Tottenham came out 2-1 winners at home against Luton Town as the Premier League returned on Saturday afternoon.
Ange Postecoglou was looking for his players to put that dismal defeat at Fulham behind them with the visit of the Hatters to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He made just one change to the team that lost that day with Timo Werner getting the nod ahead of Brennan Johnson after two weeks spent at Hotspur Way during the international break.
Micky van de Ven is back following his hamstring injury at Villa but Postecoglou has decided to hold off on bringing him straight into the starting line-up just yet and stuck with Radu Dragusin. Richarlison trained well on Friday after some knee issues and was also among the substitutes.
Spurs fell behind within three minutes. Dejan Kulusevski misplaced a pass at one end of the pitch and Luton broke up the pitch quickly and Andros Townsend found Ross Barkley, who picked out Tahith Chong to fire in off the inside of the right-hand post.
The hosts couldn’t find a way back in the first half despite Son Heung-min hitting a shot that struck both posts, and Postecoglou hooked Kulusevski at half-time, bringing on Brennan Johnson. The 22-year-old quickly made an impact in the 51st minute, running down the right, exchanging passes with Pedro Porro before firing in a low ball across the six-yard box that Issa Kabore smashed into his own net under pressure from Timo Werner.
Tottenham kept threatening and found a winning goal when Werner raced down the left and pulled the ball into the box where Johnson did well to guide it back to Son to smash into the net off a defender’s leg.
READ MORE: Postecoglou responds to Gareth Southgate’s Tottenham concern and explains Yves Bissouma form
READ MORE: Tottenham coach reveals clever Ange Postecoglou trick to get what he wants in training
Here are our Tottenham player ratings from the match:
Guglielmo Vicario
Couldn’t do much about Chong’s early clinical low strike in off the post. Made a couple of good low saves either side of the break though, one from Barkley and another from Clark. 7
Pedro Porro
The early goal came from an acre of space he had left in the box and he was blocked from getting there. Going forward he wasn’t much of a threat in the first half but stepped up after the interval, linking up well with Johnson on a couple of occasions, including for the equaliser. He set up Son for a second half chance and fired one shot over the crossbar himself and was vastly improved in the second period. 7
Cristian Romero
Led the line well for much of the game and tried to push up the pitch and get the ball quickly to the attacking players. 7
Radu Dragusin
A solid display from the young Romanian and he always looked in control, including some driving runs up the pitch and deep into the Luton half with the ball at his feet. 7
Destiny Udogie
A couple of early first half darts down the left but wasn’t his normal self in the second half and played a far more reserved game. 6
Pape Matar Sarr
A busy first half and had a shot blocked in front of goal after Son had struck both posts and in the second period he kept trying to get into attacking positions before coming off midway through the half. 7
Yves Bissouma
Townsend was able to breeze past him far too easily in the build-up to the early Luton goal. Still doesn’t look anywhere near his best although he grew better as the game wore on before coming off for Richarlison as Spurs looked for a second goal. 5
James Maddison
Saw plenty of the ball but struggled to really impact the play in the final third in the way he can. 5
Dejan Kulusevski
A poor pass in a great position early on set Luton away for their early goal. Did play Werner through with a good pass about 10 minutes later and played Son through to hit both posts, but his passing was otherwise off though and he did not reappear for the second half. 4
Son Heung-min
So unlucky 20 minutes in when he rounded the keeper and from a tight angle hit a shot that struck both posts. He did so much running and kept threatening to find a breakthrough, forcing the keeper into a couple of saves and he found the winner in the final 10 minutes with a powerful deflected effort before coming off. A captain’s performance. 8
Timo Werner
The German made a bright start, getting down the left plenty and putting Son and Kulusevski into the box. Had a great chance to score when he turned his defender inside out only to fire just past the right-hand post. He then had another effort blocked in front of goal after Son hit both posts. He was frequently involved in the second half as well and was involved in the second Spurs goal. 7
Subs
Brennan Johnson
Postecoglou told him at the half-time whistle that he was coming on for the second half and he made a real impact. Within six minutes he ran down the right and whipped in a low ball that Kabore slammed into his own net. He put in two more similar dangerous balls and teed up Porro for a shot over. He then had a shot saved by Kaminski that rolled across the line but was a millimetre from going over it. He then grabbed an assist – the other won’t count as it was an own goal – when he did well to poke Werner’s cross back to Son to score. The game changer. 8
Rodrigo Bentancur
Came on to add a bit of guile to the midfield and he did that. 6
Giovani Lo Celso
A rare chance to affect proceedings and he tried to make things happen, with some neat touches and passes. He set up the Johnson chance that somehow didn’t cross the line and then he made an important late interception. 6
Richarlison
Came on for the latter stages of the game but doesn’t seem to moving entirely freely with that troublesome knee. 5
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Replaced Son for the final minutes and did what was needed of him. N/A
Want breaking and top Tottenham stories sent straight to you? Join our Spurs WhatsApp community by clicking this link.
Catch up with this week’s Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
