TOTTENHAM
IT HAS taken three seasons and seven goals in four games but finally Tottenham fans provided us with an obvious reprise of a 1972 terrace classic.
“Nice one, Sonny, nice one Son, nice one Sonny, let’s have another one!” chorused the away end on the final whistle.
Tottenham fans need no reminding that the original version was sung in praise of Cyril Knowles rather than Son Heung-Min. They may not know, though, that it has its origins in a Wonderloaf advert penned by A Year in Provence author Peter Mayle.
In a week when Tottenham’s own European adventure ended in such sudden disappointment, their longsuffering fans would have clutched to a crumb of comfort, let alone the whole loaf.
And a perfectly baked goldenbrown 4-1 away win that jumps Spurs above Liverpool into third looks on the face of it the perfect food for thought served up to the naysayers who were ready to watch Tottenham implode this season following their midweek defeat to Juventus.
Until you slice it open, that is. A healthy 4-1 win can sometimes contain some surprisingly ropey ingredients.
The ankle of Harry Kane; the groin of Dele Alli. Also Alli’s inner thigh and Son’s left shin. Finally a coat of paint on the crossbar and the tiniest handful of Davidson Sanchez’s shirt.
All could have upset the digestion of that Champions League exit. The importance of the former two – worrying injuries for both club and country – will be clearer in the next 24 hours.
The rest, though, was all swallowed up and dealt with in an increasingly mature ‘morning after’ display that suggests if nothing else, Spurs are at least learning. Yet Bournemouth made the better start, Junior Stanislas hitting the underside of the bar from Lys Mousset’s set-up in