Doherty: “The second half was the real us!”
Thu 05 January 2023, 19:35|
Tottenham Hotspur
Matt Doherty felt our second-half display at Selhurst Park gave a true representation of our capabilities on the pitch – and admitted he’d been practising his left-footed goal prior to the game!
The Republic of Ireland international burst in from the right side and slotted home our third goal of the evening as we scored four times without reply after the interval to seal a 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
Assessing how things transpired in south London, Matt felt the team did well to bounce back from our recent struggles, which have seen us draw at Brentford on Boxing Day and suffer a home loss to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day.
“It was a very important win,” he said. “Everyone knows the tough start we’ve had back after the break for the World Cup. I thought we played well in the second half at Brentford, weren’t great against Villa and even in the first half (against Palace), we found it tough at times. But, look… the second half was the real us. That’s the football we want to be playing – defending strong, playing the ball forward, dynamic on the ball, players running off the ball and clinical up front.
“I guess that’s what happens when you score first – confidence starts to flow out of everybody, they are pushing forward and the quality we have when we are hitting teams on the break like that is pretty devastating. Towards the end of last season we were scoring first against a lot of teams and then wiping the floor with them. We know when we score first, we’re a very hard team to beat.”
I guess that’s what happens when you score first – confidence starts to flow out of everybody.
Memorably hitting the back of the net in all three of our warm-up friendly matches ahead of the Premier League’s resumption last month, Matt revealed his pre-match work paid off when he slid home Heung-Min Son’s deflected lay-off to put us 3-0 up against the Eagles.
“I was practising that left-footer in the warm-ups!” he said. “We did some shots and I had a couple on my left foot that I just put away in the far corner. I had a lot of space in the first half but it was difficult to switch it with the wind. In the second half, it was easier. I just managed to be in the right place, the keeper got a hand to it but, fortunately enough, it went in.
“I love being here and I want to contribute as much as I can. Tottenham is a huge club and on nights like this where we go away from home and win 4-0 like that – and to contribute with a clean sheet and a goal – that’s what we’re here for, that’s why we play the game.”
