An unusual mood swept the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium late in their first Champions League match for two years. Spurs held a lucky 1-0 lead and were hanging on against typically gritty Spanish opponents. The final minutes should have been tense, especially for some of the most fatalistic supporters in the country. Instead, oddly, there was calm.
There were two defining moments in this match, and let us save the fun one for a while longer because it was the sort of game which rationed excitement like wartime sugar. No one will remember tactical fouls in the final assessment of Thomas Frank’s first season, but Micky van de Ven’s quelled nerves and pointed to a saner future.
A long ball sprung the Tottenham defence and put Villarreal striker Georges Mikautadze in on goal. Van de Ven leant on him, heavily and deliberately. By the time the striker came to a stop he was sprawling somewhere close to the six-yard box. He and his team screamed for a penalty but Van de Ven made contact just outside of the area.
It was, as these things go, a brilliant foul. You absolutely take a yellow card when your team are leading 1-0 with five minutes left. You form a wall and take a deep breath when former Arsenal let-down Nicolas Pépé steps up, booed gleefully all night and ravenous for revenge. Pépé’s free-kick flashed wide and Spurs cruised to the end of the game with unfamiliar serenity.
