Tottenham Hotspur survived a late scare to record their second home win in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.
A brace from a clinical Son Heung-min and Harry Kane’s penalty saw Tottenham nailing down the top spot in Group D. And they will only have to blame themselves for not qualifying for the next stage from this point.
An early Eric Dier mistake saw Daichi Kamada snatching an early opener. But the home supporters’ longing for a goal had the home side on the edge, and the breakthrough finally came.
Harry Kane latched on to the ball and glided it down to Son with the perfect weight. And the South Korean attacker slotted it past Kevin Trapp to get his team into the game. Kane was then fouled inside the box by Kristijan Jakic, and a VAR intervention awarded a penalty to the north Londoners.
The 29-year-old stylishly opened his account in the Champions League this season as Tottenham doubled their lead. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg then hopped past a number of players with ease and floated a volley to the second post, with Son connecting with a sweet strike.
Faride Alidou’s late header almost turned the tide, but Kane could have had the last say. However, his spot-kick could not find the target after Bryan Gil was taken down in the box. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Antonio Conte’s men.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have assisted each other for 50 goals in all competitions 🤝 pic.twitter.com/h6R1gFlNkO
— GOAL (@goal) October 12, 2022
Hugo Lloris: 7.5/10
Lloris had a busy day as Eintracht Frankfurt came bashing to the Tottennham goal several times. Eric Dier’s harrowing mistake in front of the goal led him to make a save which went straight to Sebastian Rode, who then squared it to Daichi Kamada to open the scoring. Lloris denied Eintracht Frankfurt a late equaliser with a low save.
Emerson Royal: 5/10
Emerson missed his marker for Eintracht Frankfurt’s second goal. He was involved in a couple of goals but needs to put more effort to sharpen his finishing skills in the final third.
Cristian Romero: 7/10
Apart from that dangerous pass to Dier, the Argentine did not endure anything calamitous at the back. He had a header brilliantly parried away by Kevin Trapp.
Eric Dier: 6/10
An early yellow card knocked down his confidence, and he was then solely responsible for gifting Eintracht Frankfurt an opening goal. Dier grew into the game slowly and managed to spend the remaining game without being cautioned.
Clement Lenglet: 7/10
Lenglet looked calm and composed on the ball on the left and exchanged possession with Ryan Sessegnon several times. He was also solid off the ball and seems to be growing in his role at Tottenham.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 8.5/10
The Danish midfielder produced another industrious display in the middle of the pitch. He made a fine run down the channel and laid a delightful cross to assist Son Heung-min’s second of the evening. Tottenham look on song when he pulls the strings behind the stage.
Has Hojbjerg been Tottenham’s player of the season? pic.twitter.com/WWFmTTUhU5
— WeAreTottenhamTV (@WeRTottenhamTV) October 12, 2022
Rodrigo Bentancur:7/10
Bentancur did his part well and produced a calm and disciplined performance with the ball. His partnership with Hojbjerg will hold the key for Tottenham this season.
Ryan Sessegnon: 7/10
Sessegnon backed up his performance against Brighton with another energetic display down the left channel. His early cross almost found Richarlison, but the referee later called it a foul. He should be the preferred choice, especially with Conte unhappy with Ivan Perisic’s output.
Richarlison: 7/10
Richarlison tried to do the talking with the ball and was involved in the build-up for Son’s second goal. He now needs to step up even more, especially considering these are his opportunities to nail down a spot.
Harry Kane: 8/10
Kane was responsible for the first goal as he combined again with Son to restore parity. He converted from the spot confidently but later on glided another penalty over the bar. Kane should have killed the game then and there.
Son Heung-min: 9/10
Son took some time to adjust to the pace of the game and was a thorn throughout the game. He took the ball in his stride for the equaliser and connected a sweet volley off Hojbjerg’s cross for his second. This display should give him confidence ahead amid a fixture pile-up.
"The ball was really clear and there was only one option"
Son Heung-min describes his INCREDIBLE first-half volley ⚡️#UCL | 🎙 @Becky_Ives_ pic.twitter.com/HWvTOz1F3V
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 12, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
Yves Bissouma: 7/10
Bissouma got some solid minutes under his belt for the defensive display, and he dictated the possession quite well.
Oliver Skipp: 5/10
Skipp needs to sort out his passing a bit more.
Davinson Sanchez: N/A
Did not play enough to guarantee a rating.
Lucas Moura: N/A
Did not play enough to guarantee a rating.
Bryan Gil: N/A
Did not play enough to guarantee a rating.
