Tottenham took a huge step towards the Europa League knockouts with a nervy and entertaining win over Hoffenheim in Germany.
James Maddison opened the scoring inside three minutes, racing onto Pedro Porro’s pass to finish superbly, and Heung-min Son made it 2-0 with a deflected strike after good work from the England playmaker.
Antonin Stach deservedly pulled a goal back for the hosts shortly after the hour but Son restored Spurs‘ two-goal lead with a cool strike. David Mokwa headed home late on to set up a tense finale but Spurs held on for an important victory.
Here are three Spurs talking points from the match…
Spurs take huge step towards the knockouts
Spurs did it the hard way again but a nervous win in Germany was a huge step towards a place in the knockouts and, crucially, lessened the prospect of a hugely unwanted two-legged play-off next month.
A first win in his competition since October moved Spurs up to fourth in the Europa League table and means they will have a top-eight finish in their hands when they host IF Elfsborg (currently down in 26th) in their final game of the league phase in north London next Thursday.
While the victory was important for morale, particularly as Spurs appeared to come through the match without any obvious new injuries, assuring they do not get dragged into the play-off round could scarcely be more important for Spurs given the dire state of their squad, which was missing no fewer than 14 players on the night.
Provided they can finish the job against the Swedish side, Spurs will have two clear mid-weeks next month, meaning more time for their injured players to return and a much-needed rest for the remainder of the squad.
Postecoglou’s side must now follow up a hard-fought win with another victory against lowly Leicester City on Sunday to avoid the mood worsening but plainly their chances of this being a successful season continue to hinge on the cups.
Heung-min Son shows his class
Brace: Tottenham captain Heung-min Son scored twice against Hoffenheim
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If Son’s first goal was lucky, the ball spinning over the goalkeeper after a deflection, there was nothing fortunate about the South Korean’s second, which effectively settled the contest.
One-on-one with a defender, Son created a yard with a stepover and fired an unerring left-foot strike into the far corner, relieving the pressure at a crucial time for his side.
The Spurs captain had spent most of the game playing like he was trying to conserve energy but he still made the difference on the night, underlining his enduring class.
Given Hoffenheim’s level, it would be a stretch to describe this as a potentially turning point for Son in a difficult season but Spurs could desperately do with their captain hitting a purple patch in the weeks ahead, particularly with crucial cup games against Elfsborg, Liverpool and Aston Villa to come.
To that end, it felt positive that Postecoglou was able to given the 32-year-old a small break, hooking him with 12 minutes to play for teenager Will Lankshear.
Ange Postecoglou needs reinforcements
Spurs tore through Hoffenheim in the opening half-hour, racing into a two-goal lead but it was still easy to wonder if they would regret missing a host of chances in the opening period, notably when Lucas Bergvall skewed a close-range header from Maddison’s free-kick in stoppage-time.
Hoffenheim finished the first half on top and they remained in the ascendency after the break, deservedly halving the deficit through Stach’s prodded finish after a quick breakaway.
As the hosts piled on the pressure after the break, Spurs looked shattered. It was like watching a side deep into extra-time at the end of a gruelling knockout tie, rather than a leading English team near the start of the second half against a middling opponent.
Stach’s strike roused Spurs and Son underlined his quality with a trademark third-goal but Postecoglou’s side were unable to see out the game with a two-goal advantage, Mokwa heading home at the far post after isolating Porro.
Postecoglou’s approach is not about controlling or seeing out matches but Spurs’ openness felt down to fatigue rather than the manager’s tactics.
Archie Gray, who completed another 90 minutes, dropped to the turf at full-time looking shattered and had to helped up by a teammate.
Maddison was too tired to complete the game, with debutant Callum Olusesi, 17, playing the final few minutes.
Against a better side, Spurs may not have been able to hold on, underlining why their season really depends on players returning from injury as well as the addition of new players before the end of the month.
