Son Heung-min rises to Harry Kane's level as Tottenham pick up crucial Champions League victory over Man City

Aditya Devavrat 02:14 10/04/2019
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  • Son Heung-min came through with a clutch goal for Tottenham.

    Tottenham got a crucial home victory in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Manchester City, with Son Heung-min’s second-half goal giving Spurs a 1-0 lead to take into next week’s second leg in Manchester.

    Though they still face an uphill task to reach the semi-final given City’s prowess, Son’s goal must have given Spurs real belief that they can progress past the quarter-final in this competition for the first time in the club’s history.

    Here’s a look at the talking points from the game.

    SON SHOWS HIS WORTH AGAIN

    Harry Kane is Tottenham’s best player, most important player, hero, talisman, golden boy, future captain, future legend (if he’s not one already) – the list could go on. Yet, this season, there is a strong claim from one of his team-mates for one or two of those mantles.

    Spurs’ squad is sprinkled with talent. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are among the best centre-backs in the Premier League, Christian Eriksen will be worth every bit of the reported £120million transfer fee Tottenham will try to squeeze out of Real Madrid if he does indeed leave, and Dele Alli could, like Kane, end up being an England and Spurs great. But where would Tottenham be this season without Son?

    The Korean has 18 goals this season, along with six assists; he has the second-highest tally in both categories for Tottenham this campaign. And so many of his interventions have been crucial, with this the latest example.

    Tottenham’s first-half promise had slowly fizzled out; City were choking them out of the game, and Kane had just gone off injured. The win that looked possible in the first half had become increasingly unlikely. Then, up popped Son.

    GUARDIOLA GETS IT WRONG IN EUROPE AGAIN

    Pep Guardiola’s team selection raised eyebrows. Riyad Mahrez ahead of Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne on the bench – it seemed yet again that the Spaniard was over-complicating things in Europe. His explanation for De Bruyne’s absence was that the Belgian isn’t in the best form and could have struggled against Tottenham’s physicality. Barely a year ago, Guardiola was calling the midfielder the best player in the world after Lionel Messi.

    Remember last season, when Guardiola played all four of Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho, David Silva, and De Bruyne in midfield against Liverpool in order to give his team greater control, only for City to get ripped apart 3-0?

    This wasn’t that bad, and Sergio Aguero’s missed penalty that would have given City the lead could have rendered this entire discussion moot. Equally, though, Kane missed a golden opportunity in the first half and Son’s touch let him down a few times; it could have been worse than 1-0. City have now been outscored 7-1 in their last three Champions League knockout ties away from home, all losses.

    This tie is far from over, of course. City will back themselves to get a two-goal win at home, even considering Tottenham’s excellent away record in the Premier League – second only to Liverpool, though that does include six losses.

    But why does Guardiola insist on having his team do things the hard way?

    WINKS THE CARRICK OF HIS GENERATION

    Harry Winks won 100% of his duels on Tuesday night. For a 23-year-old in a Champions League quarter-final for the first time, that’s impressive. For a midfielder playing against Man City, with their trio of Silva, Fernandinho, and Gundogan, that’s an accomplishment to be proud of.

    Mauricio Pochettino deserves immense credit for the way he’s turned the Winks-Moussa Sissoko partnership into such an effective one, on both counts – for Winks’ development and for the revival of Sissoko’s career, after he was looking like one of their worst transfers in recent memory. The latter is probably the more remarkable achievement from the manager, but the former probably gives him slightly more pride and joy, given Pochettino’s love of youth.

    Winks has a long way to go, and there are sure to be ups and downs along the way. However, without going too overboard with the superlatives, he looks poised to be the Michael Carrick of the new generation – in an era when a player like that is appreciated and needed, unlike, unfortunately, during Carrick’s time.

    The young midfielder will need to deliver performances like Tuesday’s on a more consistent basis, starting with next week’s return leg. But, judging by the signs, Spurs have found themselves a special player.

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