Spurs kept their unbeaten start to the Premier League season going with a 1-0 win over struggling Luton Town, despite having Yves Bissouma sent off at the end of the first half.
Here’s five things we learned from the game…
Tottenham’s positive approach to start second half pays off
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite going down to ten men with almost the last action of the first half when Bissouma was shown a second yellow card for simulation, Tottenham started the second half on the front foot even with their numerical disadvantage. It paid off as a quick corner taken to James Maddison saw him brilliantly set up Micky Van de Ven for the first and only goal of the game. Ange Postecoglou’s positive intentions have had a brilliant impact at the club so far and continued to do so again against Luton.
Tireless Maddison
James Maddison has won plenty of deserved plaudits for his performances since joining the club from Leicester in the summer window and he was once again at the heart of Tottenham’s positive attacking play. His persistence in trying to create chances for his side, even when things aren’t always going his way such as the first half, is a big factor behind Tottenham’s early season success, as is his work rate. The attacking midfielder was everywhere on the pitch throughout the 75 minutes he played and yet again played a crucial factor in the result.
Missed chances cost Luton
For all the positives about Spurs, Luton did have the chances in the second half to get a result. Tottenham were dominant in the early stages of the first half and could have found themselves three or four ahead but the second half was a different story. Luton created plenty of opportunities, the biggest coming through Elijah Adebayo whose misjudgement with the goal gaping saw him fail to divert Chiedozie Ogbene’s pass into the net which would have put his side a goal up. There were plenty more chances after Spurs had taken the lead, but the Hatters have to start taking some if they’re going to stay up.
Ogbene impressive
An encouraging sign for Luton, however, was the performance of winger Ogbene. The former Rotherham man caused Tottenham plenty of problems with his pace and directness out wide, both for Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, and looks like he will be a key player if Luton are to avoid the drop.
Romero crucial in victory
Tottenham had to withstand plenty of pressure in the second half as Luton looked to make their man advantage count, but pivotal in ensuring his side’s clean sheet was maintained was the performance of central defender Cristian Romero. The World Cup winner was a rock in the middle of the back four alongside goalscorer Van de Ven, coping brilliantly with the aerial threat Luton posed and consistently clearing the ball away from the danger area.
