Tottenham Hotspur vs PSV Eindhoven. UEFA Champions League Group B.
Wembley StadiumAttendance46,588.
Luuk de Jong scored for PSV after 61 seconds
Wednesday 7 November 2018 07:24, UK
Harry Kane kept Tottenham's hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League alive as they beat PSV 2-1 at Wembley.
Spurs needed a result on Tuesday evening to keep them in the hunt for the next round, but were dealt a blow early on when Luuk de Jong scored after 61 seconds.
But Tottenham pressed hard for their equaliser and were rewarded in the 78th minute as Kane swept home before nodding in the winner 11 minutes later, with his effort taking a deflection off Trent Sainsbury on the way through.
Tottenham remain third in Group B with four points after Inter and Barcelona drew 1-1, while PSV remain bottom with just one point.
PSV took the lead inside two minutes and it was captain De Jong with the goal. Gaston Pereiro delivered a corner and after getting away from Dele Alli, the PSV striker rose highest to nod home Paolo Gazzaniga.
But Tottenham responded well, and forced PSV into a goalmouth clearance not long after. Christian Eriksen delivered a free-kick, which an unmarked Davinson Sanchez nodded towards the back post. Alli was there to flick it towards goal but his effort was headed away by Jorrit Hendrix on the line.
Jeroen Zoet had little to do in the opening 20 minutes, but was soon called into action as Lucas Moura burst down the field before a sliding tackle from Nick Viergever tried to stop him. But the loose ball was once again Moura's, with his shot blocked by the body of the goalkeeper before PSV got the ball clear.
The Netherlands international made a superb double save in the 28th minute as Alli's great cross found Eriksen, but what looked to be a simple tap-in was saved by the legs of Zoet. The rebound fell to Alli but again, the goalkeeper was there to push the ball away.
Tottenham continued to press for an equaliser in the second half, but had fewer clear-cut chances. Indeed, it was PSV who went close in the 58th minute as Pereiro headed a corner towards goal, but Gazzaniga leapt to keep it out.
Spurs deservedly got their equaliser with 12 minutes to play. Kane collected a long pass in the area and played a neat one-two with substitute Fernando Llorente before sweeping home past Zoet.
The Tottenham captain helped force the winner in the 89th minute to give Spurs a vital three points in their Champions League campaign. He nodded a Ben Davies cross towards goal, with the ball taking a deflection off the elbow of Sainsbury on the way through to beat Zoet and give the hosts the victory.
The Brazilian played just over an hour, but he was certainly impressive. He showed a brilliant work rate to chase down balls that looked like lost causes and his run towards goal in 23rd minute from the halfway line was nothing short of sublime.
There were boos from the home fans when Erik Lamela came on to replace him, but with a congested fixture list, it can be understood as more performances like that from Moura will certainly be helping Spurs on all fronts.
It's a relatively short trip for Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday as they travel to Crystal Palace for a 5.30pm kick off. PSV are also playing away in the Eredivisie, going to De Graafschap on Saturday.
