Tottenham Hotspur defeated Hoffenheim 3-2 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening in what was a very nervy match.
Spurs took the lead after just three minutes and it was an excellent goal. Pedro Porro perfectly picked out James Maddison with a long ball over the top of the Hoffenheim defence and the Englishman took it down brilliantly and finished it into the roof of the net to give his side a 1-0 lead. Spurs' positive start was a sign of things to come as they completely dominated early in the game and missed a few good chances to further their lead also.
After a short spell of pressure from Hoffenheim, Tottenham sucker-punched them with a deadly counterattack. Maddison was yet again at the heart of the play and he picked up the ball in midfield and played a ball through to Son Heung-Min, who made it 2-0, albeit with a lot of help from a deflection.
Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann produced a brilliant save just before half-time to deny Lucas Bergvall a headed goal from close range which he probably should've put away. This was the last action of a dominant first half for Spurs and they went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Despite being dominated in the first half, Hoffenheim came out in the second half and started really positively. Andrej Kramaric almost got one back for the home side in the 55th minute when he hit the crossbar with a header.
There was controversy shortly after Kramaric hit the bar and Hoffenheim were awarded a penalty following a collision between Brandon Austin and Max Moerstedt. It was a very harsh decision and after going over to the VAR monitor, referee Morten Krogh overturned the decision and also took away Austin's yellow card in the process.
Just minutes after Hoffenheim had their penalty taken away from them, they got a goal back. An excellent cross from David Jurasek was met by Anton Stach who slotted a tidy finish low past Austin. Momentum in the second half up to this point was with one team and one team only and that was Hoffenheim.
Despite Hoffenheim's best efforts at getting level, Son put the game to bed in the 77th minute with an excellent left-footed finish right into the bottom corner. The home side were definitely the better team in the second half up until this point but Spurs' quality in attack proved to be the game-changer.
The German outfit were given a glimmer of hope of getting something out of the game in the 88th minute when Kramaric's brilliant cross was met by substitute, David Mokwa, who guided his header into the back of the net to ensure a nervy end to the match for the away side. Despite their best efforts, Hoffenheim could not get back into the match and at full-time it ended 3-2 to Spurs.
Match Highlights
Hoffenheim Player Ratings
GK: Oliver Baumann - 6/10
Couldn't really do anything about Spurs' goals, particularly Son's. The German made an excellent save right on half-time to deny Bergvall which was his highlight of the match.
RB: Pavel Kaderabek - 6/10
Kaderabek was energetic down the right-hand side and defended well occasionally up against Son, but he didn't really have any big moments during the match.
CB: Kevin Akpoguma - 6/10
Gave away the ball for Spurs' opener and looked uncomfortable at times.
CB: Stanley N'Soki - 6/10
Up until he cheaply gave away the ball for Spurs' third goal, N'Soki was very good in possession but this mistake let him down and clouded his performance,
LB: David Jurasek - 7.5/10
Saw a lot of the ball down his side and was threatening going forward, particularly with his crossing as he managed to get an assist.
CM: Anton Stach - 7.5/10
Stach's energy in midfield was key for Hoffenheim. As well as his non-stop running, Stach was offensively good as well and got himself on the scoresheet with a tidy finish.
CM: Finn Becker - 7/10
Just like Stach, Becker was energetic and very good in possession.
RW: Adam Hlozek - 6.5/10
Hlozek did not have much to do in the match as most of Hoffenheim's attacks came down the left-hand side but when he did see the ball, he looked dangerous and a goal threat.
ST: Andrej Kramaric - 7/10
Most of Hoffenheim's chances came through the Croatian. He also pressed really well and went close to scoring but his header found the crossbar.
ST: Max Moerstedt - 5.5/10
Missed a few good chances in the first half from close range and was probably the quietest of Hoffenheim's attacking players.
LW: Tom Bischof - 7.5/10
Bischof saw a lot of the ball down the right wing and was a nightmare for Porro to deal with at times.
SUB: David Mokwa - 7/10
Mokwa's only action on the pitch was scoring a very good header which gave his side some hope of getting back into the match.
SUB: Florian Micheler - N/A
Didn't do much during his time on the pitch.
SUB: Arthur Chaves - N/A
Didn't do much during his time on the pitch.
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK: Brandon Austin - 7/10
Made some good saves and commanded his box well during Hoffenheim set pieces. The Englishman was also decent on the ball when given possession of it.
RB: Pedro Porro - 7.5/10
Provided a superb assist for Maddison's opener and had a pretty good performance constantly getting up and down Spurs' right-hand side.
CB: Radu Dragusin - 7.5/10
Pulled off some great last-ditch tackles and clearances and held the Spurs back line together well.
CB: Ben Davies - 7/10
The Welshman was as solid as a rock and stayed calm when Hoffenheim had spells of pressure. Davies also did well to help out Gray who was next to him at left back as he was playing out of position.
LB: Archie Gray - 7/10
The youngster had yet another solid and consistent performance playing out of position.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - 6.5/10
Was quite sloppy and wasteful in possession at times and was not as energetic as his midfield partners Bergvall and Maddison.
CM: Lucas Bergvall - 7.5/10
A good box-to-box performance by the Swede. Bergvall did his best to break forward for his side and also put his body on the line during Hoffenheim's good spells.
CM: James Maddison - 8.5/10
The creative midfielder completely ran the show in midfield. As well as a great performance, Maddison got a goal and an assist to his name.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski - 6.5/10
Had a good battle going on against Jurasek but Kulusevski didn't really get involved in the match.
ST: Richarlison - 5/10
Despite his fellow attacking players having good performances, Richarlison struggled to get into the game, looked lost at times up front and was subsequently taken off early in the second half.
LW: Son Heung-Min - 9/10
Son was very fortunate with his goal, but there was no stopping his second. His second goal was a perfect finish into the bottom left corner and there was no chance of Baumann stopping it.
SUB: Mikey Moore - 7/10
Looked to go forward every time he was given the ball and also managed to provide an assist to Son.
SUB: Will Lankshear - N/A
Didn't do much during his time on the pitch.
SUB: Callum Olusesi - N/A
Didn't do much during his time on the pitch.
Man of the Match
Heung-Min Son
Despite Maddison also performing really well, Son's goals were what won Spurs this match.
The South Korean took his opportunities when he got them and arguably single-handedly got his side the three points. Son was energetic and dangerous every time he went forward and as always, carried a great goal threat which had the Hoffenheim defenders worried every time he picked up the ball.
Son may have been fortunate with his opening goal but there was no stopping his second as he perfectly placed it into the bottom corner.