Tottenham Hotspur moved to the top of the Premier League table before Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday with a 1-0 win over struggling Luton Town, despite playing with ten men for the second half.
Despite an abundance of Tottenham opportunities in the first half and some relentless pressure from the Lilywhites, they went into half-time level with Luton. The Hatters had been all at sea defensively, but rode their luck to enter the break with a goalless draw to defend, with Yves Bissouma’s silly red card giving them hope of a memorable result.
However, Micky van de Ven’s goal from James Maddison’s pull-back proved crucial, the Dutchman redirecting the ball beyond Thomas Kaminski to give Spurs the lead. Despite Luton’s best efforts, they couldn’t find a valuable equaliser, with Tottenham picking up another three points to take them top for the time being.
How the game unfolded
The vibrant atmosphere at Kenilworth Road was almost silenced just two minutes after kick-off, with Dejan Kulusevski whipping a menacing ball to the far post and Richarlison somehow putting wide from mere yards out. The Brazilian forward got in again 90 seconds later, but Kaminski denied the former Watford man with a strong left leg.
Luton got another let-off with seven minutes on the clock, Pedro Porro slotting wide after a wonderful through ball from Son Heung-min. Ange Postecoglou was left wondering just how his side hadn’t scored at least once in the opening stages. Chances came and went for Spurs, but some sloppy mistakes gave the hosts a glimmer of hope as the half wore on.
That new-found belief was almost extinguished with half-an-hour gone when Kulusevski bent an effort towards Kaminski’s far post from just inside the area, but the Belgian goalkeeper pulled off a fine save to turn it round the post.
Luton thought they had taken a shock lead when Elijah Adebayo’s flick rebounded off the post from a free-kick, with Tom Lockyer heading in the follow-up. However, Adebayo was deemed to have fouled Tottenham defender Cristian Romero in the build-up to deny Rob Edwards’ side an opener.
Unbelievably, Bissouma was sent off seconds before the half-time whistle. The midfielder had picked up a yellow card earlier in the half for a cynical foul on the halfway line, following it up with a ridiculous second yellow for diving.
There was an optimistic feeling in the stands at Kenilworth Road at the beginning of the second half following Bissouma’s red card and Adebayo should have taken advantage minutes after the break, but failed to connect properly with a far-post cross that looked easier to score than miss, almost mirroring Richarlison’s blunder early on.
Despite being down to ten men, it was Postecoglou’s side who eventually took the lead after 52 minutes. Maddison‘s neat skill on the byline and subsequent cross was tucked home by Van de Ven for his first Tottenham goal. The Dutchman wheeled away in jubilant celebration, owing a debt of gratitude to Maddison’s quick feet.
Luton responded well and Alfie Doughty’s volley almost brought them level just four minutes later. Carlton Morris also saw his effort from a tight angle rebuffed by Guglielmo Vicario, while Pedro Porro came close with an inventive outside of the boot shot at the other end.
The hosts huffed and puffed in a desperate search for an equaliser, with Postecoglou settling for a defensive approach to the closing stages. However, they couldn’t find the quality they needed in the final third, with Tottenham holding on for an important three points.
GK: Thomas Kaminski – 6/10 – Kept Luton in the game through two brilliant first-half saves. Perhaps could have done better with Van de Ven’s strike.
RB: Reece Burke – 6/10 – Recovered well after some early pressure and put in a solid performance down the right. Didn’t have to do an awful lot to get the better of Richarlison.
CB: Tom Lockyer – 7/10 – Consistently the last line of defence in a very open Luton side, making some important interventions. One poor challenge on Maddison earned him a yellow card, but was given little help from his teammates.
CB: Mads Andersen – 6/10 – Shook off a ropey start and grew into the game as Lockyer’s partner. However, the defender was withdrawn due to injury before the hour mark.
LB: Alfie Doughty – 7/10 – Posed some attacking threat down the left flank, even striking a volley narrowly wide. Some decent deliveries into the box too.
RM: Jacob Brown – 5/10 – Showed brief glimpses of promise, but lacked quality in his decision-making. Missed a free header from ten yards out before he was substituted.
CM: Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu – 5/10 – Made little impact in the central midfield battle, outperformed by his teammate Nakamba.
CM: Marvelous Nakamba – 6/10 – Battled well in midfield, even if his timing was off on occasion. Seemingly the only Luton player capable of protecting the centre-backs.
LM: Chiedozie Ogbene – 5/10 – Very quiet in attacking areas when Luton needed some invention. Will be disappointed he couldn’t make a bigger difference.
ST: Elijah Adebayo – 5/10 – Ran his socks off, but lacked quality in the key moments. Missed a sitter early in the second-half.
ST: Carlton Morris – 6/10 – Showed plenty of endeavour up top and put his body about well, even if he did pick up a harsh yellow for an aerial tussle with Romero. Lacked some end product.
Substitutes
SUB: Teden Mengi (59′ for Andersen) – 5/10
SUB: Luke Berry (66′ for Brown) – 6/10
SUB: Tahith Chong (66′ for Mpanzu) – 6/10
SUB: Cauley Woodrow (66′ for Adebayo) – 5/10
SUB: Ross Barkley (81′ for Lockyer) – N/A
Subs not used: Krul (GK), Kabore, Giles, Johnson.
Manager
Rob Edwards – 7/10 – Can be proud of his side’s performance after a nervy start. Squandered some big opportunities that could have sent the game in a different direction. Edwards’ decision to move to a four at the back almost paid dividends.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10 – The Italian wasn’t awfully busy, but did what he needed to with typical composure and skill.
RB: Pedro Porro – 7/10 – Could have scored after seven minutes, but put his effort wide when one-on-one with Kaminski. Defended well down the right-hand side and looks rejuvenated under Postecoglou.
CB: Cristian Romero – 8/10 – Continually got the better of the Luton forwards and made some wonderful challenges around the penalty area. Looks a lot more composed this season while also retaining his bite in the tackle.
CB: Micky van de Ven – 9/10 – Scored the winning goal with a nice finish and was rock solid defensively. His pace made sure he could snuff out any runs in behind from Adebayo and Morris. Looks one of the signings of the summer.
LB: Destiny Udogie – 7/10 – Another strong performance from the youngster who was forced to play more defensively in the second half. Coped well with Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah in recent weeks and showcased his quality again at Kenilworth Road.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 6/10 – A solid game in midfield and showed some good bursts of speed going forward. The odd stray pass, but continues to impress under Postecoglou.
CM: Yves Bissouma – 3/10 – Sent off for his idiotic dive just before half-time having picked up a yellow previously for a cynical foul inside his own half. Had played relatively well until that point, but gave his Spurs teammates a mountain to climb.
RM: Dejan Kulusevski – 7/10 – A willing runner down the right flank and held the ball up well for Tottenham. Saw his brilliant effort tipped round the post by Kaminski.
AM: James Maddison – 8/10 – Easily Spurs’ most creative outlet, setting up Van de Ven’s goal with some wonderful invention from a quick corner, Another strong showing – let’s see what Gareth Southagte does with him over the international break.
LM: Richarlison – 4/10 – Missed two glorious opportunities in the first few minutes of the match and generally looked poor in possession. So wasteful, clearly still lacking in confidence and hooked at half-time.
ST: Son Heung-min – 6/10 – A quiet game for Son despite his recent form. Created a great chance for Porro in the first-half, but, somewhat understandably given Spurs were down to ten men, his influence waned in the second half.
Substitutes
SUB: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (46′ for Richarlison) – 6/10
SUB: Oliver Skipp (76′ for Son) – 6/10
SUB: Emerson Royal (76′ for Maddison) – 6/10
SUB: Ben Davies (82′ for Udogie) – N/A
SUB: Alejo Veliz (90+2′ for Kulusevski) – N/A
Subs not used: Forster (GK), Dier, Lo Celso, Gil.
Manager
Ange Postecoglou – 8/10 – Some great substitutions helped Tottenham see the game out, offering them much-needed defensive solidity in key moments. The atmosphere he has created at the club is incredible.
Player of the match: Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)
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