Son Heung-min’s peach of an opener that broke the deadlock here was regaled with the following: “Nice one Sonny, let’s have another one.” The ditty came from the 5,500-plus travelling Tottenham fans who saw their beloved No 7 ace a 25-yard finish past Preston’s goalkeeper Freddie Woodman as if coolly hitting down a first-serve winner.
Cue Son greeting supporters with the cupped-hands-around-eyes “mask” celebration as this tie finally awoke. The strike came on 50 minutes, which gave Preston 40 more to try to force an equaliser or better, and they pressed.
