Hoffenheim 2 Tottenham 3: Exactly what Son needed, Bergvall shines again

On By Littum

Tottenham Hotspur won their first Europa League game since October to boost their chances of qualifying directly for the last 16.

Spurs traveled to Germany with a squad depleted by injuries, with Pape Matar Sarr most recently pulling out with a hamstring problem picked up in the training session the day before the game. Ange Postecoglou had to name a weakened starting XI, with five teenagers on the bench, but his side still managed to secure a decisive 3-2 win over Hoffenheim.

James Maddison opened the scoring and Son Heung-min extended their lead midway through the first half. Hoffenheim fought back through Anton Stach’s finish, but Son’s strike in the 77th minute looked set to seal the match. David Mokwa’s late effort made it a nervy final few minutes, but Spurs held on for three crucial points.

Here, Athletics‘s Jay Harris and Seb Stafford-Bloor break down the biggest moments.

Exactly what Son (and Spurs) needed

Son Heung-min has come under a lot of scrutiny for his performances this season. The South Korea international has been outstanding for Spurs over the past decade, bailing them out on countless occasions – but it feels like his star is waning.

The 32-year-old spurned a few presentable opportunities in Sunday’s defeat at Everton, including a close-range shot that was easily saved by Jordan Pickford at just 1-0, and looked devastated after the game.

Son and other senior players, including James Maddison, have been overshadowed by teenage talents Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in recent weeks. With 10 players unavailable through injury against Hoffenheim on Thursday night, it was time for them both to step up.


(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Maddison scored in the first few minutes and then Son had a great chance to extend their lead. He latched on to a pass from Ben Davies, cut inside the Hoffenheim back on his stronger right foot but fired a shot over the bar.

They continued to threaten and in the 22nd minute combined directly for Tottenham’s second. Maddison pounced on a loose ball from a throw-in, fed Son in space on the left wing and his shot was headed over goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. It was a bad finish, but it would have boosted his confidence.

Son’s second-half goal, which proved to be the winner, was magnificent and a reminder of what he is capable of. Rodrigo Bentancur intercepted the ball and it fell to Mikey Moore who found Son in space out wide. Son confused his marker with a couple of quick stepovers, dropped his shoulder and drilled a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

What Ange Postecoglou now needs from his captain is for him to reproduce this level of performance every week in the Premier League.

Jay Harris

Bergvall’s influence continues to grow

Among the micro issues this season, Bergvall’s development is among the most positive – and this was another good night for him.

Bergvall’s development this season has two legs: physical and technical.

From looking like a boy on the pitch during the Asian tour and during his formative Premier League and European experiences, he now carries himself like a senior player, happy to mix it up with gnarled pros, to leave a few bumps or an elbow on an opponent on the right time.


(Harry Langer/Getty Images)

It is very important and deeply encouraging that that change has happened so quickly. Of necessity perhaps given Tottenham’s predicament, but it’s still good news. A couple of Hoffenheim players challenged him on Thursday and he was the target of a robust tackle in the first half, but none of that attention had an impact.

There have also been some technical improvements, and a change in the speed at which he does everything. At the heart of midfield, Bergvall was a lively, almost ethereal presence, dancing into space to receive the ball, drawing a man and then walking into space.

There is a rhythm to his game now and a timing. There was no reward for them on Thursday night, but his box-crash run has the promise of future goals and it’s another sign he’s getting bolder in this environment.

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Seb Stafford-Bloor

A familiar sight: Spurs looking snotty

The structures that had worked well for Spurs in the first half quickly melted away in the second. Whether it was the result of fatigue or Richarlison’s departure and subsequent lack of a proper focal point, it left Hoffenheim on the front foot for at least 20 minutes and able to capitalize on Postecoglou’s side in their own half.

The passes the visitors had found through the middle of the pitch were gone. The smoothness with which they had been playing also disappeared. So did their balance with the ball. When Hoffenheim’s first goal came, it was from Tottenham’s inability to contain a counter attack and close the gaping spaces behind their backs. The second, although only a consolation, was the result of an inability to put pressure on the ball and stop a simple cross to the back post.

Both were very, very easy in a way that has become terribly familiar.

Given the strain on this group of players and the fact that only Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear among the substitutes had any first-team experience, a break was inevitable, but it still underlined how difficult a spell it has been and how fragile this team remains.

Seb Stafford-Bloor

On the very day that Brandon Austin finally made his debut for Spurs, news broke that the club were completing the signing of Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague. It must have been bittersweet for the 26-year-old goalkeeper, who came through the Spurs academy, to have his special moment overshadowed.

Austin looked solid in Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on January 4, but a few days later Kinsky was thrust straight into the starting line-up for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool. The Czech Under-21 international impressed and with Fraser Forster close to returning from illness, it felt as if Austin had already played his last game for his boyhood club.

Kinksy is ineligible to represent Tottenham in the league stage of the Europa League and Ange Postecoglou showed his faith in Austin by rewarding him with a second start instead of playing Forster.

Austin had little to do in the first half as Spurs controlled the game, but he produced a superb save with his right hand to prevent Tom Bischof’s half-volley from nestling into the bottom corner.

However, he was at the center of controversy in the 63rd minute. Kevin Akpoguma hit a cross into the box and Austin tried to push the ball away. He collided with Hoffenheim striker Max Moerstedt and the referee immediately awarded a penalty, awarding a clearly shocked Austin.

Andrej Kramaric stepped up to take the penalty, but at the last minute the referee switched to the pitch screen to review the footage and eventually reversed his decision. The goalkeeper narrowly avoided a nightmare scenario on his European debut.

There was nothing he could do about the two Hoffenheim goals that followed and the score probably wasn’t a fair reflection of the Tottenham keeper’s performance. It feels like his role as the club’s third-choice keeper is secure.

Jay Harris

What next for Tottenham?

Sunday, January 26: Leicester City (H), Premier League, 2pm UK, 9am ET

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(Top photo: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)