SON IS SHINING FOR JOSE
Mourinho delight as Spurs are into final
THE sound system at Tottenham’s new stadium might be state of the art but the tunes are the same as ever and Chas ’n’ Dave were cued up as the whistle confirmed a date in the Carabao Cup final.
Spurs are on their way to Wembley. Is Jose gonna do it again? That is the question. He was hired to address the barren years at White Hart Lane and here he stands, one win away from one of his favourite items of silverware.
Moussa Sissoko and Son Heungmin scored the goals against Brentford, who were frustrated by VAR and finished the game with 10 men after Josh Dasilva was sent off for a nasty foul.
Any north London knees-up will have to wait until the final in April but chairman Daniel Levy will feel some sense of justification for his unpopular decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino if they go on to win their first major trophy in 13 years.
It is no gimme with one of the Manchester teams waiting at Wembley but they have not been this close since Pochettino’s first season in charge, in 2015, when they lost the final against Mourinho’s Chelsea.
He has won it four times since arriving in English football in 2004. It was the first trophy of his two glittering spells at Stamford Bridge and the first he got his hands on at Manchester United.
Mourinho (right) is clinical in this competition, as Brentford, scourge of four Premier League teams on their way to a first major semi-final, found to their dismay.
Spurs were full strength and steely. Not tempted to elaborate on a strategy serving them well in the league. They were tight at the back and efficient enough when chances came along.
Thomas Frank’s outsiders performed with spirit. Easy on the eye, they opened brightly and went forward fluently but were too easily sliced open on the first occasion they were expected to defend.
There was no pressure on Sergio Reguilon as he collected a pass from Eric Dier and advanced down the left. There was no one near Sissoko as he arrived to guide a header into the top corner from eight yards out.
Bees’ goalkeeper David Raya had no chance and Sissoko celebrated his first goal for more than a year with a carefully choreographed dance routine in the corner of the pitch.
Son almost made it two, denied by Raya before Ivan Toney stirred. Toney has scored 16 in the Championship this season and offered a glimpse of his instinct when he made sure he was first to a cross from Bryan Mbeumo but headed into the hands of Hugo Lloris.
Son made a crucial slide in his own penalty box to block a fierce drive by Dasilva as Brentford threatened again, before a fabulous save by Raya moments before the half-time interval.
Lucas Moura sprang high at the near post to meet a corner from Son and his glancing header clipped Toney and spun towards the far corner on a looping trajectory. It seemed destined to drop inside the back post but Raya reacted, took off to his left, arched his back and somehow clawed the ball away with the fingers of his left hand. Tottenham players wanted Sergi Canos sent off for a foul on Moura soon after the restart. Canos, booked in the first half for a cynical trip, mistimed a sliding tackle on the Brazilian, who made the most of it, and Harry Kane led the protest committee. Referee Mike Dean let him off with a lecture and, moments later, Mbeumo refused to tumble despite contact as he beat Davinson Sanchez in the Spurs penalty area. Mbeumo stayed on his feet and found Toney, who was closed down by Serge Aurier as he tried to turn a shot on target. Aurier then appeared at the other end, blazing wildly over from an angle after a good link up with Moura on the right flank.
The tie teetered in the balance. Son volleyed wide at one end and Reguilon sliced over his own goal as Spurs made a mess of defending a long throw.
Brentford thought they had scored an equaliser from the corner that followed.
Ethan Pinnock headed the ball back across goal, Lloris stretched but was unable to reach it and Toney nodded into an open net from close range.
Only on the slow-motion replays did it become evident that Toney was an inch and no more offside.
It was ruled out by the VAR and Frank’s frustration was compounded when Son sped on to a pass from Tanguy Ndombele and made no mistake with the finish for his 16th goal of the campaign.
Brentford turn back towards their quest for promotion. They went close last season, beaten in the play-off final by Fulham, and are a modern, progressive club.
The Bees will move for now without Dasilva, who could have no complaints with his red card after sinking his studs into one of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s shins.
Hojbjerg hobbled off with blood trickling from the wound but Spurs were over the line and into the final. You can’t stop them the boys from Tottenham.
Chas ’n’ Dave rang around an empty stadium. Mourinho has the glint of silver in his eye again.