John Brewin was at Kenilworth Road to see Spurs go top. His report is in, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Rob Edwards speaks to TNT. “They started strongly and we rode our luck … but we found our game … we started to look a threat … out of possession we were solid … the sending off changed the game a little bit … we had a big, big, big chance to score but unfortunately we didn’t take it … we didn’t defend the corner well enough … we gave absolutely everything against a top team … we’ve competed again … I feel disappointed because if we got that first goal, we could have gone on to win the game … we’ll stick together and go again … we’ll learn and we’ll get better.”
Ange Postecoglou talks to TNT. “A lot of character, a lot of resilience … we should have been three or four up … but then you get the red card and it’s a different type of game … we handled it really well … we get three points at a difficult place … the football has been good … the players want to change the destiny of this football club … for the most part we kept them away from our goal … it’s going alright, yeah, it’s going alright, but we’re in October and we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
The match-winner Micky van de Ven speaks to TNT. “It was an incredible match … we showed great mentality as a team … I’m really happy to score my first goal in the Premier League … a clean sheet is the best for defenders … when we were in the bus today, Sonny said I would score my first goal … we are like a family with each other … we showed a great mentality.”
Lads, it’s New Tottenham. That was a game that could easily have gotten away from Spurs. They’d missed a plethora of first-half chances, then Yves Bissouma got himself stupidly and needlessly sent off. But the ten men still went in search of a goal during the second half, and when they got it, stood firm in the face of plenty of home pressure. Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro and goalscorer Micky van de Ven were all excellent in defence. Ange Postecoglou is building something here all right. Luton meanwhile remain just outside the relegation places, but will surely be enthused by the way they hung on in there during Tottenham’s whirlwind start, and their gutsy performance in the second against one of the teams of the moment.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Everton | 7 | -6 | 4 |
| 17 | Luton | 8 | -9 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley | 7 | -10 | 4 |
| 19 | AFC Bournemouth | 7 | -10 | 3 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 7 | -14 | 1 |
FULL TIME: Luton Town 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
There’s just enough time for Chong’s shot to be blocked by the excellent Romero, and the whistle goes! Spurs are top of the Premier League, where they’ll stay for at least 28 hours.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| 2 | Man City | 7 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 7 | 9 | 17 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 7 | 7 | 15 |
Updated
90 min +5: Morris loops lamely into the Spurs box. Vicario claims, and that should be that.
90 min +4: Doughty launches long. Spurs counter through Sarr, who finds Veliz in the box. Veliz can’t get a shot away.
90 min +2: Veliz comes on for the hard-working Kulusevski.
90 min +1: On TNT, co-commentator Jermaine Jenas names likely match-winner Micky van de Ven as his player of the match.
90 min: Porro wins a corner down the right and celebrates it with the nearby Spurs fans as though he’d just scored a goal, the clock being Tottenham’s friend now. Nothing comes of it. There will be five added minutes.
88 min: Woodrow crosses from the right but Doughty can’t get any power whatsoever behind his header.
87 min: Kulusevski’s back up, and nearly sends Porro away down the right. His pass rolls out of play. More accuracy, and Porro was away.
85 min: Kulusevski is down having been clipped upside the head.
84 min: Barkley, under no pressure whatsoever, pings a simple pass straight out of play. Spurs have had to soak up some pressure in this second half, but having covered the hard yards, appear to be coasting home right now.
82 min: Spurs respond by replacing Udogie with Davies.
81 min: The corner is a non-event. Luton roll the dice for the last time: Lockyer is replaced by Barkley.
80 min: The ball drops to Doughty, just inside the Spurs box on the left. He can’t get a shot away but does enough to win a corner, which he’ll take himself.
78 min: Spurs appear to have drawn a bit of sting from the game. For the first time this afternoon, Kenilworth Road has fallen a little quiet.
76 min: Spurs make a defensively minded double change. Son and Maddison depart; Skipp and Emerson Royal come on. Ange looking to keep hold of what he’s got and see this one out.
74 min: A messy corner. There’s a shout for a handball, and a trip, but VAR isn’t interested in either. Spurs clear their lines.
73 min: Romero half clears it. The ball’s recycled down the right. Doughty dribbles into the box, drops a shoulder to make room, and looks for the top left. The shot’s deflected for a corner from the other side. Doughty to take this one too.
72 min: … but it’s another corner as Doughty forces Van de Ven into poking behind. Doughty will take it himself.
71 min: Burke and Woodrow combine to win a corner down the right. Doughty curls to the near post. Vicario does just about enough with Morris lurking. Spurs holding firm.
70 min: Lockyer steps out from the back and tries to release Morris down the right. Romero steps across to put a stop to the Luton striker’s gallop. A necessary last-ditch slide.
68 min: Hojbjerg is booked for a cynical foul on Ogbene.
67 min: A triple change for Luton as Chong, Woodrow and Berry come on for Brown, Mpanzu and Adebayo.
66 min: Doughty cuts the ball back from the left-hand side of the Spurs six-yard box. Nakamba can’t connect on the edge of the box. He goes over, but there’s no penalty, and that’s a VAR guarantee. Ogbene, chasing in from the right, tries to convert the loose ball but scuffs his shot.
65 min: Mengi creams a lovely pass down the left for Adebayo, who doesn’t trust himself in a footrace with Romero. Had he stepped on the gas, he may well have been away.
64 min: From the resulting throw, out on the left, Doughty whips a vicious cross through the six-yard box. Brown is clear at the back stick, but powers his header off target. Luton pass up another golden chance!
63 min: A free kick for Luton out on the right. Doughty swings it in. Udogie flicks it clear under pressure from Morris.
62 min: Sarr finds Porro on the right-hand corner of the Luton box. Porro manufactures a glorious curling shot with the outside of his boot, beating Kaminski but also the left-hand post. Inches wide. That would have been one heck of a strike.
60 min: Romero and Adebayo exchange views after a garden-variety rumble in the Spurs box, grown men and all. It’s all over quickly enough.
59 min: Morris powers his way past Romero down the inside-left channel and shoots from a tight angle. Vicario parries. Luton have responded well to falling behind and are asking one or two questions.
58 min: Andersen has pulled his hamstring, and is replaced by Mengi.
56 min: A diagonal ball drops to Doughty, on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. He’s only got Vicario to beat, but almost hits his volley too well, creaming it across the keeper and wide of the right-hand post. Luton aren’t finished yet!
54 min: A frustrated Nakamba lungs in on Porro and is fairly fortunate not to get a yellow card.
GOAL! Luton Town 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Van de Ven 52)
Kulusevski takes it short. Maddison spins on the byline and pulls back for Van de Ven, who steers a first-time shot under Kaminski and in! Luton, to join in with the Spurs fans serenading the goalscorer, finally give it up.
Updated
52 min: … is told in no uncertain terms to hurry up taking it. When it eventually comes in, Spurs win a third corner, which will come in from the right again. And from that …
51 min: Maddison sends in a corner from the right. It’s flicked out to Hojbjerg, who scuffs a shot from the edge of the D wide left. But there’s a deflection, and that’ll be another corner. Maddison trots across to take it, and …
49 min: Ogbene put that ball on a plate for Adebayo. An utterly absurd miss. Poor Adebayo lost control of both legs there, he was all over the place. Luton, despite all those earlier Spurs chances, should be leading.
47 min: … Ogbene crosses low from the right. Adebayo should trundle home from a couple of yards, but like Richarlison on exactly the same patch of grass before him, somehow fails to convert at the far stick! He gets the ball tangled between his legs and the chance is gone. Wow.
Updated
46 min: … but it’s Spurs who are on the front foot immediately. Son tries to release Maddison down the middle, only for his pass to be intercepted by Burke. Luton go up the other end, and …
Luton get the second half underway. Spurs have been forced into a change in the wake of Bissouma’s preposterous carry-on: Richarlison is sacrificed for the more defensively minded Hojbjerg.
Half-time postbag. “Bissouma - jeez, that’s one of the most idiotic pieces of play to earn a red card that I have seen in a long time. He’s been really good so far this season but he will have some apologising to do if Spurs don’t win this. What a clown” – Martin Gamage
“Every season, teams in the Premier League are overrated. Brighton was put on a pedestal and last week got cut to size. After beating Liverpool last week so much was written about Ange and Spurs. We all know they were not good enough to beat Liverpool; 45 minutes against Luton and it is a case of seeing their true colours” – Jeff Sax
Half-time entertainment. Seeing we’re at The Kenny …
HALF TIME: Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
The whistle goes for the break. Spurs should be leading, but now Luton have real hope. Big Ange wears the look of a man who is about to have a short conversation with Yves Bissouma.
Updated
RED CARD: Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur)
45 min +3: Bissouma drives towards the Luton box … then dives. What on earth is he thinking?! He’s already been booked, and the second yellow earns him an early bath. What rank idiocy.
45 min +2: Van de Ven drives forward again. This time he doesn’t take a daft shot. Instead he lays off for Richarlison, who combines with Son to tee up Maddison. A shot flies harmlessly over the bar.
45 min: Corner for Spurs. Maddison sends it in from the left. Burke bashes a header clear. There will be three added first-half minutes.
44 min: Lockyer and Morris are back on. Morris has some tissue paper stuck up his bleeding nose, and more tissue in his hand to mop up any extra blood.
43 min: With both Lockyer and Morris waiting to come on, the ball’s hoicked into the Luton box. It springs up and onto Ogbene’s arm, as the Luton player tussles with Kulusevski, and there’s a VAR check for a penalty, but common sense prevails. We play on.
41 min: That’s a tough break for Lockyer, who bravely headed that home and took a boot in the teeth for his trouble. There was no malice in Udogie’s attempted clearance, but it’s a sore one nonetheless. Morris also took a whack upside the head in the melee.
DISALLOWED GOAL: Luton Town
39 min: The resulting free kick is pumped into the mixer. Adebayo wins the ball at the far post, hooking it over Vicario and off the bar. Lockyer bundles the rebound into the net, but the goal won’t stand. Adebayo had won the ball after shoving Romero in the chest while the Spurs defender was in mid-air.
Updated
38 min: Bissouma drags back the in-flight Ogbene and that’s his fifth yellow card of the season already. He’ll be suspended for Tottenham’s next match.
Updated
36 min: Spurs stroke it around the back patiently. Even so, they must be wondering how they’re not leading this match.
34 min: Morris is booked for sticking his elbow into Richarlison’s lug as the pair compete for a high ball. That’s a bit harsh, given Richarlison was standing around like a man waiting for the bus, while Morris had his eyes fixated on the ball. But here we all are.
33 min: Some lovely skill up the other end now, as Maddison Cruyff-turns his way past Nakamba and is hauled back for his trouble. A free kick just to the right of the Luton D. Maddison hoicks it harmlessly over the bar.
31 min: Ogbene spins gracefully to the left of the Spurs D, then feeds Doughty on the overlap. Doughty’s cross goes straight down Vicario’s throat. Waste of a good position, and a lovely bit of skill.
30 min: Sarr steals the ball off a snoozing Nakamba, then rolls to Kulusevski, just inside the box on the right. Kulusevski opens his body and steers a first-time shot towards the bottom left. It’s heading in, but Kaminski fingertips sensationally around the post. What a save that is! Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
28 min: A long punt down the middle nearly opens Spurs up. Adebayo can’t tear clear, but sends a pass wide right to Morris. However the flag goes up for offside. No need for VAR to get involved, thank the football gods.
26 min: Brown drops a shoulder in an attempt to make ground down the right. The trick doesn’t come off, but Luton are suddenly playing with a little confidence.
25 min: Ogbene drives down the left again, and wins Luton’s first corner of the match. The crowd are up. So are most of the Luton team. Into the mixer it goes. Morris and Lockyer get in each other’s way, six yards out, and the ball flies over the bar. Much better from Luton.
23 min: OK, this is better now from Luton. Ogbene finds a yard of space down the left and reaches the byline, but his cutback doesn’t find Morris. No matter, that’s got the fans going. For the first time this afternoon, the hosts looked dangerous.
21 min: … so having said that, Luton swarm around Porro and claim possession. Nakamba lashes over from distance. It’s not much, but it’s something. “God that Spurs away kit is terrible,” writes Sanjeeva Perera. “What’s it supposed to be? Chip fat brown?” It’s the tastiest shirt in the Premier League.
20 min: Maddison’s free kick is uncharacteristically witless. Luton clear it easily enough. But a Spurs goal is surely just a matter of time. Luton have been abysmal.
19 min: Lockyer is booked after taking a heavy touch while playing out from the back and scything down a predatory Maddison while attempting to remedy the situation. Really careless, really poor. A free kick just to the left of the box.
18 min: Brown has his pocket picked 25 yards from goal. Richarlison aims a curler towards the top right. High and wide.
17 min: Kulusevski crosses low from the right. Lockyer hooks clear, with Maddison waiting to tap in from six yards. The ball breaks to Son, who wafts a poor effort straight at Kaminski. The pattern of this match is getting old.
16 min: Van de Ven strides forward and belts a speculative one high over the bar.
14 min: Maddison lays off to Bissouma, who looks for Romero on the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Romero can’t bring the ball down and it’s a goal kick. In the dugout, Ange Postecoglou looks a bit miffed himself, no doubt cursing his team’s early profligacy.
13 min: Richarlison is stopped mid-flow in the unceremonious style by Brown. Free kick out on the left. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Luton box, waiting for Maddison to deliver.
12 min: Luton continue to struggle retaining possession. Their fans continue to belt out their songs nonetheless.
10 min: Maddison finds Son on the edge of the Luton D. Son attempts to curl one into the top left but the effort flies high and wide, albeit not by any great distance. So that’s four near misses now. Spurs have done everything but score.
Updated
8 min: Some succour for Luton, who finally string a few passes together. Morris crosses low from the right, nearly finding Mpanzu on the penalty spot. Romero stands firm to ensure Mpanzu can’t control or get a shot away. Whether that move cheers Rob Edwards or not is a moot point; he’s been effing and jeffing at his team as a result of their slow start.
7 min: Porro one-twos with Son down the middle. Porro suddenly finds himself one on one with Kaminski, simple as that. Porro prods inches wide of the right-hand post. It’s no exaggeration to say Spurs could, possibly should, be 3-0 up already.
6 min: Romero and Kulusevski combine crisply down the right. They feed Son infield. Son has a crack from the edge of the box. Blocked. A Spurs goal already looks inevitable.
5 min: Luton have enjoyed four percent of possession so far. Yeah, they’ll have to dig in all right.
4 min: It’s a fast, confident start by Spurs. Richarlison opens his body down the inside-left channel and attempts to steer one into the bottom right; Kaminski sticks out a leg to deflect clear. Looks like Luton may have to dig in during these opening salvos.
3 min: … and now he cops some more, as Kulusevski sends an inswinger in from the right flank. Richarlison pops up at the far stick, only to shin wide of an open goal from a couple of yards. What a miss!
Updated
2 min: Richarlison scampers down the left but can’t find Son in the middle. Richarlison then cops some pantomime abuse as a former star of Watford.
25 sec: Brown leaves a calling card on Maddison. Welcome to The Kenny!
Spurs kick off … but only after the players of both sides take the knee. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out! Luton Town have enjoyed three previous stretches in the top flight of English football. Between 1955 and 1960 they sported white shirts; in 1974-75, they wore orange with a white sash; between 1982 and 1992 they were back in predominantly white tops. And now they’re back in orange. So what are Spurs wearing? Their lilywhite tops of course. Third-choice grey. The atmosphere is cracking, and we’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
What’s at stake here today. As mentioned already, Spurs can go top with a win …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 7 | 12 | 18 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 | 9 | 17 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 7 | 9 | 17 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 7 | 7 | 15 |
… while Luton would love to extricate themselves from this nonsense. A big match at both ends of the table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Everton | 7 | -6 | 4 |
| 17 | Luton | 7 | -8 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley | 7 | -10 | 4 |
| 19 | AFC Bournemouth | 7 | -10 | 3 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 7 | -14 | 1 |
Ange Postecoglou speaks to TNT. “There’s no doubt there’ll be some focus on VAR this week but hopefully we’ll be talking more about the football … today is a tough challenge against a good team … it’s good for us that we don’t have to make changes, the core of our team has been consistent … Luton are a threat going the other way, so if you over-commit or take liberties with the fact you might have more possession or more territory, they can hurt you … the last thing you want is to be facing a low block and also being a goal down … we’ve had a couple of late victories where we’ve maintained our composure and we’re going to need that today … I’ll take the flak for anything that doesn’t work, players get a sense of comfort out of that.”
He also argues that being top in October, which Spurs will be if they win today, is “nothing to get too excited about … Henry Winkler ranks higher!”
Luton boss Rob Edwards talks to TNT Sports. “We’ve had a difficult start but our performances have been really good … we had a real good go against Burnley … it showed we’ve moved forward a lot from last year … last year we played well against Burnley but only created one big opportunity … the other night we had a lot of good chances and played well … I don’t think we’ve got the points our performances have deserved … we want to try to get the points now.”
Luton make three changes to the team that went down 2-1 at home to Burnley on Tuesday evening. Mads Andersen, Reece Burke and Elijah Adebayo are in; Amari’i Bell is hamstrung, while Teden Mengi and Issa Kaboré drop to the bench, alongside Ross Barkley.
Tottenham Hotspur are unchanged from their win over Liverpool last Saturday. You might have heard about that one. Eric Dier, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil return to the bench.
Updated
The teams
Luton Town: Kaminski, Burke, Lockyer, Andersen, Brown, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Doughty, Adebayo, Ogbene, Morris.
Subs: Barkley, Berry, Woodrow, Kabore, Chong, Mengi, Krul, Giles, Johnson.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison, Son.
Subs: Skipp, Hojbjerg, Gil Salvatierra, Emerson, Dier, Lo Celso, Forster, Davies, Veliz.
Referee: John Brooks (Leicestershire).
Preamble
Here’s what happened the last three times this fixture has been played.
Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Luton Town 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
OK, so those matches were played in March 1992, April 1991 and December 1989 respectively. But sequences are sequences are sequences, and this one is a state of affairs that surely can’t go on indefinitely. The additional fact that the seven Premier League matches involving Luton this season have produced 20 goals, and the fixtures featuring Spurs have brought 25, at a rate of 2.9 and 3.6 goals per game respectively, suggests we may be onto something here. Goals please! (Though to be fair, Luton would probably take another goalless draw and a precious point today; Spurs, desirous of going top for 28 hours at least, not so much.) Kick off is at 12.30pm BST. It’s on!
