View: Tottenham U21s in straightforward victory over Blackburn after late drama last time out
It has been a sensational start to the 2023/24 season for the Tottenham Under-21s, who made it five wins out of five, thrashing Blackburn Rovers 4-0 at the Lamex Stadium on Saturday (2 September).
After a dramatic last-minute winner from Harvey White during a midweek 3-2 win over Sunderland, this was a much more straightforward task for Wayne Burnett’s men.
Despite being without White, who left the club to join Stevenage, and central defender Ashley Phillips, who was called up to join the first team’s trip to Burnley and therefore not available for the visit of his former side, the result on the pitch stayed the same.
It was both a dominant and clinical performance from the youngsters with goals from Jude Soonsup-Bell, Jamie Donley and Will Lankshear enough to seal all three points, with the side now having scored 15 goals while conceding just one during their opening four Premier League Two games.
However, the result could have been very different as it was the visitors who went close to taking the lead inside 11 minutes. A collision between Luca Gunter and Alfie Dorrington resulted in the ball bouncing off the defender and toward the goal before it was thankfully cleared off the line.
And although it took Spurs some time to find their rhythm, they did eventually find it and found it emphatically, as Soonsup-Bell headed home in-form Yago Santiago’s delivery on 27 minutes. Just after half-time, Santiago had a chance of his own to continue his impressive goalscoring streak, but the Spaniard was unable to find the target after being played through by Donley.
Nonetheless, moments later, Donley decided to take matters into his own hands and double the lead himself. After being played through the middle, the striker found himself in plenty of space and showed a cool head to stay calm and slot the ball home.
Donley continued to have his say on proceedings, this time grabbing an assist, squaring the ball for Lankshear in the 70th minute who finished well, to make it three goals in two games for the forward. It could have been four for Tottenham and four in three games for Lankshear in the 84th minute as he shrugged off a defender, but he saw his shot saved.
Although the away side ended the contest impressively, they couldn’t find a consolation and instead had to stomach a Tottenham fourth when Soonsup-Bell grabbed his second in stoppage time after being teed up by Max Robson.
It leaves Burnett’s men top of Premier League Two, level on points with Fulham, but ahead on goal difference.
In other Tottenham news, player ratings from the first team’s victory at Burnley.