OH, my. Tottenham Hotspur have arrived.
There is no bigger stage, no better place than Wembley, to play a game of football as seductive, as irresistible, as this.
Tottenham beat the European champions 3-1 under the lights and still had something left in the locker at the end. Whatever your allegiance, let Spurs have their moment. At times Mauricio Pochettino’s players looked like they had re-invented the sport. This was a delicious, decisive victory against one of the best club sides in the history of football. Dele Alli, back in a Champions League shirt for Spurs after serving a three game suspension, was exceptional. He scored twice and then played a part in the sweeping move that led to Christian Eriksen drilling their third beyond Kiko Casilla. This was a special, spine-tingling performance from Spurs. It is also a win for the purists, the people who come to football’s temple to watch the ball pinged across the surface at supersonic speeds. Tottenham are the big noise after this breathtaking performance against one of European football’s powerhouse.
This is how to play the game, a welcome antidote to the functional, trundling football played by Manchester United in their 2-0 win over Benfica on Tuesday. It was breathless, a lung-busting performance that squeezed the pips out of a group of players with Real Madrid’s pedigree. Dele was sensational, leaving last Saturday’s shenanigans - when he told Ashley Young to collect this zimmer frame - behind him. He made Real look like old men out there. The humiliation of Casemiro, leaving the midfielder floundering on edge of the penalty area on the way to scoring the second, was mesmerising. It was Spurs at their magnificent, dreamy best. They lure you in with their pretty passing patterns and tantalising first touches. Harry Winks finds players at will, drifting off the shadows in those Real Madrid shirts to keep things ticking over. This little human dynamo belongs in Tottenham colours now. He engineered Dele’s goal, the architect behind the move that led to them racing into a first half lead. It was spell-binding stuff out there when Winks drilled a faded pass that landed at the feet of Kieran Trippier. Tottenham’s right-back met the challenge, finding Dele inside the six yard box to beat Casillas from close range. By then it was shaping up to be one of those famous Glory, Glory nights. The noise inside this stadium was extraordinary, with Tottenham fans belting out the tunes in honour of their goalscorer. That Dele song - he cost five mil, he’s better than Ozil - so loud that the Arsenal man must have heard it over in Hampstead. The inhibitions, the restrictions and the lack of ambition that have characterised this club for generations have faded away.
From The Sun
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