Premier League: Tottenham 2 QPR 1
24 September 2012
Tottenham enjoyed their first home win of the season with a 2-1 victory over QPR in an entertaining game at White Hart Lane.
After an enterprising start, the visitors got their reward and took the lead through Bobby Zamora after a cute through ball from Alejandro Faurlin on the edge of the box saw the former Tottenham striker deftly finish with aplomb.
However, Faurlin turned villain when he got the final touch into his own net, before Jermain Defoe scored what turned out to be the winner moments later in a quick-fire turnaround for Spurs.
The visitors were unperturbed early on local enemy turf, as Junior Hoilett forced a stunning stop out of Brad Friedel after unleashing a fierce volley on goal.
Tottenham then saw a goal correctly ruled out for offside just before the half-hour mark, with Defoe latching on to Gareth Bale's lovely through ball before playing it across the box for the Welshman to tap home from six yards out unmarked before the officials stepped in to chalk it off.
With the game starting to open up more and more, it was QPR who took the lead in the 32nd minute through Zamora, after he latched on to Faurlin's superb reverse pass into the box from the edge of the area, before showing good composure to lift it past the onrushing Friedel.
Hoilett could have made it two, as he managed to get away from Sandro down the left before letting fly with a vicious effort from distance which Friedel managed to palm away.
Tottenham were struggling to live with the tempo of the game in what was becoming an increasingly flat performance by them and after a series of cracks on goal from range which failed to trouble Julio Cesar, they went in at the break a goal behind.
This prompted Andre Villas-Boas to shift his side around for the second period, making a tactical change, bringing on Steven Caulker for the anonymous Sigurdsson, which saw Bale moved to the left wing, Jan Vertonghen to left-back and Clint Dempsey pushed inside to support the lone striker.
These changes saw the home side find their shape and after Dempsey managed to turn Granero on the centre circle, he had a powerful strike from distance well saved by the unorthodox technique of Julio Cesar, who had yet to be properly tested.
This seemingly shook the team into life and William Gallas had a header from the resulting Bale corner tipped away by the Hoops' goalkeeper, before they had a strong penalty appeal again turned down after Shaun Wright-Phillips appeared to use his arm to control the ball as he hacked the ball clear.
Faurlin then let the visitors down at a Spurs corner, bumping home Tottenham's equaliser prior to the hour mark.
This seemed to open the floodgates, though and they were ahead just ninety seconds later through Defoe in the 61st minute after a terrific break-away move which saw Vertonghen surge up the pitch with the ball before laying it off to Bale on the left of the box who then had his drive tipped onto the bar by Julio Cesar, but the in-form England striker was there to tap home into the empty net to complete a dramatic turnaround.
