The English Premier League runners-up, Tottenham Hotspurs, put on a vintage performance as they overcame a battling Kitchee in a 4-1 victory. All the speed and physicality which embodies the EPL was on display as Spurs turned on the class and delighted the 27,000 strong crowd.
After scoring 13 goals in their last two domestic league fixtures, there was a fear that Spurs would overwhelm the local champions at Hong Kong Stadium. The fact that major attacking forces like Harry Kane and Dele Alli did not begin alleviated this fear only slightly as Vincent Janssen, Son Heung Min and Christian Eriksen stepped up to give Spurs their attacking edge.
However, Kitchee were not intimated by their illustrious opponents and a few of the early chances fell to Kitchee with Lo Kwan-yee having a lobbed shot on the 9th minute and Helio heading on target from a corner in the 12th minute. Son Heung Min showed a sign of things to come as he had a goal disallowed in the 13th minute for offside. Eriksen had a close chance in the 15th minute with a snap shot and on the 17th minute, Kitchee’s resistance was broken when Son fired home from just outside the box to give Spurs the lead. Janssen made it 2-0 on the 21st minute with a near post finish and Spurs were comfortably ahead. Kitchee kept persisting and Matt Lam and Sandro had great opportunities to pull goals back, but they shot wide when the chances presented itself.
Such was the friendly nature of the game and the mass substitutions, the crowd had the chance to see the majority of players from both sides and all three spurs goalkeepers had the chance to play as they rotated on and off. The crowning moment of the night was the arrival of Harry Kane on the 75th minute as he replaced Son, and both received standing ovations. Kane made an instant impact as he scored in the 84th minute, but kudos to Kitchee for continually applying their close passing game and for creating chances. They were eventually rewarded when new signing Lucas da Silva managed to pull a goal back on the 89th minute to the delight of the home crowd. A carnival like atmosphere was generated by both the Spurs and Kitchee supporters who chanted and sang all night. The game was sealed in injury time when Kazaiah Sterling made it 4-1 to Spurs. A memorable night which showcased the best of the EPL and some of England’s best young players.
All the action on the pitch and in the stands from Dennis Lo, Ryan Kam, Ken Wu, Christopher KL Lau, JRP Borthwick