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Mauricio Pochettino's men took full advantage of Manchester City's defeat to Leicester as they ran out narrow winners over Quique Sanchez Flores's resolute Hornets

Kieran Trippier's second-half goal gave a dominant Tottenham a 1-0 win over Watford at White Hart Lane on Saturday and moved Mauricio Pochettino's men into second-place in the Premier League.

The home side headed into the game knowing that a win would see them leapfrog Manchester City after their defeat to leaders Leicester, and Trippier finally broke the Hornets' dogged resistance in the 64th minute with a back post tap-in from substitute Dele Alli's cross.

Spurs have now won four consecutive league matches and are Leicester's closest challengers as they sit five points adrift at the top.

Watford slip down to 10th in the table and have only won once in their last eight league games, failing to score in four of their last five after a poor performance that did not see them register a shot on target at White Hart Lane.

In-form Spurs made four changes to the team that defeated Norwich City 3-0, with Alli and Son Heung-min among the players to drop to the substitutes' bench.

Watford made five alterations from the goalless draw with Chelsea, with captain Troy Deeney left out of the starting XI for the first time in the league this season as Odion Ighalo was deployed as a lone striker.

The home side were on top in the first half and it was defender Ben Davies, one of the players to come into the side, who surprisingly proved the most effective attacking threat.

The left-back's first effort deflected just wide off Allan Nyom after he had been set up by Christian Eriksen, before he forced a good low save from Heurelho Gomes following a neat one-two with Nacer Chadli.

Davies forced his way through the Watford defence and tested Gomes again before the end of the half, while Erik Lamela was also denied by the ex-Spurs goalkeeper and Harry Kane volleyed just over from Eric Dier's cross.

A cautious Watford side only mustered one attempt in the opening 45 minutes, although that was a close shave for Hugo Lloris, as Almen Abdi's chip drifted just over with the France international caught off his line.

Quique Sanchez Flores brought on Deeney and Valon Behrami in a double half-time change and an injury to Miguel Britos meant he had used all three of his changes by the 54th minute.

Despite his tweaks, the pressure kept coming from Spurs after the break. Kane was unhappy not to be awarded a penalty in two separate claims after going down under Gomes' challenge and then under pressure from Sebastian Prodl a few moments later.

Pochettino turned to Alli just after the hour mark and the England midfielder made an instant impact with his involvement in the opening goal, which came just after the hour mark.

Alli directed a perfect delivery across the face of goal with the outside of his foot from the left and Trippier made no mistake with a simple finish at the back post.

Lamela fired wide from a decent opening created by Eriksen and substitute Son was kept out by another Gomes save as in-form Spurs settled for a narrow, but comfortable triumph.

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  The win sends Tottenham past Manchester City, who were beaten 3-1 by Leicester City earlier today, and up into second place in the table ahead of next weekend's huge clash away at the Etihad Stadium. Watford, meanwhile, drop to 10th place as a result of Everton's 3-0 victory against Stoke City, and they must take on 11th-place Crystal Palace in their next Premier League clash.
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  Another game, another win for Tottenham, who have now won their last four Premier League games and six in all competitions. They fully deserve the win, too, as they comfortably saw off a poor Watford side that were far too negative for large portions of the game. The visitors only started to push slightly further forward right at the end of the game, and by that time all three points were firmly in the back for the hosts, who never looked like losing after Trippier gave them the lead just after the hour mark.
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  FULL-TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 WATFORD
• 90'+4'

   

  Watford keep pushing forward as they try to find a goal that would surely result in them coming away with a much-needed point. They do well to earn themselves a throw-in on the left wing, which Ake then launches into the heart of the Tottenham box, but Lloris is there to collect it comfortably. That is surely that for the hosts.
• 90'+3'

   

  Chance for Ighalo! Nyom picks up the ball just inside the Tottenham half of the pitch and immediately launches a wonderful lofted pass over the top of the hosts' defence and onto the head of Deeney. The striker immediately nods the ball back to his strike partner, who then unleashes a thumping strike that Lloris does well to save, but just as the goalkeeper does so the linesman's flag is raised for offside. That was easily their best opportunity of the game.
• 90'+2'

   

  SubstitutionChristian Dannemann Eriksen Tom Carroll
  Tottenham have made their last alteration of the day, with Eriksen making way for Carroll.
• 90'

   

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
• 88'

   

  Audacious effort by Ighalo! Nyom twists and turns deep down the right wing as Watford embark on one of their only meaningful attacking moves of the game. The right-back then curls a cross into the middle of the box, where it finds the aforementioned striker, but his attempted overhead kick is completely mishit and flies well wide of its intended target, much to the delight of the home fans.
• 86'

   

  Brave goalkeeping by Gomes! Alli holds up the ball on the edge of the Watford box before taking the visitors' defence by surprise with a lovely chipped pass into the heart of the penalty area. It almost finds Davies, who had made a wonderful run forward, but just as he's about to make contact with the ball the Brazilian goalkeeper dives on top of it to stop him from doing so.
• 85'

   

  A curling cross-cum-shot from Trippier is parried away by Gomes, but the Brazilian's save can only find Eriksen on the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder takes a quick touch before unleashing a rocket of a shot, but it takes a slight deflection off a black shirt that sends it bouncing out of play for yet another Tottenham corner.
• 83'

   

  A wonderful pass from Capoue flies deep into the Tottenham half of the pitch, where it finds Deeney. The striker does well to hold up the ball before spinning and teeing up Ighalo, but the Nigerian's first-time strike is blocked by Trippier and ends up flying a few yards wide of the near post. Can Watford find a way back into the game at this late stage?
• 82'

   

  Eriksen almost makes it 2-0! The Danish midfielder breaks into the right-hand side of the Watford penalty area on a great run before unleashing a low strike from a tight angle. It's tipped away well by Gomes and almost meets Alli at the far post, but there's too much pace on the ball and the youngster is unable to make contact with it as a result.
• 80'

   

  Tottenham work the ball around patiently inside their own half of the pitch before Davies sprint down the left wing. He then cuts inside before sending a thumping lofted pass over to Kane on the edge of the penalty area, but the striker is unable to control the ball and, as a result, it ends up bouncing just an inch or two past his outstretched boot.
• 78'

   

  With little over 10 minutes left to play, things are still comfortable for Tottenham, who have taken their foot off the pedal slightly but are failing to be put under much pressure by Watford. The visitors aren't showing enough fight on the rare occasions that they're able to push forward, which is making life far too easy for the hosts.
• 76'

   

  And now Son goes close! Watford have started pushing further up the pitch, meaning that pockets of space are starting to appear inside their half of the pitch. Tottenham take advantage of this by breaking away quickly through Eriksen, who then picks out the South Korean attacking midfielder with a good pass forward. The 23-year-old then skips past Cathcart before firing a low shot towards goal, but Gomes does well to stop the strike with a strong diving save.
• 74'

   

  Chance for Wimmer! Tottenham come back again quickly, with Kane picking out Eriksen with a lovely lofted pass over to the right wing. The Dane then picks out the aforementioned centre-back with a lovely cut-back, but the defender's first-time shot is completely mishit and ends up flying into the feet of Nyom on the left-hand side of the penalty area.
• 73'

   

  Tottenham win themselves a free-kick 30 yards away from the Watford goal, and it's flung towards the back post, where it finds Dier. The youngster's header is deflected out for a corner, which the hosts decide to take short, but they're quickly put under pressure by Watford and are forced into working the ball back towards the halfway line.
• 72'

   

  SubstitutionErik Lamela Heung-Min Son
  Tottenham have made their second substitution, with Lamela making way for Son.
• 70'

   

  Trippier and Capoue clash midway inside the Tottenham half of the pitch after the latter flew into the full-back with a late challenge, and the home fans immediately scream for a red card. The referee doesn't agree, however, and instead just gives the midfielder a warning.
• 68'

   

  What do Watford do now? Until now they have found it nigh on impossible to break forward, and even the introduction of Deeney hasn't made it any better. If they are to find any way back into the game then they will have to start pushing up the pitch, but they are already out-numbered in the middle and that could result in Tottenham finding even more joy when in possession.
• 66'

   

  Eriksen charges through the middle of the pitch, where every single Watford midfielder has seemingly gone to sleep, before teeing up Lamela with a lovely throughball. The Argentine then unleashes a thumping shot from just inside the penalty area, but it's completely scuffed and flies well wide of the goal, much to his frustration.
• 64'

   

  Assist Bamidele Alli
  That was an excellent cross by Alli! The midfielder has made a huge difference after coming onto the pitch, and he did wonderfully well to pick out Trippier, who had made a great run forward, with a perfectly-placed pass.
• 64'

   

   

   

  Goal Kieran Trippier
  GOAL! Tottenham have finally broken the deadlock! Dembele flies forward on a great run and does wonderfully well to hold up the ball on the edge of the Watford box before spinning and teeing up Alli. The youngster quickly cuts inside before sending a beautiful pass across the face of goal and towards the back post, where Trippier is easily able to tap the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0 to the hosts with his first goal for the club.
• 62'

   

  SubstitutionNacer Chadli Bamidele Alli
  Tottenham have made their first change of the afternoon, with Alli coming on to replace Chadli.
• 61'

   

  Lamela steps up and unleashes a curling shot that flies over the top of the Watford wall before heading towards the roof of the net, but Gomes does well to read the flight of the ball and, as a result, is easily able to stop the effort.
• 60'

   

  Yellow Card Etienne Capoue
  Capoue is caught sleeping on the ball by Trippier, who dispossesses the midfielder before charging towards the right-hand side of the Watford penalty area. Just as he's about to reach the box he's cynically tripped over by the former Tottenham man, resulting in a yellow card for the Frenchman and a free-kick for the hosts in a very dangerous position.
• 59'

   

  It's all Tottenham at the moment as they continue to put Watford under an incredible amount of pressure. The visitors are doing well to defend so resolutely but are starting to look slightly nervous, which is only going to play into the hands of their very determined opponents.
• 58'

   

  A determined Tottenham attacking move breaks down, allowing Watford to try and break forward on a quick counter-attack. They initially do so well through Deeney, who charges down the left wing before trying to find Ighalo, but his pass is poor and is easily cut out by Dier on the halfway line.
• 56'

   

  Kane goes down again, but once more the referee doesn't point to the penalty spot! Trippier flies down the right wing before curling a beautiful ball into the middle of the box. It meets the striker, but just as it does so he is seemingly dragged to the ground by Prodl. Once again, all of the Tottenham players and fans scream for a penalty, but the man in charge doesn't agree and he allows play to go on.
• 54'

   

  SubstitutionMiguel Ángel Britos Cabrera Sebastian Prödl
  Britos doesn't seem to have recovered from the injury he picked up after clashing with Chadli, meaning that he has had to be replaced by Prodl. That means that Watford have already used all three of their substitutions, and there's still over 35 minutes left to play.
• 52'

   

  Kane goes down inside the penalty area! A low cross is whipped towards the edge of the six-yard box, where it finds the striker. With his back to goal he tries to spin and unleash a shot, but before he can do so he's clumsily brought down by Gomes, who dives into the back of the England international. The Tottenham players immediately scream for a penalty, but the referee shakes his head and only awards them a corner.
• 50'

   

  After receiving medical treatment for a few moments, Britos is able to come back onto the pitch as play resumes once again. Lamela immediately charges down the right wing before earning his side a corner, which he struggles to take due to the strong wind. He's finally able to do so and almost catches out Gomes with his curling cross-cum-shot, but the goalkeeper is just about able to parry it away from danger with a vital save.
• 49'

   

  Tottenham come back once again as they continue to find pockets of space deep down the right wing. This time it's Eriksen who swings a well-placed cross into the box, where it finds Chadli, but the Belgian's attempt at an acrobatic volley fails to come off and he instead catches Britos on the thigh, leaving the centre-back in a heap on the floor and in serious discomfort.
• 48'

   

  Tottenham immediately embark on a determined attacking move down the right wing, with Trippier getting himself in a great position before whipping a dangerous cross into the heart of the Watford penalty area. It bounces around as a plethora of players try to make contact with the ball, but no one is able to do so before Britos is finally able to thump it away with a strong clearance.
• 46'

   

  And we're underway once again!
• 46'

   

  SubstitutionAlmen Abdi Troy Deeney
  And the second is Deeney, who takes the place of Abdi. It looks as if Watford are going to be able to revert to their preferred 4-4-2.
• 46'

   

  SubstitutionMario Suárez Mata Valon Behrami
  Watford have decided to make a double substitution. The first player to come on is Behrami, who replaces Suarez.
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  The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
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  It's been an almost entirely one-sided game thus far, with Tottenham absolutely dominating possession deep inside the Watford half of the pitch. As a result, the visitors have found it increasingly difficult to break forward, leaving Ighalo absolutely isolated up front and with very little service coming his way. As the hosts begin to tire, the Hornets may be able to start picking them apart on the counter, but Mauricio Pochettino's side look incredibly close to opening the scoring, with Kane, Chadli and, in particular, Davies all looking dangerous with the ball at their feet.
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  HALF-TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0-0 WATFORD
• 45'+1'

   

  Tottenham push forward on what will surely be their final attack of the first half, but an attempted chipped pass from Kane fails to find a white shirt and is comfortably cut out by Cathcart, who then thumps the ball into the hosts' half of the pitch and towards Ighalo.
• 45'

   

  The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
• 44'

   

  There's a bit of a worry for Tottenham, as Trippier looks to be struggling with his right ankle. The full-back, who has impressed thus far, seemed to pick up a slight knock after blocking a cross from Ake, and since then he hasn't been moving as comfortably as he was previously. However, it looks as if he should be able to continue for the time being.
• 42'

   

  Watford have spent almost all of their time camped inside their own half of the pitch, but Tottenham have taken their foot off the pedal ever so slightly over the past few minutes, which has allowed the visitors to break forward on a rare attack. The visitors work the ball around well before Ake tries to pick out Ighalo with a swinging cross from the left, but it's completely overhit and misses the striker before being picked up by Davies on the opposite flank.
• 40'

   

  What an opportunity for Kane to open the scoring! Dier is left in far too much space midway inside the Watford half of the pitch, allowing him to settle himself before sending a curling cross towards the back post. It flies over the head of Britos and meets the aforementioned striker in front of goal, but his close-range volley ends up flying several yards over the top of the crossbar. He really should have done better with that chance!
• 38'

   

  Another good save by Gomes! The resulting set-piece bounces around the Watford penalty area before falling to Lamela on the edge of the box, and the Argentine's rocket of a low shot flies through the sea of black shirts camped in front of him before being parried away by a strong diving stop from the Brazilian goalkeeper. He's been the busiest player on the pitch so far and it doesn't look as if that's going to change anytime soon!
• 37'

   

  Davies goes close once again! Lamela takes both Nyom and Abdi completely out of the game, which allows the left-back to fly into the Watford penalty area. He then tries to beat Gomes with a close-range shot, but Cathcart does well to stick out a foot to send the strike bouncing just wide of the far post and out for a corner.
• 36'

   

  Cheeky effort by Abdi! A huge goal-kick flies up towards the edge of the Tottenham box, where, under pressure from Ighalo, Lloris charges out to try and deal with the danger. He can only tap his clearance into the path of the Swiss midfielder, who then tries to beat the goalkeeper with a 25-yard chip, but there's slightly too much power behind the effort and it ends up landing on the roof of the net.
• 34'

   

  Trippier gets himself into a good position deep down the right wing before being bundled over by Ake, resulting in a free-kick for Tottenham in a very dangerous position. Lamela picks out Chadli with his cross from the set-piece, but the Belgian mistimes his glancing header and ends up sending his effort looping up into the air and out of play for a goal-kick.
• 32'

   

  What a save by Gomes! Davies flies into the left-hand side of the Watford penalty area and beats Nyom far too easily before firing a low strike towards the near post, but the Brazilian goalkeeper does wonderfully well to push the shot away with a strong left hand. Tottenham are all over the visitors at the moment and look extremely close to opening the scoring.
• 30'

   

  So close from Davies! Tottenham move the ball around beautifully on the edge of the Watford penalty area, with Kane and Eriksen linking up well and pulling off a quick one-two. The Danish midfielder then picks out the left-back, but his rocket of a shot from 20 yards out ends up hitting the thigh of Nyom before bouncing agonisingly wide of the near post.
• 28'

   

  Jurado is proving to be quite tricky for Tottenham down the left flank, and once again he's poorly fouled after skipping past two white shirts. However, this time, with the free-kick nearer to the halfway line, Watford decide to take the resulting set-piece short, but they quickly lose the ball and gift possession back to the hosts, undoing all of their hard work.
• 26'

   

  Dembele goes close! The first corner quickly results in a second, and the final one bounces around the Watford box before falling to the Belgian. He decides to unleash a thumping strike from 15 yards out, but, under pressure from Suarez, he ends up scuffing his shot the wrong side of the near post.
• 25'

   

  Chance for Chadli! Eriksen picks up the ball in the middle of the pitch and immediately sends a great pass out to Trippier, who is in plenty of space out on the right flank. The full-back then whips a dangerous cross into the box, but it misses the head of the aforementioned Belgian by the narrowest of margins before deflecting off Nyom and out for a corner.
• 23'

   

  A silly foul from Dier on Jurado results in a free-kick for Watford in a very similar position to the one that they were presented with earlier in the game. This time Watson's cross is sent slightly deeper, but once again it fails to find a black shirt and is easily cut out by Kane just inside the Tottenham penalty area.
• 21'

   

  Nyom is put under pressure near the byline, resulting in him clumsily chesting the ball out of play for a corner on the left wing. Eriksen curls the set-piece towards the edge of the six-yard box, but Gomes does well to muscle his way through the sea of players in front of him before clearing the danger with a strong punch.
• 19'

   

  Dier charges forward before picking out Trippier, who had made a good run down the right flank. The full-back then swings a dangerous cross into the heart of the Watford box, where Kane is waiting near the penalty spot, but Britos is just about able to get a boot on the attempted pass to send it away from the Tottenham striker.
• 17'

   

  Dembele twists and turns on the left wing as he weaves his way past two Watford players. He then cuts the ball back to Eriksen, who spins and tries to pick out Lamela, but the Dane's pass is poor and is easily cut out by Watson.
• 15'

   

  Ake tries to break down the left wing but is clumsily fouled by Chadli, resulting in a free-kick for Watford midway inside the Tottenham half of the pitch. It's whipped in by Watson but is poorly hit and fails to beat the first man, who is camped on the edge of the box.
• 13'

   

  After spending the vast majority of the opening 13 minutes firmly on the back foot, Watford are finally able to push out of their own half of the pitch, but they're quickly put under an incredible amount of pressure by the Tottenham midfield, which forces them to send the ball back towards the halfway line.
• 11'

   

  Dembele does well to charge down the right wing before sending a cross off a black shirt and out for a corner. It's whipped in by Lamela and curls towards the head of Alderweireld, but just as the centre-back is about to make contact with the ball he's beaten to it by the imposing figure of Watson.
• 9'

   

  Once again, Tottenham break down the left flank, with Davies flying forward on a marauding run before trying to swing a cross into the middle of the penalty area. It's well hit but fails to pick out Kane and is instead cut out by Britos near the penalty spot.
• 7'

   

  Dembele is clumsily fouled by Jurado, resulting in a free-kick for Tottenham in a very dangerous position 25 yards away from the Watford goal. Eriksen steps up and unleashes a shot from the set-piece, but it's underhit by the Dane and fails to beat the wall of black shirts camped in front of him.
• 5'

   

  Tottenham push down the left flank before Nyom dispossesses Davies and sends the ball out of play for a corner. Eriksen curls the resulting set-piece into the heart of the penalty area, where Kane is waiting, but Gomes is there to clear the danger with a strong punch.
• 3'

   

  It's been a determined start to the game by Tottenham, who are looking bright on the ball and are aiming to try and put as much pressure on Watford as possible. However, the visitors look well-organised and, as a result, are dealing with everything that is being thrown at them.
• 1'

   

  And we're off!
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  The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
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  Meanwhile, Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores has made five alterations to the side that featured in the aforementioned draw at home to Chelsea, with Juan Carlos Paredes, Sebastian Prodl, Jose Holebas, Valon Behrami and Troy Deeney making way for Allan Nyom, Miguel Britos, Nathan Ake, Almen Abdi and Mario Suarez, the latter of whom makes his first start for the Hornets since joining from Fiorentina.
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  Mauricio Pochettino has decided to make four changes to the Tottenham side that comfortably beat Norwich City on Tuesday, with Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies, Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli coming into the starting line-up to replace Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli, respectively.
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  Watford substitutes: Pantilimon, Prodl, Holebas, Anya, Behrami, Amrabat, Deeney.
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  Watford XI (4-5-1): Gomes; Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake; Abdi, Suarez, Watson, Capoue, Jurado; Ighalo.
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  Tottenham Hotspur substitutes: Vorm, Walker, Rose, Mason, Carroll, Alli, Son.
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  Tottenham Hotspur XI (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Davies; Dier, Dembele; Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane.
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  There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up afternoon…
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  An excellent first half of the campaign led to many tipping Watford to qualify for the Europa League in their first season back in the top flight, but a disappointing post-Christmas slump has made that an increasingly unlikely scenario unless they are able to quickly turn things around. In the seven league games leading up to the festive period the Hornets won five times, but since Boxing Day’s 2-2 draw away to Chelsea they have picked up just one victory, with four of those games all ending in defeats. However, they seem to have steadied the ship in recent weeks, with a 2-1 win against Newcastle United being followed by a 0-0 draw against the aforementioned Blues during the week. Quique Sanchez Flores will be hoping that his side can put in another strong performance against Tottenham today as they aim to keep alive their hopes of finishing the season in the top half of the table.
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  After suffering a slightly mixed start to the season, it’s been a wonderful two months for Tottenham, who are now not only firmly part of the race for a top-four finish but also find themselves battling with Arsenal, Manchester City and Leicester City for the Premier League title. Things have been particularly good for Spurs since the start of the year, and they head into this afternoon’s game with just one defeat in eight clashes, the last five of which have all ended in victories. They look equally strong at both ends of the pitch, even after the nasty knee injury suffered by Jan Vertonghen two weeks ago, with Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and, most importantly, Harry Kane consistently impressing in front of goal. As a result, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have found the back of the net 14 times in the last three weeks, setting them up nicely for a game against a side that are currently struggling to pick up victories.
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  Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Premier League game between Tottenham Hotspur and Watford at White Hart Lane