From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – You know the way the previous saying goes – ‘it is a sport of two halves’.
Well, Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt did not fairly get the fractions proper on Wednesday. It was extra like a sport of 9 tenths plus one different tenth.
Spurs ran out 3-2 winners to transfer to the highest of Champions League Group D with two video games remaining. It was a much-needed victory and so they had been good worth for it.
Having fallen behind to an early Daichi Kamada objective – largely partly to Eric Dier’s clumsiness – Antonio Conte’s males responded completely. Tottenham pulled their Bundesliga guests aside with a lot ease that the remainder of the primary half resembled a coaching train.
Son Heung-min secured a well-taken brace both aspect of a Harry Kane penalty which the England captain did ever so effectively to win, rolling again the years with a slaloming run and bouncing off two defenders earlier than being slammed to the ground as the one means of stopping him.
When Tuta was despatched off for cynically fouling Son twice simply after the break as a result of he had little different possibility, Spurs seemed to be strolling to victory. They had been already head and shoulders above Frankfurt, it would not take rather more to waltz to victory.
Well, that was the idea anyway. Frankfurt threatened sporadically however did not primarily carve out a clear-cut likelihood.
But when Faride Alidou headed house from an 87th-minute nook, 60,000 north Londoners started hyperventilating. They all knew that the Spurs they know and begrudgingly love had been succesful of throwing up some late nonsense.
Bryan Gil got here off the bench and, whereas he was thrown round in all places along with his child-like body, did ever so effectively to earn a stoppage-time penalty and settle these nerves once more. Only for Kane to sky the spot kick. Cue the hyperventilating as soon as extra.
Alidou examined Hugo Lloris from distance within the closing seconds earlier than the full-time whistle went and Spurs relievedly sealed the win.
It was a each a victory that Tottenham had been completely deserving of – they performed some of their greatest soccer all season for a lot of the night – and but they had been equally as worthy of strolling away with the singular level. It was a Jekyll and Hyde show that Conte can be extra livid about than happy.
The Italian did decide to relaxation a number of stars so as to protect them for Saturday’s conflict with Everton, however their focus was already fading and so they had been punished for taking their foot off the fuel and refusing to go for the kill till the very finish.
The constructive is that Conte’s Spurs do have a historical past of holding their nerve in tough circumstances, and although this was an unorthodox effort, it’s going to go down as a profitable endeavour. But the doubts over their begin to the season stay on the floor degree – Conte and his costs will not silence them till they safe qualification from the group.