Tottenham find cohesion at the perfect time for a top-four push

As much as Tim Sherwood would try to make you believe otherwise, there was a reason beyond a rant he made some two weeks ago that was at the heart of Tottenham’s come-from-behind win over Southampton.

Having trailed 2-0 for the best part of half an hour against the Saints, Sherwood’s side rallied back to claim a last-gasp win thanks to a Gylfi Sigurdsson strike that boosted their top-four chances to the tune of 12/1.

The overriding factor in all that was good about the White Hart Lane side, though, was the link-up play between Roberto Soldado and Christian Eriksen, two of the many new signings the club put their post-Gareth Bale stock in this summer.

With Arsenal capitulating so badly against Chelsea, there is renewed hope among the chasing top-four pack that the final place in next season’s Champions League is still up for grabs and Eriksen and Soldado’s partnership points to good times ahead for Spurs.

The Danish midfielder, moved inside to play behind the Spaniard having spent a number of weeks on the left flank, was the chief benefactor to Soldado’s superb hold-up play, ending the match with a brace.

As the leading light from Spurs’ recruitment drive this summer, there isn’t much Eriksen needs to do to convince the north London faithful he was worth buying. But Soldado, despite not finding the net, enjoyed his best Premier League performance since arriving from Valencia.

With Emmanuel Adebayor ruled out of action through injury, Soldado’s confidence-boosting performance was vital in enabling Tottenham to exert some pressure over their local rivals in the race to finish in the elite European places.

Avenging their 5-0 defeat to Liverpool is next on Spurs’ agenda, something they are 9/2 to complete at Anfield, and a performance of new-found cohesion from some of the club’s expensive new recruits couldn’t have been more timely as the business end of the campaign reaches its nadir.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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