Tottenham 2-1 PSV: Kane rescues Spurs

Tottenham’s talisman Harry Kane bagged a brace and Spurs rallied for a crucial 2-1 victory against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven at Wembley Stadium in Champions League Group B action on Tuesday evening.

In a match where nothing less than a full three points would do if Tottenham had any hopes of advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Harry Kane led a valiant second half charge and Spurs delivered a vital 2-1 win against PSV Eindhoven at London’s Wembley Stadium in Champions League Group B action on Tuesday evening.

Following a tough 1-0 loss to Manchester City the last time out on a chewed up Wembley pitch just eight days ago, Tottenham knew that their backs were up against the wall.  Simply put, Spurs needed a victory if they had any hopes of advancing to the knockout stages.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino knew that he would have to rely heavily on his superstar English international in order to get the needed result.  As the Spurs boss looked down his bench, the dearth of options and lack of depth was telling.

First choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was suspended for the match due to his red card from the trip to Eindhoven in the reverse fixture just a few weeks ago and Pochettino was also without defenders Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen and midfielders Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele for the must-win match.

The match could not have started worse for Pochettino’s men.  In just the second minute of the match, captain Luuk de Jong easily shrugged off Dele Alli and headed home from a Gaston Pereiro corner kick to give PSV the early 1-0 lead.

With speedy Steven Bergwijn in the lineup for PSV and with Mexican international and PSV forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano again causing fits for the Tottenham defense, Spurs looked like it might get exposed on the counterattack and yield a second goal.

After the break, Pochettino made the only attacking changes that he could from his limited bench and brought on Erik Lamela for Lucas Moura in the 62nd minute and Fernando Llorente for Son Heung-Min in the 75th minute, throwing everything at his disposal at the Dutch champions.

Llorente immediately made an impact just three minutes after coming onto the pitch as he laid off a pass to Kane who calmly slotted a left-footed shot into the bottom right hand corner past the outstretched hands of Jeroen Zoet to level the score.

But Kane was not done yet.  With a desperate Tottenham dominating possession (Spurs had 75 percent on the night) and taking an amazing 30 shots at the PSV goal throughout the match, Kane left the best for last.

With the clock quickly ticking down and Spurs’ Champions League hopes fading into the London night, Kane delivered — again.

In the 89th minute, Ben Davies found himself freed up down the left flank and floated a cross that found Kane in the box.  Kane’s header glanced off two PSV defenders and past an exasperated Zoet.  The comeback was complete.

The win, coupled with Inter Milan’s 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the evening’s other Group B fixture, gives Spurs hopes of advancing out of the group stages.

But Pochettino and Spurs have a long road to climb if they hope to compete with Europe’s elite on a consistent basis.  The lack of depth and choices for Pochettino was again troubling.

The gulf between the richest clubs (PSG, Manchester City and Barcelona to name but a few) and the likes of Tottenham continues to grow.

There is no real second option for Harry Kane in the Spurs lineup.  Injuries and suspensions are part of soccer.  And with limited options, Pochettino does not have the tactical flexibility that the European powers enjoy.

If Spurs have visions of being one of the best clubs in Europe, the front office will need to add significant depth to their arsenal.  What if Harry Kane was not fit or suspended for this evening’s match?  It most likely would have been a much different story with a much different ending.

Depth is the key to success in the Champions League.  And Spurs need to improve in this area.

Spurs fans should celebrate and thoroughly enjoy this incredible comeback this evening.  It is one of those famous “European nights” that will be talked about for quite a while.

But Spurs have a lot of work to do off the field if they have dreams of truly challenging for the Champions League crown.