Tottenham 2 Luton Town 1
With the potential of the Premier League being awarded five Champions League spots this season, Tottenham know they have a real chance of sealing a place in Europe’s elite competition in Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge.
Luton Town travelled to North London, in search of much-needed points but for completely different reasons. Rob Edwards knew that his side would need to produce a stellar performance if they were to take anything home from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Andros Townsend dispossessed Son just outside The Hatters’ own penalty-area. He strode down the wing, leaving Bissouma for dead with a neat stepover, before picking out Barkley in the box. He spotted Chong and the far post and the midfielder drilled a shot into the far corner of the goal.
Postecoglou has already been introduced to the term of being all ‘Spursy’ and wondered whether his team were going to miss the chance to take an important three points. However, Tottenham had come from behind to win in their last three home victories.
Credit: @LutonTown
They almost got back on level terms immediately as Werner did well to beat Kabore in the box. What seems to be a characteristic of the German’s career, the build-up looked Rolls-Royce but his finishing is far more Reliant Robin. ‘Timo you plonker’, as Del Boy would have said.
Tottenham were piling on the pressure and as Son took the ball around Kaminski, his shot clipped the inside of the near post, hit the back post and came back out. Werner then had a shot blocked but as the ball rebounded to Sarr, his effort was cleared off the line. The visitors were living a charmed life.
The hosts’ defending was looking questionable as the second half started and Doughty worked the ball to Barkley on the edge of the box. His left-footed shot into the far corner forced Vicario to get down and make a smart save.
Brennan Johnson came on at the interval for Spurs and was finding himself in acres of space out on the right flank. He got down the wing and put a teasing ball in across the six yard box, which Kabore inexplicably put into the back of his own net. What he was trying to do, only he knows.
Porro was the next player to motor down the right wing and picked out Son in the box. He struggled to adjust his feet but got an effort off on goal, only to see Kaminski block with his feet. Luton Town had their backs against the wall at this stage.
Some good interplay saw Johnson slotted in on the right side of the box. He got to the byline and squared a cross past Kaminski at the near post. Somehow, Werner met it in the middle of an open goal and almost put the ball out for a throw in. The ‘Peckham Pouncer’ strikes again.
Credit: @SpursOfficial
Luton forced a corner in a rare attack and as the ball was half-cleared by a Vicario punch, Clark met it and fired a shot off at goal. The Spurs’ keeper got down well to turn the ball around the post at the expense of another corner, to save his blushes. Vicario reacts to crosses like most vampires.
Johnson then made a run to the near post and his shot seemed to squirm past the Luton keeper. Doughty cleared it off but the forward was sure it had crossed the line. The goal was not given and a replay showed the smallest of margins had denied the hosts a second.
The visitors made a mess of a corner and gifted the ball to Son. He played a searching pass out to Werner on the flank, who strode down the wing. His cross found Johnson, who laid the ball off to his skipper in the box. His shot deflected off a defender and wrong-footed the Luton keeper.
As the ball nestled in the back of the net, the celebrations could be heard across North London. With only four minutes of normal time remaining, Postecoglou’s side had found the goal they had been searching for to clinch all three points.
Spurs held on for the win but Rob Edwards must be left wondering what he can do to stop his side imploding defensively every week. While he seems happy with their performances, they ended the weekend back in the bottom three.
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