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Micky van de Ven’s first goal in English football fired 10-man Tottenham to the Premier League summit with a 1-0 win at Luton.
Spurs entered this fixture following a controversial 2-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend, the build Jurgen Klopp’s side were denied a sound goal as a consequence of a “considerable human error” by VAR operator Darren England.
It meant three aspects for Ange Postecoglou’s crew at Kenilworth Side road would send them to the summit for at least 24 hours, but they needed to work laborious for it after Yves Bissouma was despatched off in first-half stoppage-time.
Bissouma was booked twice in hastily succession by referee John Brooks, the 2d for simulation, but Van de Ven’s end-differ invent in the 52nd minute earned Tottenham a laborious-fought win.
This was the considerable assembly between the clubs since 1992 and the opposed atmosphere was a throwback to that generation with even TNT pundits Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch booed forward of kick-off.
Spurs had build seven goals past the different newly-promoted groups this season and ought to accumulated fill added to that tally inside 10 minutes.
Richarlison was responsible of fluffing his traces twice, firing off beam by his shin with the goal at his mercy from Dejan Kulusevski’s third-minute detrimental earlier than Thomas Kaminski denied the Brazilian with his feet after James Maddison’s slick by ball 60 seconds later.
Pedro Porro was subsequent to squander an incandescent different when Son Heung-min conducted him by and he fired wide. The Tottenham captain also curled into the stand earlier than Luton started to resolve.
Good cheers greeted the Hatters’ first corner in the Twenty fifth minute, even supposing top goalscorer Carlton Morris could even simplest send his header off beam following Alfie Fearless’s delivery.
The guests remained a threat and a riding poke by Pape Sarr role up Kulusevski, but Kaminski produced an incandescent fingertip build to parry the 18-yard curler wide.
Luton had the ball in the discover after 39 minutes but it was immediately dominated out and a VAR test showed Elijah Adebayo had shoved Cristian Romero.
Fearless’s free-kick dropped for Adebayo, who after pushing Romero flicked over Guglielmo Vicario and onto the post the build Lockyer headed in, ethical for it to be disallowed.
The free-kick came from a Bissouma atrocious on Chiedozie Ogbene and referee Brooks booked the Tottenham midfielder for a professional atrocious.
A 2d yellow card followed in first-half stoppage time for simulation when Bissouma went down under end proximity from Marvelous Nakamba, but there was no contact and Brooks accurately despatched off the visiting player.
Luton ought to accumulated fill taken the lead two minutes after half-time when Ogbene held off Destiny Udogie and crossed in for Adebayo, but he could even no longer steer his effort heading in the dependable course.
The hosts were hit with a sucker-punch in the 52nd minute when Van de Ven opened his tale for Tottenham.
After a set of corners in hastily succession, it proved third time lucky for Postecoglou’s side when Maddison quiet Kulusevski’s fast corner and brilliantly spun some distance off from Fearless earlier than he in the reduce price of for Van de Ven to slot dwelling from six yards.
It like a flash silenced the partisan Kenilworth Side road crowd but they were rapidly roaring their crew on and Fearless dragged wide rapidly after the opener.
Morris tested Vicario minutes later and, even supposing Porro despatched an effort ethical past the post for Tottenham in the 62nd minute, Luton started to invent momentum.
Jacob Brown headed over earlier than substitute Cauley Woodrow had a faded shot saved.
A deflected effort wide by Fearless was the last warning signal for Postecoglou, who introduced Emerson Royal and Oliver Skipp for Son and Maddison with 14 minutes left but Spurs held on to go top.