If Tottenham end up qualifying for the Champions League next season then they will probably look back on this comeback victory as a crucial moment in their campaign.
Having recovered from the shock of conceding to Tahith Chong’s smart finish in the third minute thanks to an own goal from Issa Kaboré at the start of the second half, it seemed inevitable that Ange Postecoglou’s side would go on to claim all three points and temporarily move level on points with Aston Villa in fourth place.
But despite throwing everything at Luton including a late goalmouth scramble that saw Alfie Doughty clear the ball off the line by a matter of millimetres late on, Rob Edwards’ side looked like they had earned a crucial point until Son Heung-min struck four minutes from time to break Luton hearts.
It was far from a vintage performance from Tottenham but having surrendered so meekly to Fulham before the international break, the home supporters could breathe a sigh of relief at the final whistle. For Luton, defeat was a bitter pill to swallow as they dropped back into the bottom three once again after Nottingham Forest’s draw against Crystal Palace.
Edwards revealed that his side’s injury woes had got so bad this week that the coach Kev Foley managed to tweak his hamstring while making up the numbers in training. So it was a patched up Luton side that took to the field for their first league encounter at Tottenham since a certain Gary Lineker scored twice in a 4-1 victory at the old White Hart Lane in November 1992.
Not that it seemed to faze them. A quick break in the third minute that began when Andros Townsend robbed Son of possession and sped downfield ended with Chong finding the back of the net via Guglielmo Vicario’s far post after being picked out superbly by Ross Barkley’s clever square pass across the area. “Conference champions, you’ll never sing that,” sang the away supporters in delight.
Tottenham should have drawn level when Dejan Kulusevski’s brilliant long ball played in Timo Werner, only for the German – preferred to Brennan Johnson in Tottenham’s only change from the Fulham defeat – to miss the target with the goal gaping. Only Luton will know how they survived the next attack after Pape Sarr had dispossessed Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, with Son’s shot coming back off both posts before Werner and Sarr saw their goalbound efforts blocked by Kaboré and then Teden Mengi.
As for most of the first half, Postecoglou’s hands remained rooted in his pockets when Werner gave away possession to stall a promising attack, whereas Edwards was a whirl of arms on the touchline as he cajoled his team into position.
Watched on by David Pleat, the former manager whose name is synonymous with both these clubs, it seemed to be working as Luton effectively shut down the game. Postecoglou looked as if he had plenty to ponder as he headed down the tunnel to a small number of boos from the home fans.
It was perhaps surprising to see Kulusevski rather than the ineffective Werner replaced by Johnson at the break, while Luton were forced into a defensive change as Daiki Hashioka came on for Reece Burke. The former Nottingham Forest player had an instant impact when a one-two with Pedro Porro allowed him to whip in a dangerous cross that was turned into his own net by Kaboré under close attention from Werner.
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A sublime passing move between Johnson, Porro, Son and James Maddison almost ended up with the same result but this time Kaboré was able to clear. Somehow Luton were hanging on after another last-ditch clearance from the outstanding Kaboré. Jordan Clark then forced Vicario into a full-length save at the other end with almost his first touch after coming on as a substitute.
Maddison’s last act on a frustrating afternoon for the England midfielder was to give away a needless free kick in his own half that prompted his replacement. Moments later, Rodrigo Bentancur’s floating cross just eluded the diving Son before Werner could only divert the ball back across goal.
Porro fired over from close range before Son somehow failed to convert from two yards out thanks to a combination of Thomas Kaminski and a desperate last-ditch clearance from Doughty. But it was Son who had the final say when he fired home after being set up by Johnson and allowed Postecoglou to finally celebrate.
Source: theguardian.com
