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Pau Lopez does indeed exist and he's rather good

Signed on loan from Espanyol in the summer, the Spurs fans are yet to see Pau Lopez take part in a single minute of first team action.

Some fans have mocked it as pointless signing, but Mauricio Pochettino has always claimed the 22-year-old is one for the future, indicating perhaps that the club will likely make his deal a permanent one in the summer.

If anyone needed a reminder of the quality that made this young stopper an Espanyol first team regular despite his age - he was also named in the preliminary Spain squad for Euro 2016 - it came at the Lamex Stadium.

A loose ball deflected into the path of Sunderland's Joel Asoro in Spurs' penalty area and he smashed a powerful strike from eight yards, which deflected off Japhet Tanganga and looked a certain goal.

Yet there was Lopez diving full length and showing amazing reflexes to tip it away a split-second before it crept inside the left post.

His handling was good throughout the game and with rumours that Michel Vorm could move on this summer, he certainly seems to have the ability to step up a place in the pecking order behind Hugo Lloris.

Sterling showed his predatory instincts again

Kazaiah Sterling scored both of the goals that took Spurs' U18s past Norwich in the FA Youth Cup earlier this month and he again showed his predatory instincts with a goal for the U23s.

The game was just five minutes old when the 18-year-old robbed Sunderland goalkeeper Max Stryjek of the ball on the edge of his box before rolling it into the empty net.

Sterling was playing slightly wider than he was used to, out on the left, but he showed that he can still find the positions to bag a goal.

In the end it turned out to be the match-winning strike and he's showing he can change games for Spurs' youth sides and he will be hoping to do so again on Monday when the U18s travel to Newcastle for the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup.

Ugo Ehiogu went on the attack

Spurs lined up in a 4-3-3 formation which gave them plenty of options up front.

Sterling played on the left of the attacking trident, with Shayon Harrison on the right and Shilow Tracey in the central role.

With Sterling a more natural out and out striker, the move was seemingly made for development purposes.

It allowed Sterling to add more variety to his game in a wider role and tested Tracey's ability to perform in the central position. He showed some nice touches in both halves, but struggled to engineer many goalscoring opportunities for himself.

Shayon Harrison brought the experience to the trio, thanks to his current loan with Yeovil Town, with Zenon Stylianides, skipper Filip Lesniak and Joe Pritchard pulling the strings from midfield behind them.

It was a big night for Nick Tsaroulla

Left-back Tsaroulla does not turn 18 until the end of next month yet found himself making his debut for Spurs' U23s against Sunderland.

His form has been impressive for the U18s and with Ehiogu watching most of their matches, his performances were rewarded.

Tsaroulla looked good as well on his big night, especially in the first half. He made a number of solid tackles and got forward on a couple of occasions.

He faded slightly in the second half with right-back Joe Muscatt coming to the fore as many of Spurs' attacks came down his side. He also showed plenty of good touches in the Sunderland half.

It was also a big night for U16 player Oliver Skipp who made the bench for Ehiogu's side for the first time and came on for the final moments.

Shayon Harrison needs to do a bit of bulking up but that will come

Players on loan are often allowed to return to their parent clubs to play Premier League 2 matches and so it was this week for Shayon Harrison.

The 19-year-old went out to Sky Bet League Two side Yeovil Town on loan last month and has been getting minutes here and there from the bench.

Spurs fans may remember he came on for his senior debut in the final moments of the EFL Cup defeat at Anfield in October and missed a glorious late chance to level the match for Tottenham.

The teenager certainly has talent although he is yet to hit a professional goal. He needs to add more power to his armoury and perhaps lacks that physical edge that the younger Sterling has to his game.

That will come though and the spell in League Two could be the making of Harrison as he comes up against much bigger defenders than he takes on in the development matches.

Pochettino expects his players to have that physical edge - something that impressed him most about Harry Winks' progression last summer - and Harrison will need that if he wants to cut it at the north London side.