Heung-min Son seals victory for Tottenham against Man City

As the lights dimmed on the second game of Tottenham Hotspur’s new 62,062 stadium, I took my seat filled with both unrivalled excitement and anxiety for the daunting task of facing Manchester City in the quarter-final of the Champions League. As the players entered the pitch, I reminisced back to the 2011 Champions League run that saw the likes of Gareth Bale run riot in Italy, only to be knocked out by Real Madrid at this very stage. I was sitting in a similar position to where my 12-year-old self had once sat in the old White Hart Lane. But this time, I was met with a truly breathtaking new stadium, a remarkable mosaic of the club’s motto collectively made by 18,000 fans in the electric, single-tiered South Stand and the famous Champions League music beckoning into the night sky.

There was something new this time around. We didn’t have Gareth Bale, and we certainly didn’t have Peter Crouch but the gravity of the game was most definitely omnipresent. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said himself that this would be the biggest test for his Spurs side. And, this was certainly felt by every one of the fans inside the ground.

The early signs of the game saw Tottenham come out of the blocks early, enforcing a high-press and forcing the Manchester City defence into a series of mistakes

Spurs lined up in their familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, with the attacking quartet of an out-of-form Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Heung-min Son and England captain Harry Kane leading the line. The away side lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling either side of front-man Sergio Agüero, who was deemed fit to start over the recent match-winner Gabriel Jesus from Saturday’s F.A. Cup win against Brighton. The early signs of the game saw Tottenham come out of the blocks early, enforcing a high-press and forcing the Manchester City defence into a series of mistakes that uplifted the immense noise generated by the “White Wall” of the South Stand.

Then, on the 13^thminute, İlkay Gündoğanslipped through Raheem Sterling on the right-wing, who cut inside and glided past the weak challenges of Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld. As the shot hurtled toward goal, Danny Rose threw himself in the way of the shot for a corner, to the roar of the crowd. Suddenly, the sound of the referee’s whistle blew. A VAR check for a potential hand-ball. After a gruelling wait, a penalty was given to a stunned crowd. Sergio Aguero approached, facing the South Stand, whose jeers certainly influenced his mentality. The man who is renowned for his ruthless penalty-taking prowess stepped up and sent the ball toward the right corner. Stunningly, Hugo Lloris guessed right and parried the ball away in what was, upon reflection, a poor penalty. The reaction was akin to a goal being scored, the crowd cheered, celebrated and chanted the name of the Tottenham captain, who has now saved his last two consecutive penalties.

Heung-min Son, the man who so often provides the big moment when Tottenham need it, once again delivers

Half-time came with half-chances for both sides. Tottenham continued to hound the ball and went into the second-half the better of the two sides. Yet, it was City who started the second half better. In the 54^thminute, a 50/50 ball between Fabian Delph and Harry Kane caused a collision between the two players. And, to the horror of all Spurs fans, Kane stayed down in considerable pain, hopped down the tunnel and into the abyss. What’s worse, he was clutching the now dreaded left-ankle that has seen him only recently return from injury. But, Tottenham were not down and out. In the 78^thminute, Christian Eriksen picked up a ball on the edge of the penalty area, lofted the ball into the path of an on-running Heung-min Son who manages to keep the ball in with a matter of inches, cuts back inside and drives it past the helpless Ederson.

The redemption. The relief. The goal Spurs had been yearning for. The stadium erupted with a noise unlike anything North London has ever seen. Heung-min Son, the man who so often provides the big moment when Tottenham need it, once again delivers. And through 12 pain-staking minutes, the full-time whistle was blown. Whilst it was, and certainly deserves to be, a week of celebration for Tottenham fans, they have only done half of a still immensely daunting job. The prospect of going to the Etihad without star-man Harry Kane only adds to an already difficult task. Mauricio Pochettino gravely delivered the news that he believed it was possible Kane might not play again this season.

In the seven games that Harry Kane has been absent from the side, Tottenham has lost only once

It’s undeniably a devasting blow to not just Tottenham’s Champions League campaign, but arguably, a more important domestic top-four race to secure entry into Europe’s most sought after competition next season. With a hugely important run-in, Tottenham’s noticeably thin squad, with the likes of Juan Foyth, Ben Davies and Victor Wanyama on the bench, a cause for real concern. Tottenham’s lack of investment into the team, with their last signing of Lucas Moura from PSG two transfer windows ago illuminates that their lack of depth is starting to show. It’s a bonus to have the best stadium and training facilities in Europe, but without the investment into the team on the pitch, injuries to star-players devastate seasons and this provides fans, including myself, with that exact nausea.

However, almost allegorically, it was fitting that the man who steps-up time and time again in Harry Kane’s absence would be the match-winner tonight, the game-changer. Heung-min Son’s contribution this season, with 12 league goals in 28 appearances, has been nothing short of remarkable. In fact, in the seven games that Harry Kane has been absent from the side, Tottenham has lost only once (the narrow Carabao Cup defeat on penalties). Even Fernando Llorente has served as an able deputy, scoring four goals in six games. Tottenham are far from the “Harry Kane” team once described by Pep Guardiola and their record with Kane injured only serves to exemplify that.

All eyes will turn next week to Tottenham’s new hero, Heung-min Son

Whilst the prospect of the second-leg without Harry Kane, the almost certain introductions of Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane and facing off against one of the best sides in Europe certainly leaves this tie open, the hunger, desire and performance of this Tottenham side should certainly not be underestimated. All eyes will turn next week to Tottenham’s new hero, Heung-min Son. Their chance at European glory rests on his shoulders.

Win or lose, it will only be a matter of time before Tottenham begins to reap the benefits of their bright future. Yet, time is a gift that’s increasingly hard to come by in the modern game.