Ten-man Tottenham show gritty side to go top at Luton

Yves Bissouma was booked twice in quick succession by referee John Brooks

Micky van de Ven (right) scores the winner for Tottenham at Luton (Bradley Collyer/PA)

PREMIER LEAGUE: LUTON TOWN 0 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1 (van de Ven 52) 

MICKY VAN de Ven's first goal for Tottenham put them top of the table after a hard-fought victory at Luton Town, who had an extra man advantage for half the game when Spurs midfielder Yves Bissouma was sent off in first-half stoppage time.

This was a real test for the new Spurs under Ange Postecoglou, whose side have beaten Liverpool and Manchester United and drawn at Arsenal. Previous Tottenham teams might have thrown away points at modest opponents, especially after going down to ten men, but this lot are made of sterner stuff and although Luton had one effort correctly ruled out by VAR, rarely threatened to breach a backline in which Cristian Romero was outstanding.

Luton can take heart from their performance, too, as they were roared on by a modest-sized but passionate home crowd.

Yet Tottenham were superior from start to finish and sould have been out of sight long before Bissouma saw red. They could have had three goals ahead inside the first seven minutes, with Richarlison flicking over from close range, Heung Min Son denied by a low save and Pedro Porro shooting wide when through on goal.

Luton looked overawed at first, and it was more than 20 minutes before they got an effort on goal, a shot from Marvelous Nakamba that was not so marvellous, flying high and wide.

But they grew into the game and Spurs got sloppy with their passing, and a mistake by Porro led to Bissouma's first booking for a foul.

Chiedozie Ogbene roused the home supporters with two driving runs down the left, and Luton managed to get the ball in the net shortly before half-time, only for Tom Lockyer's close range header to be disallowed by VAR after a foul in the build-up.

Then in the final minute of first-half stoppage time, Bissouma tried a driving run into the Luton penalty area, went down in a tangle of legs, and referee John Brooks decided he had dived and produced a second yellow and then red card.

Postecoglou made one change at half-time, sending on Pierre Emile Hojbjerg for Richarlison, and Luton then missed a sitter when Ogbene's cross was put wide of the far post by Elijah Adebayo.

It was a costly miss when Tottenham took the lead five minutes later. Dejan Kulusevski took a short corner to James Maddison, who showed quick feet to dance past two defenders and cut back a low cross that Micky van de Ven converted from close range with his left boot, his first goal for the club.

Luton tried to hit back quickly. Carlton Morris, their bustling centre-forward surged forward and hit a powerful shot that Guglielmo Vicario saved well, and full-back Alfie Doughty hit a half-volley across the face of goal, but with World Cup winner Romero in commanding form, it was clear that Spurs would hold out for their sixth win in eight games.

They are now two points clear of Manchester City, who are at Arsenal tomorrow, and Tottenham's supporters can bask in another clean sheet, three points, and further justification that Postecoglou has been an inspired appointment.

LUTON (4-3-3): Kaminski 7; Burke 6, Lockyer 6 (Barkley 85), Andersen 6 (Mengi 58), Doughty 6; Brown 6 (Woodrow 66), Nakamba 6, Mpanzu 6 (Chong 66) ; Adebayo 6 (Berry 66), Morris 6, Ogbene 7.

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Vicario 7; Porro 6, Romero 9, van de Ven 8, Udogie 7 (Davies 82); Sarr 7, Bissouma 5; Kulusevski 8 (Velez 90+1), Maddison 8 (Emerson 76), Richarlison 6 (Hojbjerg 46); Son 6 (Skipp 76) 

Ref: John Brooks 8/10