OLD TRAFFORD SILENCED... AND RIO LETS RIP
Spurs star gets slice of luck to end Jose’s wait for league win
The natives were restless and the mood inside Tottenham’s handsome home was turning ugly when fortune spun in Jose Mourinho’s favour.
Dele Alli’s shot crashed into Christoph Zimmermann as the Norwich defender slid to make a block, the ball looped high, over the goalkeeper and into the path of Son heung-min who nodded it into an empty net.
Frayed nerves and a simmering undercurrent of discontent was replaced by relief and Spurs won for the first time in the Premier League since Boxing Day.
One day perhaps Mourinho will be able to reflect on this as the moment his luck turned but first there is still a lot of work to complete if he is to convince those who still lament the loss of Mauricio Pochettino.
A streaky win against rockbottom Norwich will not settle the argument. Not on a day when the visitors made Tottenham look vulnerable at the back and the crowd struggled to mask their frustration.
Spurs fans booed Christian eriksen when he came on as a substitute and reacted angrily when one of his passes rolled out of play moments before Son scored the winning goal.
Norwich at this point seemed as likely to find a winner as Tottenham, who had taken the lead in the first half with a goal by Alli only to be pegged back by a Teemu Pukki penalty after the interval.
Adding to the stress levels, harry Winks hobbled off with what seemed to be a nasty ankle injury after a late challenge by Todd Cantwell, who was fortunate to avoid a red card for two reckless challenges.
Cantwell picked up a yellow for the first, late and high on erik Lamela, and escaped without punishment for the one which left Winks in agony.
‘We hope it’s not a crazy one, weeks not months,’ was Mourinho’s early assessment of the injury which he seemed to be regarding as a positive outcome, and he praised the attitude of his team.
‘I looked to the bench and I don’t have attacking players to change the game and the team is a little bit fatigued. So how can we change the game? With the family spirit, the family character and desire. That’s what they did.
‘It’s a very important result for us. A very important three points. A good victory, well deserved.’
Tottenham eased back up to sixth in the Premier League and go in pursuit of reinforcements in the transfer market with Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose the latest linked with a move to north London as eriksen inches closer to the exit and Inter Milan.
Confidence is boosted ahead of the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Southampton on Saturday.
For Norwich, however, another hard luck story as they face up to the reality of a swift return to the Championship. They have won admirers this season but few games and squandered enough chances to have taken more from this fixture.
Pukki and Cantwell missed clear opportunities to give them the edge in the first half before Cantwell was caught in possession, deep in his own territory and Spurs snatched the lead seven minutes before half-time.
Serge Aurier’s cross from the right was met by Alli, who dashed clear of Grant hanley to stab the ball into the net from close range, his first strike since the Boxing Day win over Brighton.
Lukas Rupp and Pukki missed the target either side of half-time for Norwich and Cantwell flirted with a red card.
In between his two flashpoints, Cantwell screamed for referee Chris Kavanagh to award Norwich a penalty when his shot struck Toby Alderweireld but the defender’s arm was tucked into his body and clearly not an offence.
The visitors did get their penalty, however, when Ryan Sessegnon was ruled to have tripped Max Aarons. Pukki levelled, keeping his cool to beat hugo Lloris despite a long delay for VAR Mike Dean to run through the replays and be absolutely sure.
Norwich thought momentum had swung their way and went after the win.
Spurs wobbled but Son settled it and Norwich manager Daniel Farke was forced to grit his teeth and smile in defeat once again as Mourinho complimented his side’s performance and said their campaign deserved a ‘happy ending’.
‘It’s good to hear from a worldclass coach but I would prefer congratulations for the win,’ said Farke. ‘We are disappointed but I can’t ask the players for more. They left their hearts out there.’ TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-2-3-1): Lloris 6; Aurier 7, Alderweireld 6, Vertonghen 6 (Fernandes 75min, 6), Sessegnon 6; Lo Celso 7, Winks 7 (Dier 56); Lamela 6.5 (Eriksen 62), ALLI 8, Son 7.5; Moura 6.5. Subs not used: Gazzaniga, Sanchez, Ndombele, Tanganga. Scorers: Alli 38, Son 70. Booked: None. Manager: Jose Mourinho 6.5. NORWICH CITY (4-2-3-1): Krul 6; Aarons 6.5, Zimmermann 6, Hanley 6, Byram 6; Tettey 7 (Hernandez 82), McLean 7; Rupp 6.5 (Drmic 86), Duda 6.5, Cantwell 6.5; Pukki 7. Subs not used: McGovern, Amadou, Stiepermann, Lewis, Trybull. Scorer: Pukki 78 (pen). Booked: Cantwell. Manager: Daniel Farke 6. Referee: Chris Kavanagh 6. Attendance: 58,182.