Son Heung-min snatches late victory for Tottenham to deflate Luton

In case Tottenham succeeds in qualifying for the Champions League in the upcoming season, they might consider their comeback triumph as a critical point in their journey.

After getting over the initial surprise of Tahith Chong's clever goal in just three minutes, Ange Postecoglou's team started the second half with an own goal from Issa Kaboré. With this, it looked like they were going to secure three points and reach Aston Villa's fourth-place position, at least for the moment.

However, even though they threw everything at Luton, including a last-minute goal attempt that resulted in Alfie Doughty barely clearing the ball off the line, Rob Edwards' team seemed to have secured a vital point. Unfortunately, Son Heung-min scored in the 86th minute and shattered Luton's hopes.

Tottenham didn't play their best, but they managed to avoid a repeat of their poor display against Fulham before the international break. The supporters at the home ground were relieved when the game ended. Luton, however, suffered a frustrating loss and ended up back in the bottom three since Nottingham Forest secured a draw against Crystal Palace.

Edwards disclosed that his team had suffered a lot of injuries this week. The coach, Kev Foley, even hurt his hamstring during practice when he had to sub in for missing players. As a result, Luton's team was not at full capacity when they played their first league match against Tottenham. The last time Luton played Tottenham in the league was in 1992, when Gary Lineker scored twice in a 4-1 win at the old White Hart Lane.

It didn't seem to bother them though. In the third minute, Andros Townsend stole the ball from Son and ran down the field, leading to Chong scoring a goal at Guglielmo Vicario's far post with an excellent pass from Ross Barkley. The away fans sang happily, taunting the other team by chanting "You'll never be conference champions!"

Tottenham had a big chance to score when Dejan Kulusevski passed a great long ball to Timo Werner. But, even though Brennan Johnson was left out of the squad after the defeat to Fulham, Werner missed the goal when he had a clear shot. At the next attack, Luton was very lucky because Pape Sarr took the ball from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, and then Son's shot hit both posts. Werner and Sarr tried to score from the rebound, but they were denied by Kaboré first and then Teden Mengi.

During the early portion of the game, Postecoglou had his hands in his pockets while Werner committed a turnover, disrupting a potentially successful attack. On the other hand, Edwards was highly animated on the sidelines, using expressive arm gestures to position and encourage his team.

Under the watchful eye of David Pleat, a well-known manager associated with both teams, the tactics employed by Luton appeared to be effective in stalling the game. As Postecoglou made his way off the field, he seemed thoughtful and reflective, perhaps in response to a few negative reactions from a small group of home supporters.

It was unexpected to witness Johnson taking the place of the unproductive Werner during halftime, as Kulusevski played. Luton had to make a defensive substitution, with Daiki Hashioka coming in for Reece Burke. As soon as the former Nottingham Forest player teamed up with Pedro Porro for a one-two, he made an immediate impact by sending a dangerous cross that was deflected into the net by Kaboré with Werner closely marking him.

A really fantastic play was made between Johnson, Porro, Son and James Maddison, and it almost resulted in a goal. Unfortunately, Kaboré was able to stop it. Luton managed to stay in the game thanks to Kaboré's impressive clearance. Later on, Jordan Clark, who had just been subbed in, shot the ball towards the goal and Vicario had to make an impressive full-length save to keep it out.

Maddison had a disappointing afternoon with his final action being a foolish foul in his own half, leading to his substitution. Shortly after, Son attempted to dive for Rodrigo Bentancur's cross, but missed, leaving Werner to redirect the ball across the goal.

Porro missed the goal from a short distance, and Son was not able to score from just two yards away due to a combination of Thomas Kaminski's efforts and a last-minute save from Doughty. Nevertheless, Son managed to score in the end with an assist from Johnson, giving Postecoglou a reason to cheer and celebrate.