Van De Ven Stunner Inspires 10-man Spurs To Emphatic Win Over Copenhagen

It was nan infinitesimal erstwhile nan Tottenham location crowd could hide astir their caller frustrations and suffer themselves successful nan joyousness of it all; nan glorious release. Their squad had been excessively bully for Copenhagen, who showed virtually thing – surely not successful a affirmative sense.

Spurs were 2-0 up aft Wilson Odobert’s extremity but location was a glitch erstwhile Brennan Johnson, who had opened nan scoring, was sent disconnected successful nan 56th minute. The foul was much clumsy than sinister yet erstwhile nan referee, Erik Lambrechts, was advised to spell to nan pitchside monitor, Johnson’s nighttime was over.

Enter Micky Van de Ven. The centre-half has go synonymous pinch nan swashbuckling and he was astatine it again erstwhile he seized possession connected nan separator of his ain punishment container and started to motor. It was a blur arsenic he near 4 Copenhagen players successful his aftermath earlier entering nan different area and blasting home. Game over.

Spurs beryllium sixth successful nan Premier League and they had entered this necktie unbeaten successful nan Champions League. But location person been murmurs of discontent arsenic they person laboured astatine their ain stadium. They trim loose aft Van de Ven’s show-stopper pinch João Palhinha, connected arsenic a substitute, adding a 4th and they could moreover motion disconnected a precocious punishment miss from different replacement, Richarlison.

Were nan crowd unhappy that he took it alternatively than Dane Scarlett, different substitute, who had won nan kick? It did not matter. It was a nighttime to beryllium enjoyed.

Spurs had been hopeless for thing connected their ain turf, nan necktie framed by nan scary of nan convention defeat present against Chelsea connected Saturday and everything that went pinch it – specifically nan negativity of nan fans. It had led to nan different show of Frank and Guglielmo Vicario, head and elder player, appealing for amended support astatine nan pre-match property conference.

It was intolerable to disregard nan hundreds of quiet seats successful nan apical tiers astatine nan outset nor nan mode successful which nan Copenhagen supporters began nan juncture – non-stop vocal backing pinch immoderate en masse communal bouncing thrown successful for bully measure. “Is this a library?” they enquired.

The Spurs support would operation successful nan 19th infinitesimal erstwhile their squad made nan breakthrough. Frank had fixed Johnson a starting domiciled connected his favoured right-hand broadside successful nan absence of nan injured Mohammed Kudus, who was portion of a lengthy database of unavailable players; Frank was denied nan services of 11 successful total.

Brennan Johnson takes nan shot past Dominik Kotarski earlier giving Spurs a first-half lead. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

Johnson had blown an early half-chance erstwhile his touch was mediocre aft he ran connected to a dinked Wilson Odobert walk up nan wrong channel. But he sewage everything correct erstwhile he darted successful down a mates of Copenhagen defenders and was recovered by a beautiful curved shot from Xavi Simons.

Copenhagen had been caught connected a speedy modulation aft Gabriel Pereira misplaced a elemental pass. Worse was to travel arsenic Johnson surged onto Simons’ done ball, pinch nan goalkeeper, Dominik Kotarski, racing disconnected his statement – he was ne'er nan favourite to get location first. It was each astir Johnson’s composure thereafter. He touched past Kotarski earlier finishing from a tight angle.

Copenhagen lag 4th successful nan Danish Superliga, six points down nan leaders, Aarhus. They arrived successful London pinch a azygous constituent from their erstwhile 3 Champions League ties. In short, each is not good pinch them and they were location for nan taking during nan first half. Their threat was minimal and location was excessively overmuch looseness from them. They struggled sorely to build up against nan Spurs press.

Simons sniffed retired spaces from nan No 10 role; his turns were sharp, he probed pinch menace. He created 2 immense chances for Randal Kolo Muani towards nan extremity of nan first half, which nan on-loan Paris Saint-Germain striker someway fluffed.

First, aft Simons had worked a slick give-and-go pinch Odobert, Muani dragged wide from adjacent range. Did he request to return nan touch to group himself? And then, pursuing a cleanable Simons cross, Muani headed precocious erstwhile unmarked six yards out.

Frank had Destiny Udogie pushing precocious from left-back and pinch nan runs of Johnson a characteristic for Spurs, it felt arsenic though Copenhagen had issues everywhere. They were astir pronounced successful extremity and Spurs’s 2nd had Kotarski’s prints each complete it.

It was a precocious shot retired of nan Spurs defence and it looked arsenic though it would beryllium easy for Kotarski to clear. And yet he was truthful slow to get retired to it, offering Kolo Muani hope. Kolo Muani kept connected moving and he was capable to make nan block, nan shot spinning precocious towards nan quiet net. Whereupon Kolo Muani brought it down pinch a sumptuous touch earlier teeing up Odobert for nan finish.

The reddish paper for Johnson ne'er threatened to derail Spurs. If anything, they were much menacing pinch 10 men, counterattacking successful waves, Copenhagen wholly losing their way. Johnson’s situation looked worse connected nan relays but he did drawback Marcos López down nan achilles pinch his studs. It led to Frank introducing Palhinha for Simons, who was astir surely not happy pinch his manager. It was nan prompt, however, for Van de Ven to bask his infinitesimal and Spurs to move nan screw.