Hearts report and player ratings v Spurs as a new signing stands out at Tynecastle

Tottenham Hotspur recorded a 5-1 victory over Hearts after a stirring second-half performance in this pre-season friendly at Tynecastle Park. The hosts created by far the better chances of the opening 45 minutes but failed to convert them and ultimately paid the price against their attack-minded English Premier League opponents.

A strong first-half display should have seen Hearts at least two goals ahead, but some wasteful finishing by Japanese striker Kyosuke Tagawa ensured otherwise. Brennan Johnson punished them with the opener, although Lawrence Shankland levelled seconds after the restart having taken over as Tagawa’s half-time replacement.

Both teams made countless substitutions and Spurs enjoyed a convincing second half. Will Lankshear, Mikey Moore, Djed Spence and Ashley Phillips scored the goals to complete their 5-1 victory in front of an excellent crowd of 15,646. This glamour friendly, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou’s first return to Scotland since leaving Celtic last summer, clearly caught the appetite of the Edinburgh public.

Tottenham arrived with a number of their well-known EPL faces, including captain Heung-Min Son, midfielders Yves Bissouma and James Maddison, plus forwards Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski. They also brought a sizeable support from North London which numbered more than 2,000 and filled more than half of Tynecastle’s Roseburn Stand.

Following a fitting pre-match tribute to the late Hearts and Tottenham legend Dave Mackay, the visitors began proceedings at a pretty high tempo. The home team weren’t in the mood to meekly surrender, though. Thanks to some quick one-touch and two-touch passing, they managed to get in behind the Spurs defence on a few occasions.

Much of that was down to new signing Gerald Taylor. This was the Costa Rican’s first outing after arriving on loan from Deportvio Saprissa and initial signs are that he is an excellent acquisition at right-back. Strong in defence, physical and quick to burst forward, supporters in Gorgie are likely to enjoy watching him in action this season. He was deservedly named man of the match at full-time.

Hearts fashioned two openings in quick succession as the match approached the 20-minute mark. First, a partially-cleared corner was returned by the head of defender Frankie Kent and Yutaro Oda’s header was touched over the crossbar by the Spurs goalkeeper Brandon Austin. Seconds later, Taylor scampered forward and refused to give up as Oliver Skipp intercepted. The Costa Rican won the ball back and crossed for Tagawa to dispatch a first-time right-footed strike which bounced narrowly wide of Austin’s post.

Spurs responded with a neat flowing attacking as Son, Maddison and Kulusevski combined. The Swede’s threaded final pass found Son for a netbound effort from 12 yards which the Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon instinctively pushed over his crossbar. The hosts lost centre-back Frankie Kent to injury when Maddison’s free-kick just after the half-hour mark struck him in the face. He was withdrawn as a precaution but looked none too happy with the decision.

Tagawa found himself on the end of another glaring scoring chance after 36 minutes. Again it transpired from Taylor’s cross, and again the Japanese forward’s first-time finish went past the goal frame when he was unmarked a few yards out and really ought to have scored. Hearts were made to rue his profligacy when Johnson struck moments later. Another sprightly exchange of passes between Maddison and Kulusevski ended with the Englishman’s cross and Johnson’s one-touch conversion beyond Gordon from close range.

Postecoglou changed his entire starting XI at half-time, whilst his opposite number Steven Naismith introduced Shankland, Barrie McKay and Zander Clark. Shankland’s impact was immediate as he drew Hearts level less than a minute after the restart. Tottenham defender Emerson Royal dithered in possession and his attempted pass caught the foot of the Tynecastle winger Alan Forrest. That diverted the ball onto Dhanda’s foot, and he cushioned it into Shankland for a touch, turn and low shot into the net.

It took Spurs just eight minutes to regain the advantage. Spence’s delicate pass slid behind the home defence found forward Lankshear. His low finish across Clark into the bottom corner was unequivocal. Daniel Oyegoke’s brilliant sliding block denied Timo Werner a third goal near the hour mark. At that stage, the Premier League side were imposing their superiority on proceedings. It was no surprise when Moore made it 3-1 with a dribbling run and finish on 66 minutes.

Werner’s run and cross created the chance for Spence to slide the fourth goal past Clark on 72 minutes, and by then it was one-way traffic. Phillips prodded home the fifth at the back post after Clark’s strong save to deny Moore. Hearts had made a raft of changes to give players minutes and that disrupted their rhythm. Nonetheless, this was a worthwhile exercise and the first-half display in particular offered plenty positive signs ahead of the competitive campaign.

Here are the Hearts player ratings from Tynecastle: