MICKY VAN DE VEN scored one of the great solo European goals for Tottenham as Thomas Frank enjoyed his best night in North London.
Fellow left-footer Gareth Bale, a legend in these parts, would have been proud of Van de Ven’s individual brilliance from 70 yards – as he jinked and danced his way past a handful of Copenhagen bystanders.
Having collected the ball from his own half, the rampaging Dutchman ran almost the entire length of the pitch, and then calmly fired home, just like Bale used to do in his pomp more than a decade ago.
It came just days after the defender had been forced to apologise to boss Frank for his petulant reaction following the 1-0 loss to Chelsea, when he marched off without thanking the booing fans.
Little wonder he made a point of cupping a finger behind his ear to the crowd, who were now cheering him to the rafters and not jeering him.
There was certainly no need to apologise for that reaction this time.
It was all a far cry to the bittersweet emotions felt by Johnson, the Europa League hero in Bilbao, who became the first British player to score and also be sent off in the same Champions League tie.
For Tottenham, it was a thrilling second-half display, albeit in front of a lower than normal attendance, which meant they walked off at the end to a standing ovation – a marked cry to what had happened 72 hours earlier.
If the shot-shy Chelsea loss had “hurt” Frank and his team, then this was the perfect response once they had managed to break down a stubborn Copenhagen.
When the Danes lost possession in midfield in the 19th minute, Rodrigo Bentancur pounced and then a Xavi Simons defence-dissecting pass carried just enough weight and timing for the speedy Johnson.
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One touch of Johnson’s right boot cutely took the ball away from the sliding Copenhagen goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski, who made the wrong call to come out.
A second touch saw the Welsh winger slide a shot into the empty net albeit from a difficult and ever-decreasing angle.
It was the least that Spurs deserved and one of the best through balls you will see.
Towards the end of a bitty and disjointed first half, Randal Kolo Muani contrived somehow not to score his first Spurs goal of his loan spell when he fired wide after excellent footwork by Simons.
Most people in the stadium thought he was going to break his duck but the attempt flashed wide, much to his and everyone’s surprise.
Seconds before the half-time whistle was blown, the duo combined again but unmarked Muani wasted a sitter by heading over from a close range.
Muani made up for that by supplying the pass to Wilson Odobert for goal No.2 on 51 minutes after Kotarski had another shocker when was once again caught in no man’s land.
Johnson’s evening got worse on 57 minutes when he caught the ankle of Marcos Lopez and VAR encouraged the Belgian referee Erik Lambrechts to overturn his on-field decision.
The Europa League Final hero was done for “using his studs” and making “a strong unfair contact with the opponent’s left ankle which clearly endangered the safety of his opponent”.
Though they were now down to ten men, this actually galvanised Tottenham and two goals in a four-minute spell sealed a stunning victory and one that could kickstart Frank’s reign.
First, Van de Ven thought he was Bale against Inter Milan at White Hart Lane or the San Siro as he glided past opponents at ease.
The finishing touch came on 67 minutes by substitute Joao Palhinha, who gave Croatian stopper Kotarski perhaps his worst ever match in football.
It could have got even worse for the Scandinavians but Richarlison saw a header crash against the bar with seven minutes left of normal time.
And then after Dane Scarlett was fouled for a penalty, the Brazilian showed his unreliability from 12 yards as his spot-kick hit the crossbar and bounced away.