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Dempsey equalizer helps spark comeback as Tottenham beats Man City

DempseyCity (GettyImages)

By IVES GALARCEP

Clint Dempsey has made a habit of turning up his form in the second half of seasons and he continued to elevate his game on Sunday, scoring the first goal in a three-goal rally that helped Tottenham secure a vital 3-1 victory over Manchester City at White Hart Lane.

Man City opened the scoring in the first half, and looked to be in control of the match as the second half ticked away, but some key second-half substitutions by Spurs helped spark a rally. Gareth Bale played provider in the 75th minute when he  sent a hard and low cross toward the back-post, where Dempsey snuck in behind the Man City defense to slot home the equalizer.

Dempsey’s goal gave Tottenham the momentum to rally for the victory, with Jermaine DeFoe snatching the lead in the 79th minute with a right-footed blast that sent Tottenham fans into a frenzy and put City on the ropes.

Bale provided the final blow, racing onto a perfect pass from Tom Huddlestone to seal the victory and boost Tottenham’s chances of securing a top-four place in the Premier League.

The defeat squeezed what little life remained in Manchester City’s title hopes, leaving Manchester United with a chance to secure the league title with a win against Aston Villa on Monday.

Here is Dempsey’s equalizer:

Comments

  1. Nice cross by Bale but he’s getting far more credit than he deserves. Clint Dempsey stretching out to get the goal was far more impressive than the unabated cross by Bale….Your the man Clint for opening the floodgates in the ensuing 7 minutes for the win!!

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    • Not sure what you’re talking about. When Jozy hit 2 last week, SBI featured him. Yesterday he didn’t score (but his substitute Johannson did) in a 1-3 loss.

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    • Scoring 11 in all competition 6 in the EPL, on a very talented team and being 3rd most scoring spur, I don’t know maaaan,… I say lets call him the GOAT

      Clint the man!

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      • Never called him GOAT, just pointing out the love is for more than one goal. That said, if Dempsey isn’t the greatest American field player in Europe ever, who is?

      • Reyna and Dolo … I would rate Bradley a little over Dempsey since he’s proven his quality in Holland, Germany, and Italy, and over a longer period of time. But Dempsey is right there, especially his knack for scoring important goals (like the one for Fulham to remain in the Premier League or the wonder strike in the Europa League).

      • Good points. I don’t think Bradley is there quite yet, but he probably will be. Reyna was a trailblazer, but in my opinion, his injuries didn’t allow him to truly reach his greatness. I honestly hadn’t considered Dolo, so shame on me. Long tenure and captain of a top flight team in Germany. Much respect. That said, Dempsey is the all time leading scorer for Fulham, a two time player of the year for Fulham, a solid contributor for Spurs, and has scored some amazing timely goals as you mentioned.

      • Ade is, on paper, the sort of player you’d want as a lone striker when both Bale and Lennon are healthy and deployed as the wings. But yes, he’s been terrible, and now that there aren’t any more European dates on the calendar I can’t imagine him starting again.

  2. Huge goal. I wonder if all the Spurs detractors have some thing to say about him still. That goal was an absolute must have.

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    • Cherundolo deserves a nod in that conversation, likely to set the Hannover record for Bundesliga appearances this weekend. He gets more respect from Germans than from Americans, based on personal, anecdotal experience

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      • +1 … he’s extremely under-rated. He’s one of the best American field players. Played entire career at Hannover in the Bundesliga and Buindesliga II. He plays RB and it’s not a glamour or flashy position like midfield and forward. Got his jersey this year from their website. Would not have been possible without Google Translate!

  3. Great finish by Dempsey that looks less composed than it really was since he held his run so late, as BCC said above. But the pass from Bale was even better — inch-perfect, and with the outside of his foot. COYS!

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  4. I would be really happy with Spurs and Chelsea took 3rd and 4th and Arsenal’s expense this year. I think they’re both much more entertaining to watch, and of course I want Deuce in the UCL next season.

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  5. So much for Dempsey “staying where he’s comfortable” on an 11th place team.

    I’m glad Clint has more fight/spine than far too many people on this board and chose to go to a club where he fights for a spot, makes contributions and is on a club nearing a Champions League spot.

    Comfort < Success

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    • Yes, imagine how well he could be doing with a full off-season where he was training with a familiar team instead of forcing his way to Spurs last minute. Maybe he never gets hurt? Maybe he improves upon last season, proving his quality and thus attracting an even better club situation and pay?

      I am a Spurs and Dempsey fan, enjoying his current run of form but that doesn’t mean your argument isn’t full of holes. Fortunately for you, injuries on the squad and Dempsey himself has supported your claims but only time will tell if this was the right move. I hope you’re right but it doesn’t mean a change of scenary is always the best call.

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      • Been There,

        Kindly examine Dempsey’s last five years at Fulham, when he was presumably settled and comfortable.

        You will find that Clint , across all competitions, averaged 42.6 appearances and 11.8 goals per season.

        With 5 games left to play, Clint is on 37 appearances and 11 goals, across all competitions, for this season. It looks like Deuce will hit his average.

        AVB has made it clear that he considers Clint a striker first and foremost, so it helps that Adebayor and Defoe have had indifferent seasons. Still, Spurs are a far more talented squad and Clint is playing his best just when he is most needed, so a neutral observer might say the move seems to be working out.

        A lot of what will happen next season depends on what happens with Bale.

      • GW,

        While I don’t completely disagree, are you saying that Clint is the player that he has been over a five year average or is he the player he was last year? Maybe a better evaluation would be to compare this year to last. In that regard, I would say he hasn’t had as good of a year. I would say he’s really just rounding into form, so it may not be fair to compare but I believe it is fair to imagine that would have been in a better place physically, if he we’re at Fulham.

        We can all agree that being at Spurs has helped him in the short run but will it in the long run? I agree next season depends Bale so if they don’t make the champions league and Bale leaves

      • Continuing my thought… If Bales leaves then is he really that much better off? Time will tell and I hope you’re right. I still not convinced it was the right move though.

      • Clint’s last seson was a once in a lifetime type season.

        It’s unfair to expect him to repeat that.

        Besides, unlike you, I think Clint realises the whole point of having a season like that is to show people “This is what I can do”.

        The idea is some big time team will buy you and allow you to do what really matters to guys like Clint , that is to say, WIN something .

        RVP had a big year also and he moved to Man U. for the same reason Clint moved to Spurs.

        That was never going to happen at Fulham, a nice mediocre club. Had Clint stayed there he might have put together a few more 20 goal seasons .

        Big f**cking deal. So what? Deuce wants to win things not sit on his butt and say “I was pretty good at that mid table loser club that never won diddly squat”.

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