As good as Son: 8/10 Spurs star has just made himself undroppable to Ange

Well, that wasn’t quite as straightforward as many would’ve been hoping, but then again, it never really is with Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side did their chances of automatically making it through to the next round of the Europa League a world of good with their unnecessarily nervous 3-2 win over Hoffenheim tonight.

However, in terms of individual performances, it was something of a mixed bag for the visitors.

That said, there were two starters who stood out for all the right reasons and now can not be dropped for the weekend, including Son Heung-min.

Son’s performance vs Hoffenheim

So, after a few weeks in which he signed a contract extension and received plenty of criticism for some rather lacklustre displays, Son really stepped up tonight.

The South Korean superstar wound back the clock and was a constant threat throughout his time on the pitch, although his most significant contributions to the victory were, of course, his two goals.

Now, while there was an element of good fortune with his first goal, in the way it bounced off of a Hoffenheim player, his second was all down to his sensational finishing.

Moreover, that second strike saved the team from what could have been a disastrous result and yet another game in which they managed to find a way to drop points.

Unsurprisingly, football.london’s Alasdair Gold was suitably impressed by the captain’s performance, giving him an 8/10 match rating and writing that he ‘worked hard’ throughout and was there when his team needed him.

In all, it was a superb showing from the 32-year-old, although he wasn’t the only one to make a real difference, as James Maddison also impressed.

James Maddison’s performance vs Hoffenheim

Yes, the other standout starter for Spurs tonight was undoubtedly Maddison, who hasn’t been given too many chances to show what he can do from the start in recent weeks.

Like his captain, the former Leicester City star was everywhere in the first half and was practically running the game at points.

The “world-class” creator, as dubbed by former professional Dean Saunders, got things underway with the opening goal just three minutes into the game, and 19 minutes after that, he provided the assist for Son’s first goal.

Unsurprisingly, Gold was also pleased with what he saw from the Englishman, awarding him an 8/10 match rating as well and simply writing that it was a ‘really good performance from the midfielder.’

Fortunately, the high praise is more than backed up by the 28-year-old’s statistics, as in 89 minutes of action, he produced a combined expected goal and assists figure of 1.23, took 61 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 92%, played three key passes, created one big chance, completed 100% of his long balls, won six ground duels, made two clearances, won three fouls and made one tackle.

Ultimately, Maddison put in a seriously impressive performance for Postecoglou tonight, as did Son, and with another must-win game coming up on the weekend, neither player should be taken out of the starting lineup, as without them, tonight would have ended in a draw at best.