Postecoglou acknowledges that he did something for the first time.
Here are our Tottenham talking points following their 1-0 Premier League victory over Luton Town on Saturday with 10 men.
A second test and a crazy moment for Bissouma
After a day in which a narrow 1-0 victory at 17th-placed Luton Town may not have seemed all that remarkable to those who only glanced at the score, Tottenham Hotspur are atop the league.
But for those there at Kenilworth Road, the first half saw some of Spurs’ finest offensive play of the year. They simply lacked the finishing touches to tally what may have been an absurd score early on.
Then, in the second half with just 10 players, the north London team produced one of their most controlled, excellent performances in a different way that highlighted their teamwork and Ange Postecoglou’s side’s level of fitness.
To put the game’s start into perspective, Tottenham possessed 97% of the ball in the opening five minutes of play away from home in front of a boisterous crowd. Within 10 minutes, they had taken five shots at Luton’s goal and had passed the ball more than 100 times.
Richarlison and Pedro Porro also had some of those big chances, and after 25 minutes, Tottenham had eight and twelve attempts on target, respectively. With 314 passes to Luton’s 47, Spurs held 81% of the possession at halftime.
With a clumsy, clambering challenge in the 38th minute, Yves Bissouma received his fifth caution in eight Premier League games, which resulted in a ban for the home encounter against Fulham following the international break.
At the end of the first half, with four minutes of added time remaining, the Mali international went on a maddening dribble before collapsing, expecting some sort of contact that never materialized. He made no real protests when referee John Brooks reached back into his pocket for first the yellow card and then the red, which made the situation even more absurd for the ensuing weeks.
So that means that if, or when, the 27-year-old receives another yellow card when he returns to action that would trigger another one-match ban if it arrives before the cut-off, which does not come until after Tottenham’s 19th Premier League of the season.
