Crvena Zvezda vs Tottenham Hotspur. UEFA Champions League Group B.
Crvena Zvezda StadiumAttendance42,381.
Giovani Lo Celso and Christian Eriksen score either side of Son double as Spurs secure first away victory since May
Thursday 7 November 2019 06:30, UK
Heung-Min Son scored twice as Tottenham took a giant stride towards the Champions League knockout stages with a commanding 4-0 victory at Red Star Belgrade.
Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring on his full debut for Tottenham, who were fortunate to reach the break ahead after an off-key Red Star were denied by the woodwork on two occasions.
But Son, four days on from his involvement in Andre Gomes' horrific ankle injury, settled the contest in Spurs' favour with two clinical finishes in four second-half minutes, before substitute Christian Eriksen added further gloss with a late fourth.
The victory - Spurs' first away from home since May 8 and the first by an English side at Red Star in European Cup history - means Mauricio Pochettino's side will qualify for the knockout phases with a game to spare if they beat Olympiakos at home on November 26.
Spurs may have put five goals past Red Star in the reverse fixture, but they faced a tough assignment against a side that boasted an unbeaten record at home to English opposition in the Europe's elite-club competition.
But, after the briefest of early storms from the hosts, Spurs settled and quietened the hostile crowd, with Harry Kane lashing a fierce effort into the side-netting on 13 minutes.
Spurs enjoyed a degree of control but were indebted to 'keeper Paulo Gazzaniga midway through the half when his outstretched leg prevented Milan Pavkov from putting Red Star in front against the run of play after he bundled his way into the box.
Spurs took full advantage of their reprieve on 34 minutes. After Kane and Son struck the post and bar in a flurry of activity around the Red Star goal, the composed Lo Celso controlled the ball and volleyed the opener into the top corner - his sixth goal in his last eight appearances in Europe.
Gazzaniga came to Spurs' rescue a minute before the break, tipping a near-post drive from Rajiv van La Parra onto the frame of the goal before Davinson Sanchez's blushes were spared by the crossbar after he unintentionally diverted the ball towards his own goal.
Tottenham kicked on after those close calls, adding a stunning second on the counter-attack within 12 minutes of the restart as Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli combined to release Son, who rifled his first goal home at the near post.
The South Korean's second came four minutes later, Danny Rose the provider at the end of another fine team move as the unmarked Son fired high into the roof of the net from six yards.
Red Star went down to 10 men on 77 minutes when they lost Pavkov to injury after using all of their substitutions, and things went from bad to worse when Spurs substitute Eriksen trickled a shot into the bottom corner past the wrong-footed Milan Borjan five minutes from time.
A miserable night for the Serbs concluded with the loss of Richmond Boakye, again to injury, while Spurs basked in the glory of a memorable victory in Belgrade.
After the harrowing events at Goodison Park it was a surprise to see Heung-min Son named in the Tottenham starting line-up, but he responded in the best possible way.
Two ruthless finishes took his Champions League tally to five goals from just four games this season and sealed a memorable victory for Spurs, but it was his classy tribute to the injured Andre Gomes that left a lasting memory.
"It has been a really tough few days, but I have realised how lucky I am with all the support I have had from the fans and my team-mates," he said.
"I can say I'm really sorry for the accident and the situation, but I had to focus for the team and I had to keep going and it was the right response to all the people who have supported me.
"I didn't want to celebrate because I just want to respect the situation. I still feel really sorry about this situation. It's been a few tough days. I wish Andre Gomes gets well soon and best wishes."
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino: "I am very pleased. It is a very difficult place, it was a very good victory, it was fully deserved in the way that we approached it. It was fantastic, we have to keep going it is only a very, very small step. But it is a step forward.
"It was a problem for everyone, not only for Sonny, for everyone on the pitch. We feel very sorry about what happened to Andre, but he moved on quickly. We helped him to move on."
Red Star head coach Vladan Milojevic: "We tried to play a different game than the one in London. What we wanted is to decrease the space for their players. We wanted to take the game on a different course. We had a chance at 0-0 and after that we were punished and there is a bitter taste because there is a lot of injuries."
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Soccer Special…
"The performance was excellent and what you would expect from Tottenham. They were dominant in Belgrade, they took the game to Red Star. Son was instrumental, scored twice with his two goals on target. The problem now is how Spurs transfer this form to the league, because they haven't been able to so far - they are a 'Jekyll and Hyde' team at the moment.
"Pochettino left a number of players out of the squad and those who played have put their hands up, in particular Lo Celso. Players are starting to give the manager a problem, one he will enjoy having, the question is how he assembles the group of players that are performing."
Spurs host Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday at 3pm. Matchday 5 in the Champions League sees Olympiakos travel to Tottenham and Red Star host Bayern Munich on November 26.
