Tottenham 3-2 Eintracht Frankfurt: Son double sends Spurs to Group D summit

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Son Heung-Min celebrates with Emerson Royal (L) and Richarlison (R)
Son Heung-Min celebrates with Emerson Royal (L) and Richarlison (R)

Heung-Min Son scored twice as Tottenham climbed to the Group D summit with a 3-2 victory over 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

Antonio Conte's side fell behind to Daichi Kamada at an emotional Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Spurs were playing their first home match since the death of former fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone.

But the hosts responded with Son netting either side of a Harry Kane penalty and ran out victors despite late drama that saw Faride Alidou pull one back and Kane miss a second penalty against the Europa League champions, who earlier had Tuta sent off for two bookable offences.

Tottenham move top of Group D following Marseille's victory over Sporting CP, while Eintracht slip to the bottom of the pool.

Eintracht had won on their two previous visits to London and took a 14th-minute lead when Christopher Lenz robbed Dier of possession inside the Tottenham penalty area, before Kamada slotted Sebastian Rode's lay-off into an empty net.

Spurs levelled six minutes later when Kane's perfectly timed throughball released Son, who calmly slid home past Kevin Trapp.

Kane completed the turnaround from the penalty spot after VAR ruled Kristijan Jakic felled the England captain in the box.

Son then established breathing space for the hosts with his second goal as he emphatically volleyed home Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's pinpoint cross

It took sharp reflexes from Trapp to prevent Son, Cristian Romero and Ryan Sessegnon from increasing Tottenham's advantage, before the visitors' misery was compounded on the hour mark when Tuta was shown a second yellow card in as many minutes. 

Despite Alidou ensuring a nervy finish when he headed in Mario Gotze’s corner, before Kane fired over a stoppage-time penalty, Spurs held out to move top of the group.


What does it mean? Spurs complete the turnaround

Despite the late drama, Tottenham maintained their impressive home Champions League record, having now won 10 of their last 12 group-stage matches including each of the last four.

Spurs also ended their five-game winless streak against German opposition in this competition, while denying Eintracht a third straight win in London.

Half a century for Son and Kane

After a slow start, Tottenham got back on track with Kane brilliantly setting up Son for the equaliser that sparked the turnaround.

Following that crucial combination, the pair have now assisted one another to score 50 times for Spurs across all competitions.

Son at the double

Son played an instrumental role with his double turning the contest on its head.

The South Korea captain, who registered a game-high five shots on target, levelled with a calm finish, before a stunning volley made it 3-1, and he could well have been celebrating a hat-trick but for smart saves by Trapp.

Key Opta Facts: 

- Kane and Son have combined for 50 goals in all competitions for Tottenham, with Kane assisting Son 24 times, and Son assisting Kane 26 times. 
- Since the start of last season, Mohamed Salah (39) is the only Premier League player with more goals in all competitions than Tottenham duo Kane (36) and Son (29).
- Despite also scoring one in this game, Kane has missed two of his last four penalties in all competitions for Tottenham, having scored 21 successive spot kicks for Spurs before this.
- Eintracht's Kamada became the ninth different Japanese scorer in the Champions League and first since Masaya Okugawa for Salzburg versus Bayern Munich in November 2020.

What's next?

Both sides are at home when they return to domestic action on Saturday. Tottenham welcome Everton in the Premier League aiming to build on this momentum, while Eintracht look to bounce back against Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga.

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Eintracht FrankfurtTottenham HotspurChampions League