A return to the top of the Champions League group for Tottenham Hotspur but, much more importantly, a return to form for Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. It wasn’t just that both scored twice each as Antonio Conte’s side came back from one down to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2, it was that they were so fluidly setting each other up again, with the manner Son let fly with the volleyed third also reflecting the release both were feeling.
It’s too soon to say this was a turning point, especially given that Kane skied a late penalty, but it was something to build on – a hugely positive moment. That was all the more important given the pressure, and all the more fitting because of the circumstances.
There were a number of factors that potentially played into this upturn.
One was the simple fact that Spurs had to win. The group looks so much easier now, but that wasn’t the case at 8pm on Wednesday night. It is also why the fourth match-day tends to be so decisive in these times. It’s where the group tables tend to finally split between the wealthiest and those there to make up the numbers. Frankfurt are now fighting to make sure they aren’t among the latter.
They did admittedly come up against a Spurs side that had plenty of conviction tonight, and not just because of the consequences of dropped points.
There was also the emotion swirling around this stadium. While Saturday’s win over Brighton felt like the real moment that the team marked late athletic trainer Gian Pietro Ventrone’s memory, this was the first home game since his sad passing and the crowd did more than recognise it. Chants of “there’s only one Gian Piero” regularly rang round.
“The marine”, as he was endearingly called, would no doubt have admired the resilience Spurs displayed as they came from behind and then just kept running.
This was perhaps the most relevant factor in the nature of this attacking display. Spurs looked their best for a month, certainly since the win over Leicester City, which was the last time Son and Kane had linked up.
Maybe they actually needed to go behind.
One of the themes of the last few weeks after all has been much more restrained Conte performances than usual. Spurs have so conspicuously counter-attacked, to the point they have had a lot of unconvincing performances. It has actually been reminiscent of some of the worst games under Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo, albeit with some wins.
There is a school of thought that is because Conte is looking to limit the team’s “physical load” before the World Cup, so is looking to conserve energy.
There is also the belief that he is just getting more conservative as his career goes on. This has certainly been a far cry from his Juventus and Italy teams.
Either way, Spurs were a changed side on going behind. There might have been an element of being stung by embarrassment, too.
The goal they conceded was calamitous, the resurgent Eric Dier suffering a slip as he gifted the ball to Frankfurt with one awful touch before allowing it through his legs, with Daichi Kamada eventually finishing.
The issue for the Germans was that, unlike a Conte team, they are never not open. Their willingness to go forward left gaps and that let Kane and Son finally link up. Within minutes, Kane had played one of those passes through, and the Korean was too easily in between the centre-halves to simply roll the ball into the corner. All momentum was with Spurs. They were pinning Frankfurt back. The Germans were getting desperate. Legs were flying, and Kane eventually went down for a penalty.
Many will doubtless say he went down too easily but the check from Kristijan Jakic was definitive. Kane powered it into the net in vintage fashion. It was certainly very different to his approach for the later penalty, as if he was trying something different. He might not return to it, as the ball was sent high into the stands.
Son was considerably more controlled in the much more difficult moment that ended up being the difference between the sides. On 36 minutes, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg surged down the left before clipping in an inviting cross that you wouldn’t always associate with the Dane.
Son collected it in plenty of space and he found the roof of the net in absolutely spectacular fashion. It must have been a volley that was even more satisfying to catch than it was to watch. It was that good. It symbolised how Spurs were in complete control.
There was a late flurry of action as Tuta was sent off for two bookings in a matter of minutes, the anger of that seemingly giving Frankfurt a late edge. Substitute Faride Alidou scored a towering header to make it unnecessarily tense for Spurs and Kane’s stoppage-time penalty miss then made it worse.
But Conte’s side resorted to a bit of old-fashioned defending with some desperate hacks clear, capping a night mostly defined by their old attacking brio.
