'), Davies (16'), Sissoko (91')

Live Commentary: Huddersfield Town 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur - as it happened

Relive Tottenham Hotspur's emphatic 4-0 win at Huddersfield Town with Sports Mole's text commentary.
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Tottenham Hotspur have fired themselves up to third place in the Premier League table with a resounding 4-0 away to Huddersfield Town at the John Smith's Stadium.

Harry Kane bagged a brace in the first half to cap off his best ever September goal tally, with a Ben Davies strike sandwiched between his double.

Spurs left it late to complete the rout, with substitute Moussa Sissoko netting his first goal for the club in stoppage time.

Find out how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's text commentary below.


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Good morning and welcome to our live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Huddersfield Town and Tottenham Hotspur, the final match for both teams ahead of the international break. The starting XIs have been submitted, so brace yourself for team news...

HUDDERSFIELD XI: Lossl, Smith, Jorgensen, Schindler, Lowe Mooy, Hogg, Kachunga, Van La Parra, Ince, Depoitre

SPURS XI: Lloris, Trippier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies, Dier, Winks, Eriksen, Dele, Kane

The home side have made just one change from the team which drew a blank against Burnley last time out. Rajiv van La Parra comes into the midfield in place of Abdelhamid Sabiri, who drops to the substitutes' bench. Laurent Depoitre, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance against Leicester City earlier this month, continues to lead the line for the Terriers.

The big news for Spurs is a recall for playmaker Christian Eriksen, with the midfielder having missed the midweek victory over APOEL through illness. All in all, it's three changes for the visitors as Jan Vertonghen and Dele Alli return to the starting XI in place of Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko.

It should be an interesting contest at the John Smith's Stadium as Huddersfield pit their unbeaten home record against Tottenham's 100% away record. On paper, the visitors have David Wagner's side outgunned, but history doesn't favour the team you'd expect in this fixture.

Terriers boss David Wagner watches on during the FA Cup replay between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town on March 1, 2017© SilverHub


Huddersfield have faced Spurs 17 times in the English top flight, winning 10 of those and drawing five. That said, the last time they actually beat them was April 1956, when they triumphed 2-1 away, not that they've spent a great deal of time in the same division since then.

The last top-flight meeting between these two was all the way back in March 1972 at Leeds Road in the old Division One. That game finished 1-1.

Meanwhile, back in 2017, the Terriers are unbeaten at home this season and have conceded just one goal at the John Smith's Stadium. That doesn't tell the whole story, though, as they are without a win in four matches. Most of those have been draws, three out of four, in fact.

The winless run may be threatening to gather pace, but it's been an overwhelmingly positive start to the season by Wagner's men. Clean sheets are their bread and butter, with four in six, making them the first newly-promoted Premier League side to do that since Blackburn Rovers in 1992.

A clean sheet against Spurs today will see Huddersfield set a record for newly-promoted sides. Impressive stuff!

Aaron Mooy will be a key man for the Terriers in the final third today. He is the creative heart of this side, having set up 14 goalscoring chances in the league this term, twice as many as any of his teammates.

Aaron Mooy in action during the Premier League game between Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United on August 20, 2017© Offside


Wagner's side are in for a tough test today, make no mistake. Tottenham are absolutely lethal against newly-promoted opposition, with 13 back-to-back wins against such teams. Harry Kane loves playing them too, having found the net 20 times in his last 16 league appearances against top-flight newcomers.

This stat underlines just how impressive Spurs have been against Premier League newcomers in recent years...



PREDICTION! Although Huddersfield have given a good account of themselves in the Premier League so far, I think Spurs will be too much for them this afternoon, taking their current away form into account. Harry Kane has been scoring for fun on the road and will likely bag at least one today. I'm going for 2-0 to Spurs.

Pre-match quotes from the two managers incoming...

WAGNER: "This is the first time we meet an opponent with this quality. It's the next step and we are excited to see if we can make the step. We want to pull them [Spurs] down to our level on Saturday and then neutralise their offensive abilities. It's important that we play for three points against Spurs; we will try everything to do that."

POCHETTINO: "I think they will be very motivated to play against us and have had the whole week to prepare for the game against Tottenham. But of course I know we will arrive in our best condition and ready to compete. That is the most important. It will be a very tough game. Sure that we will find a very energetic team, so athletic and in the Premier League always every game is tough and every game is difficult."

Mauricio Pochettino shouts during the Premier League game between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton on March 19, 2017© SilverHub


Not long to go until kick off and the fans are out in force at the John Smith's Stadium. Terriers supporters are loving life in the Premier Leagie so far, but will they be loving it quite so much after going 90 minutes with Tottenham Hotspur? Stay tuned to find out.

Just minutes to go until the referee's whistle. The atmosphere inside the stadium is fantastic. Huddersfield cannot be written off entirely when they have a crowd like this to draw on...

KICK OFF! Tottenham Hotspur get the match underway, kicking from left to right in the first half.

Spurs force a corner with barely a minute on the clock as Harry Kane latches onto Kieran Trippier's through-ball and gets in behind the Huddersfield defence. The England international gets his shot away and it deflects behind off Jonathan Hogg. Spurs force a second corner moments later, but the Terriers clear their lines more convincingly this time.

SHOT! Huddersfield make a real statement of intent as Laurent Depoitre finds Tommy Smith in acres of space in the Spurs half. The midfielder takes the ball in his stride and lets fly from 25 yards, but Hugo Lloris gets down to his left and saves. Smith got plenty of power behind that, but the Spurs keeper had it covered.

A ball over the top from Trippier looks for the onrushing Kane in the final third, but the striker mistimes his run and gets caught in the offside trap. At the other end, there's almost an opening for Huddersfield as Tom Ince finds Rajiv van La Parra on the edge of the box, the Dutchman shooting first time and winning a corner via a deflection.

GOAL! Huddersfield Town 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Harry Kane)

Huddersfield have committed men forward in the early stages of this match, but that has only led to them being caught short at the back. A swift Spurs break is borne out of a Terriers corner, the move ending when Trippier plays in Kane and the England man beats Jonas Lossl from close range, placing his strike into the bottom corner.

The Terriers desperately need to close down Trippier. All of the Spurs attacks have been coming through that channel, and when he manages to pick out Kane, the visitors look like doing some damage. Huddersfield have kept Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli quiet so far, though.

GOAL! Huddersfield Town 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Ben Davies)

Another neat team move from Spurs ends with the net rippling. Kane picks out Eriksen and the Dane's trickery leaves Chris Lowe with his legs in knots, the defender's half-clearance falling kindly for Ben Davis in the box, who passes the ball home for 2-0.

CLOSE! Spurs almost claim their third thanks for a howler from Lossl in the Huddersfield goal. The Dane miskicks a clearance straight into the path of Kane. The prolific striker attempts to round the keeper, but Lossl does well to recover and smother the ball at his opponent's feet.

GOAL! Huddersfield Town 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur (Harry Kane)

Kane rifles home Tottenham's third and it's the pick of the afternoon's goals so far. The England international creates space for himself on the edge of the box and bends an unstoppable strike into the top corner. Kane's on course for his second hattrick of the week, and Huddersfield are running the risk of a battering.

Kane just loves facing newly-promoted sides...



There's been a naivety about Huddersfield's approach to this match, assuming they can press Spurs with the home crowd behind them. There's a gulf in quality but the hosts have looked good going forward, and are still pushing into the Tottenham half despite being outgunned.

OFF THE POST! Tottenham have been absolutely relentless going forward and Dele Alli was a lick of paint away from netting their fourth just now. The attacking midfielder carved the Huddersfield defence apart, dancing towards the six-yard box and shooting across Lossl, his effort coming back off the far post!

More pressure from Huddersfield at the other end as Van La Parra beats Jan Vertonghen and attempts to pick out Ince in front of goal, but Alderweireld gets a vital touch and prods the ball out for a throw. Moments later, Mooy floats a free kick into the Spurs box, which Trippier clears with a strong header.

Kane has the ball in the net, but is denied a hattrick by the offside flag. He volleyed a Davies cross home, only for the linesman to correctly rule the goal out.

Spurs have a stranglehold on this game with half time approaching. They're not resting on their laurels either, despite this healthy lead. They're camped out in the Terriers' half, continuing to press and prod.

OFF THE WOODWORK! Huddersfield gain possession following a Spurs corner and go on the counter. Laurent Depoitre picks up a pass in the Tottenham half, shakes off Harry Winks and unleashes an absolute screamer, his shot rattling the frame of the goal. Lloris would not have reached that!

There will be a minimum of one minute of stoppage time to play.

HALF TIME: Huddersfield Town 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs head into half time with a solid 3-0 lead at Huddersfield Town. The hosts have given a decent account of themselves and showed no desire to park the bus, but Tottenham have been at their unstoppable best this afternoon, particularly Harry Kane, who is on course for his second hattrick of the week.

A few key stats to bring you from the first half. Spurs dominated possession with 63% to Huddersfield's 37%. The hosts had four shots, one of which was on target, while Tottenham had nine shots and four on target, an impression conversion rate.

Although Huddersfield haven't looked like pushovers, it could easily have been more for Spurs, since Alli hit the post and Kane had a goal ruled out for offside. Speaking of Kane, this is his best ever September with a whopping 13 goals for club and country during the month.

KICK OFF! The hosts get the game back underway. No changes for either side at the break.

CLOSE! It's almost a fourth for Tottenham as Christian Eriksen gets away along the left channel. He bears down on goal, looking to pick out Kane in the centre of the box, but his low pass is swallowed up by a sea of blue and white shirts. Desperate defending from the hosts, but they closed down Kane well there.

Huddersfield may have kept the same personnel from the first half, but a change of approach is evident. They're putting more men behind the ball and making it more difficult for Tottenham while they're on the front foot. Tommy Smith has just flow into a hard, well-time challenge on Dele Alli, cutting out the Spurs supply line.

There's a break in play as Trippier undergoes treatment after falling heavy from an aerial challenge, but the Spurs man is back on his feet now and already involved in play once again, sprinting down the flank to give chase to a long ball he just fails to reach.

BOOKING! We have our first yellow card and it's a deserved one. Alli is booked for simulation after diving in the box during a one-on-one situation Lossl. The Spurs man used his pace well to get away from Tommy Smith, but he dived before any contact was made.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Huddersfield make a double change, with Malone and Philip replacing Loewe and Mooy. The latter failed to make any impact this afternoon, despite being one of the Premier League's most creative influences so far this season.

BOOKING! Elias Kachunga is the first Huddersfield man to go into the book this afternoon, penalised for a late challenge on Vertonghen. The Terriers have certainly been more aggressive in the second period, but there doesn't appear to be any way back for them against one of the top flight's finest.

The pace of the game has slowed right down, but the noise inside the stadium isn't dropping off. Even the home supporters are in good voice despite their side being three goals down - they're clearly loving life in the Premier League after defying the odds to secure it.

There's almost something on for Tottenham as Lossl commits to a challenge on Eriksen outside of the six-yard box. The two jostle with one another and it's the Spurs man who ends up with the ball. No foul is given and Alli is screaming out for a square pass in front of an empty net, but Lossl recovers and snuffs out Eriksen's attempted cross.

There's a half-chance for Spurs as Eriksen's corner finds its way to the feet of Eric Dier just inside the area. The England international goes for placement, attempting to slot his strike into the bottom corner, but a massive deflection sends it behind.

SUBSTITUTION: Spurs make their first change, taking off Christian Eriksen for Moussa Sissoko. Eriksen missed the midweek trip to Cyprus with a bout of illness, and he's failed to see out the 90 minutes here. Sissoko enters the fray to make his 100th Premier League appearance.

Huddersfield have showed some grit in the second period, but getting back into this match was always going to be a mountain that's too steep to climb. This man's workrate has been particularly impressive...



SUBSTITUTIONS: It's a change apiece as Huddersfield swap Jonathan Hogg for the experienced Dean Whitehead, while Tottenham take off Trippier to give Kyle Walker-Peters a run-out in the closing stages.

SUBSTITUTIONS: One more change for Spurs, and Harry Kane won't be getting a second hattrick of the week as he's come off for Son Heung-Min. There's a nice touch as the home fans also applaud Kane while he leaves the park. They're probably just glad to see the back of him.

Harry Kane is in good company...



GOAL! Huddersfield 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur (Moussa Sissoko)

In the first of three stoppage-time minutes, Spurs add a fourth through substitute Moussa Sissoko, who latches onto Ben Davies' cross, capitalises on confusion among the Huddersfield defenders and passes the ball into the net to claim his first goal for the club.

FULL TIME: Huddersfield Town 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur

An emphatic victory for 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur fires them up to third place in the Premier League table. Harry Kane was at the double to cap off his best ever September, with Ben Davies and Mousse Sissoko adding the others. Spurs looked unstoppable this afternoon, leagues ahead of Huddersfield, despite the Terriers putting in a laudable effort.

The harsh reality of life in the top flight has crept up on David Wagner's men. They attempted to go toe to toe with one of the best teams in the division, and simply didn't have the quality to do that. They'll have easier games, though.

They remain in the top 10 ahead of the rest of today's fixtures.

That's all we have time for here, but be sure to stick with Sports Mole for our in-depth coverage of the rest of this weekend's football. Many thanks for joining us.

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Mauricio Pochettino embraces Harry Kane during the Champions League game between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund on September 13, 2017
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