Tottenham vs Red Star Belgrade result: Kane and Son give Spurs that winning feeling back – for now

Tottenham 5-0 Red Star Belgrade: North London side eased past opponents 5-0 in Champions League on Tuesday night

Miguel Delaney
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tuesday 22 October 2019 22:23 BST
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Champions League group stage draw

It’s been almost a month since Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed the feeling of victory, which means it’s also a little to difficult to know what to think about this one.

Was this 5-0 over Red Star Belgrade a moment of consequence for a good team just off form, or a confidence boost against a bad one? Or maybe a bit of both?

It’s been that long, and there have been that many problems, that it’s still difficult to tell.

That alone made just getting a win significant, not least as regards Tottenham’s prospects of qualifying from this group, since this was also their first Champions League win of the season. But almost as significant was the selection.

Mauricio Pochettino dropped three of his wantaway players in Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld – with the latter two dropped from the squad altogether – while Giovani Lo Celso came on in the second half, and the team lifted itself on Tuesday night.

Whether the two elements are really connected given the quality of the opposition is harder to say, but it does raise bigger questions for the next few weeks.

It ended up being that kind of night, when everything went well. It was certainly exactly the kind of win they needed.

Duly, the fans conspicuously sang Pochettino’s name here, their voices drowning out the Red Star Belgrade supporters who had loudly made their way into the stadium. The visiting fans were all too visible, and audible, considering there was supposed to be a ban on their entry due to recent sanctions for racist abuse.

They certainly made their presence felt, and it added a spike to a game generally lacking one; the match was effectively over as a contest after 17 minutes. That was when the irrepressible Son Heung-min turned in Spurs’ second after an improvised Erik Lamela cross, the Argentine having previously supplied the corner for Harry Kane’s bullet header after a mere nine minutes.

And yet, as easy as the game was for the home side for the most part, as thrilling as Spurs had been in that opening burst, it was still something of a contradiction that they weren’t always that convincing.

Harry Kane fires in Tottenham’s fifth and final goal

Red Star were arguably the better team for the next 25 minutes, and former Chelsea man Marko Marin briefly looked the most influential player on the pitch. He did genuinely offer some good touches as the Serbians began to cause Spurs a few problems… before forgetting to touch the ball at all and giving the game away.

Marin failed to control it in the middle, and Pochettino’s side burst straight through for Son to claim his second and the team’s third.

And that was really that, the rest mere detail and decoration.

Lamela got the goal his performance deserved, this time from a Kane assist, before the captain got his second.

That fifth was an especially fine goal, Tanguy Ndombele playing one of those incisive, angled through balls he has been signed for, to leave Kane free to slot in with a classic striker’s finish.

It was also a classic collapse from Red Star, who were leaving swathes of the pitch open.

Son Heung-min applauds the Spurs supporters after securing a brace

The poverty of the opposition is one reason why Pochettino won’t be putting too much stock in this result, but he will obviously take all the positives he can from the win.

All felt good at this stadium again at last, even if it proves to be temporary.

Next up are Liverpool, at Anfield.

It remains difficult to feel too good about that clash, but Spurs – finally – have some encouragement again.

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