Match Report: Defeat at Spurs Leaves Toothless Hull on the Brink of Relegation

Back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Liverpool had given Hull hope of avoiding relegation, but defeats to Arsenal and Burnley prior to Saturday left them in the mire as they made the trip to the capital. Steve Bruce's side had overcome just one of the current top-10 sides this season coming into Saturday's meeting with Tottenham. They continued this unfavourable trend as they succumbed to defeat, which leaves their Premier League future in doubt.

The Tigers, though, were the better of the two teams in the opening exchanges. After some unnecessary pressing from Eric Dier and Danny Rose near the Hull penalty area, the away side looked to capitalise, though Nikica Jelavic could only head Dame N'Doye's cross wide of the goal. Moments later, Hull came closer to breaking the deadlock, Jelavic again picked out after Dier failed to head Ahmed Elmohamady's cross clear. The Croat, unmarked, had time to set himself, but blasted against the crossbar from close range as Hull strived to make an immediate impact. At the other end, Dier fizzed a low ball across the face of Steve Harper's goal, yet no Spurs player was able to meet his cross.

Harry Kane was then presented with a chance to net his 21st league goal of the season, only to be caught in two minds over whether to shoot or cross. The Spurs striker opted for the latter, but his low cross rolled out of place. For the Tigers meanwhile, Jelavic's spectacular overhead kick on the half hour mark lofted behind for a Spurs goal kick. The hosts' best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes fell to Lamela, who was found by Ryan Mason after some excellent play by the England international on Spurs' left flank. However, the Argentine's shot was poked wide of the post in what was a thoroughly underwhelming first half at White Hart Lane.

Hull came out of the blocks for the second half the quicker and could have twice gone ahead in the opening 5 minutes after the restart. Paul McShane headed a Tigers corner over, before Rose came close to inadvertently turning Quinn's cross into his own net. Jelavic then perhaps should have done better as he dragged an effort across Hugo Lloris' goal and he was made to rue his missed chance moments later. Perhaps undeservedly, Spurs took the initiative 10 minutes after the interval. Lamela played a defence splitting ball through to Nacer Chadli, who rounded Harper and tapped into an empty net for his 13th competitive goal of the season.

Spurs then doubled their advantage on the hour mark courtesy of Rose. The left-back ghosted into the Hull box unmarked. Ryan Mason then picked out Rose with a perfectly-weighted lofted pass for him to volley past Harper from close range. At the other end, N'Doye dragged an effort wide following a goalmouth scramble as time quickly began to run out for the relegation-threatened visitors. Lloris was forced into action, but was equal to Quinn's low drive with 15 minutes to play. The Tigers had a few half-hearted efforts on goal as the encounter came to a head, but failed to really test Lloris as Spurs secured only their second win from their last seven league games and their first clean sheet in the Premier League at home in 2015.

A 2-0 win for Spurs moved them back into the top-6, but it could have been so different for Hull. At this stage of the season, those battling to avoid the drop need fortune to favour them, yet the Tigers were fresh out of luck at White Hart Lane on Saturday. The hosts may have had the larger share of possession in north London (53% to 47%), but Hull's toothless attack let them down when it mattered most. Steve Bruce's side had 14 shots to Spurs 10, yet hit the target just the twice. In contrast, 3 of Spurs' shots on goal hit the target. Jelavic and N'Doye both had the most chances of all players (both 4) in the encounter in the capital, yet it was only Stephen Quinn and Abel Hernandez who tested Lloris. Granted, Jelavic crashed an effort off the woodwork midway through the first half, but both he and N'Doye lacked the composure to find a way past the Spurs goalkeeper.

Since the start of last year, Hull have scored the fewest goals (49) of the 17 teams to feature in the last two Premier League seasons. A lack of cutting edge was once more evident at the weekend, with the profligacy in front of goal one of the major contributing factors as to why they will likely fail to avoid the drop this season. That is not to say Hull did not battle over the 90 minutes to secure a much-needed victory making more tackles (19 to Spurs' 18), but the lack of quality in the final third was their downfall.

The same cannot be said of Spurs, who ensured victory with two moments quality when it mattered most. Rose's goal may have been a highlight, but it was Lamela who was awarded the WhoScored man of the match accolade with a rating of 8.18. Spurs' record signing may have failed to live up to expectations since signing from Roma almost two years ago, yet was arguably the home side's best player. 3 key passes and 1 assist helped his cause, but it was his tenacity off the ball that won the plaudits. Lamela made more tackles (5) than any other player in Spurs' 2-0 win over Hull and it was his unwavering energy when Spurs were not in possession that impressed the fans and, more importantly, manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"He (Lamela) played well. (It was a) Very good game for him to recover his confidence," the Spurs boss said of his compatriot following the full time whistle. Lamela, like Spurs, need to add consistency to their game, however, if they are to challenge for a top-4 berth next season, which Pochettino admitted in his post-match press conference. For Bruce and Hull, though, they are staring relegation in the eye. The Tigers need to overcome Manchester United, who Bruce has never defeated in his managerial career, on the final day of the campaign and hope results go their way if they are to start next season in England's top tier.

Can Hull avoid relegation or will they start next season in the Championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below