Son Heung-min was back at the club he served with such distinction for 10 years and the former Tottenham captain will perhaps conclude that finding meaning in much the new version of the Champions League has to offer before the knockout stages arrive is far from straightforward.
This was something of a non-event in terms of competitiveness, so much so that it would be a mistake to assume that Spurs are on their way to becoming a winning machine at home. They did not have to extend themselves to see off a moderate challenge from Slavia Prague and although Thomas Frank was pleased to send supporters away happy for the second time in four days he will know not to get carried away given that this triumph came against opponents who looked as if they would have been better off in the Europa League.
Slavia, winless after the first six games of the league phase, were not up to much. The Czech champions offered little, conceding a bizarre own-goal early on before giving away two soft penalties in the second half, although Frank is entitled to cling to signs of progress after a troubled start to life in N17. He will not mind that there were close to 15,000 empty seats at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will prefer to dwell on his side securing only their sixth home win in all competitions this season, Xavi Simons boosting his confidence by scoring again and Spurs stepping up on the night they welcomed Son back for an emotional homecoming.
