SPURS EGDE NERVY THRILLER TO NEAR TOP-EIGHT FINISH
Tottenham Hotpur were made to sweat for their 3-2 victory at Hoffenheim, as an important Son Heung-min brace launched Ange Postecoglou's side into the UEFA Europa League top eight.
It was a blistering start from the Premier League strugglers, as James Maddison opened the scoring with a neat take from a long ball and emphatic finish inside three minutes.
And the midfielder was again at the centre of the action as he teed up Son midway through the first half, with the Spurs captain seeing a deflected strike drop over the head of Oliver Baumann for a two-goal cushion.
Hoffenheim seemed to find their feet ahead of the half-time break, and carried that momentum after the interval, seeing wave upon wave of pressure come to no avail – not helped by the woodwork denying Andrej Kramaric's header.
The hosts' pressure looked to have finally told when they won a penalty for Brandon Austin's challenge on Max Moerstedt midway through the second half, but referee Morten Krogh revoked his decision following a lengthy VAR check.
Hoffenheim eventually found the target though, Anton Stach capping off a neat move to halve Spurs' advantage.
But the game swung yet again nine minutes later, with Son notching his double in clinical style to give the visitors breathing room yet again.
Substitute David Mokwa pounced on some poor Spurs defending to force a nervy finish, but there was to be no dramatic equaliser for the hosts – whose hopes of remaining in the competition now look slim.
Spurs provisionally moved up to fourth ahead of the later kick-offs, and victory over Elfsborg at home next week would secure a top-eight finish.
WATCH MANCHESTER UNITED V RANGERS ON TNT SPORTS!
Another week of frantic European action, and Manchester United have just kicked off in their "battle of Britain" clash against Rangers!
If it ends up being half as dramatic as our early kick-off, it'll be a treat.
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media. To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder Tool.
Find out how to watch by clicking below!
POSTECOGLOU EYEING TOP EIGHT
The Spurs boss was looking ahead to next week's clash against Elfsborg - and victory against the Swedish side would confirm automatic qualification for the last 16.
"We have a home game," he told TNT Sports. "It's a great position to be in, we want to finish top-eight because it gives us an extra week of respite from the schedule we've had. We're going to need it around that time, great incentive, but credit to the lads."
Image credit: Getty Images
POSTECOGLOU SPEAKS TO TNT SPORTS
The Spurs boss was very pleased to see his side hold on for all three points in Hoffenheim.
"Not easy to get away wins in Europe," he said. "Watching the Champions League last night, only one away victory, so it's tough but credit to the boys. Outstanding first half, played really well. We looked tired in the second half but hung on.
"Sonny scored a great goal to give us that extra buffer, had schoolboys out there in the end but it was a great victory."
SON IS A SPURS 'LEGEND' - CROUCH
Watching what turned out to be the decisive goal, Crouch hailed Spurs captain Son and his overall contribution at the club.
"This is Son to a tee. 101," he said. "You see him in this position so many times, just haven't seen it enough this season. There was a time where it was a goal every time from that position. Quick stepover, move to the left, his signature move, great finish.
"Love him as a player, an absolute legend of the football club. He's put some goals up there with the greats of Spurs.
"There was a little bit of criticism this season, that creeps in when you're not performing to the ability that we've seen in recent seasons. Without doubt a legend of the football club."
CROUCH: 'THAT'S WHAT WE EXPECT FROM SPURS'
Peter Crouch was critical of Spurs' second-half performance, but did not want to take the shine away from what is a strong victory on the road in Europe.
"I don't want to do too much of a disservice to them," he said. "I thought there were elements of it that were very good. The first half was fantastic, but they lost control in the second half. Hoffenheim came into it, they had some chances.
"But they were clinical, Son was clinical, got his chance and took it. That didn't stop them having a nervy ending, but that's what we expect from Spurs at the moment."
Image credit: Getty Images
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?
Wherever Spurs do end up this season, you can safely say they have been five-star entertainment.
But victory in Hoffenheim will come as a major boost for a side which have struggled so much domestically in recent weeks - you can see fragility in their game, and when they're on the back foot, they almost get sucked in.
However, some important performances from their senior players pulled them through this evening, and that is a major positive for Ange Postecoglou's side.
The hosts could not live with James Maddison in the first half, and Son Heung-min showcased his captain's credentials with two extremely important contributions.
Spurs will want to make easier work for themselves in future outings, but for now, they have firmly lodged themselves in the UEFA Europa League top-eight mix, and remain in contention for three trophies this season.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2025/01/15/image-e3200ab9-e36d-470d-bcb8-6fbb1316b3e8-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
:focal(1220x175:1222x173)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2025/01/13/image-fb8cbc5d-f44d-4175-9019-e6d789443ee6-85-2560-1440.jpeg)