Tottenham Hotspurs returned to winning ways in the English Premier League (EPL) on Sunday (January 17), with an impressive 3-1 victory over Sheffield United.

The Londoners, playing away to bottom-of-the-table Sheffield, were off to a flying start at Bramwell Lane. Keeper Aaron Ramsdale was forced into action early on, tipping Steven Bergwijn’s effort over the bar in the fourth minute.

The stalemate broke a minute later, as Ivorian defender Serge Aurier converted in the penalty area.

As the match progressed, French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele was in superb form; Tottenham, seeking all three points in the continued EPL chase for the title, was in desperate need of his skills.

The call was answered by Harry Kane in the 40th, who, collecting on the turn from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, fired into the far corner for a fantastic finish.

It was a dominant first-half display, which saw the Hotspurs enter the break with a 2-0 cushion.

With 62 per cent of the possession at the resumption of play, the last thing the Jose Mourinho-managed visitors expected was a comeback. Sheffield proved capable and deadly on the counterattack with a 59th-minute goal from David McGoldrick cutting the deficit 2-1.

Ndombele effectively ended the contest in the 62nd, while Bergwijn added a second assist of the night as Ramsdale was cheekily slipped with the outside of the young Ivorian’s boot.

Tottenham, collecting all the spoils and three key points, rise to fourth in the EPL behind leaders Manchester United, Leicester City and Liverpool.

All in all, the match saw a deserved result for Mourinho, who was a little peeved the Hotspurs broke their cheat sheet.

“Good energy from the team; consistent, strong-minded, dominant, pressing a lot—I’m very happy with the performance,”

Mourinho added that apart from a few mistakes, the team also had good dominancy from behind, with their three attacking guys (Son, Kane and Bergwijn) and Tanguy being exceptional “in every aspect of his game”, the outcome was great.