Son Heung-Min hits winner as Tottenham get the job done in ugly victory over Norwich

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Norwich City: Jose Mourinho’s men claimed their first league victory of 2020 – but it could have been a very different story

Tottenham put in a gritty display to claim all three points (Getty)

Tottenham finally get one over the line. Jose Mourinho might still be looking for a striker but, at last, his side are no longer looking for a win. Spurs claimed their first victory of 2020 by beating a defiant Norwich City 2-1, but the hard-fought manner of it was itself an illustration of just how tough this period has been – and just how much work has to be done.

A match that might have looked an easy win a few weeks ago was anything but. It was something to be endured, like so much of Tottenham’s play and recent form.

A failure to win here would have meant Mourinho matching Mauricio Pochettino’s longest run of games without a league win, at five. His side averted that. For that, they have goalscorers Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min to thank, as well Hugo Lloris and Giovanni Lo Celso.

The goalkeeper returned to the side after injury and produced some supreme saves. The Argentine playmaker, meanwhile, looked like he was finally finding his place in this side, producing interventions and passes beyond anyone in the team bar Christian Eriksen.

The expense of the players wasn’t the only contrast between the sides, and should be cause for consideration for Mourinho.

It said much that both Spurs goals were more about resolve and reaction rather than any kind of crafted move. That was summed up by the fact the first came from Spurs’ most creative player, although not through any of Lo Celso’s more luscious balls. It was more about his graft.

After Serge Aurier had clumsily lost the ball in trying to surge forward, Lo Celso got right back into it with the strongest of challenges before feeding Son Heung-Min. That was moved on again to Aurier, who slid the ball across for Alli to divert toward goal.

It was his first goal of 2020, too, and perhaps a reminder that a bit more can be done for this attack than just placing runners around a focal-point striker.

Norwich, in contrast, looked far more streamlined. There were so many passages when Daniel Farke’s side offered superior periods of passing to open up Spurs, with Teemu Pukki twice bringing saves out of Lloris. It is one of the merits of Norwich’s season.

If they are to go down, as many expect, it won’t be for under-performance. They probably have man-for-man the weakest squad in the league, but Farke is certainly getting a lot of end product and vibrancy from them.

They punched holes in Spurs more than a few times, with Jan Vertonghen not always completely comfortable marking Pukki. One slip almost let the striker in.

Dele Alli opened the scoring for Tottenham in the first half (Getty)

Spurs never looked all that comfortable in general. Harry Winks certainly didn’t look so when he had to come off for Christian Eriksen, for yet another appearance billed as potentially his last for the club. It did little to give Spurs control. Norwich still had the majority of play – and soon had parity in the score line.

Passage after passage of attack eventually led to Max Aarons surging down the right, and Ryan Sessegnon bringing him down. After a VAR check, Pukki put it past Lloris from the spot.

It finally forced a response in Spurs after a dreadful second half, but this was again mostly about brute force.

Lo Celso’s initial pass for Dele was admittedly divine, and precisely what he was signed for. The rest of it would do. Dele’s cross-shot cannoned across the box for Son to force over the line.

Mourinho will now look to get a signing over the line, with so much talk being made of Willian Jose. This match, however, illustrated there are more issues in Spurs’ attack than the absence of a forward like Harry Kane. They are still reliant on force.