Son Heung-min writes his name in the history books as Tottenham finally return home

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — They had to wait 693 days to move into their new stadium, so Tottenham’s supporters did not mind waiting 55 minutes more for Son Heung-min to christen it with a first goal.

A first strike and a first win, sealed with a second goal from Christian Eriksen, and though there will be many more firsts, the only one that will be bigger is when they parade their first trophy at the new ground. That is the plan, anyway.

Had Spurs fans been able to pick who they would have liked to mark the historic moment, then Son would have been high on their lists, alongside Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli.

Relentless Son

The popular South Korean has become the embodiment of this Spurs team: so hard-working and relentless that he often has to be substituted with exhaustion.

For a couple of fleeting – worrying – moments, the first goal honour almost fell to two Crystal Palace players, but continuing the evening’s intended script, it was Son who finally took his chance where his team-mates before had allowed their nerves to get the better of them.

Fitting, also, that it was in front of the new 17,500 single-tier South Stand, based on Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall, which itself looks as though it will be a formidable factor when rivals visit.

So, better late than never, as they say. With four more home games remaining in the Premier League, and the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City to come, Tottenham’s new home has an important role to play in the outcome of their season. A season which could still – technically – end with the Champions League trophy coming to north London, but has also been moving dangerously towards a finish outside the top four.

Under pressure

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino had warned against his players becoming overwhelmed by the occasion, and it was certainly impossible to ignore the fanfare, from the long pre-match letter from chairman Daniel Levy detailing the journey to this moment, to the flashy opening ceremony in which Spurs-supporting opera singer Wynne Evans (he of those annoying Go Compare ads) tested the new stadium’s acoustics.

That weight appeared to be a heavy one on Tottenham’s shoulders in the first half. They created plenty of chances, yes, but snatched at them and never really looked like scoring. Alli had an early header, Kane went for a shot first-time and headed a corner inches wide, and Eriksen had the best chance of them all when Kieran Trippier cut the ball back, but the Dane’s low effort was weak, allowing Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita to save.

It felt as if the players were aware a place in the history books beckoned if they managed to stick the ball in the back of the net. They would forever be remembered as the first goalscorer to mark this new era in the white half of north London.

An accolade which, incidentally, almost fell to Palace’s Jeffrey Schlupp, who had the chance to ruin Tottenham’s big moment in the third minute when he managed to sneak in behind Toby Alderweireld but sliced his shot wide.

And it could also have been Michy Batshuayi, the Chelsea striker on loan, who went so close with a curling effort towards the bottom right corner from 20 yards.

History maker

Then with almost 55 minutes on the clock, Son struck. He received the ball from Eriksen, then made one of those trademark stuttering runs across Palace’s penalty area, and when he eventually unleashed his shot the ball took a massive deflection off Luka Milivojevic. The ball had been going towards the left corner but it ended up in the right, with Guaita wrong-footed and rooted to the spot.

Naturally, Kane looked desperate to score, too, and it was through one of his runs, this time from the left flank, that Eriksen added the second with 10 minutes remaining. Kane appealed for a penalty under a challenge from James McArthur but the ball rolled to Eriksen to tuck away from close range.

If Spurs thought it was hard reaching this point, the real hard work begins now, maintaining the level that this stadium demands.