Tottenham made a huge statement as they ended their Wembley hoodoo with a 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's Champions League opener.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were in front after just four minutes when Harry Kane found Heung-min Son on the break, allowing the South Korean to charge down Roman Burki’s goal and fire home a first Champions League goal of the season.
Son’s goal sparked what was a thrilling start to the game, with Dortmund’s Andriy Yarmolenko curling a stunning effort past a helpless Hugo Lloris just seven minutes after the opener.
Kane, though - keen to ensure his side’s dream start was restored – took matters into his own hands after just 15 minutes and, after shrugging off former Liverpool man Nuri Sahin, made his own charge down the left before rattling off a powerful left-footed finish.
From there the hosts, who included debutant Serge Aurier, sat back and allowed Dortmund the possession to go about finding a leveller.
Despite breaking through the well-drilled Spurs ranks at times in the first half Peter Bosz’s side were unable to find a second goal.
There was perhaps a sign that it was Tottenham’s night after the break as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who caused trouble all night long, saw a goal ruled out for offside, though replays showed the Gabon international was in fact on.
To rub salt in the wounds of Dortmund’s protests against the decision, Pochettino’s side went up the other end and, when Christian Eriksen found Kane unmarked in the area, the result was inevitable – a smart strike into the far corner put the game beyond the Bundesliga side.
Jan Vertonghen was shown a straight red card in injury time, despite already being booked, for an elbow on Mario Gotze to dampen the mood in the final minutes.
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With a trip to Germany and two clashes with Real Madrid to come, Tottenham have sent out a vital message to the group of death.