FROM THE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM – Tottenham opened their UEFA Europa League campaign with a manic 3-0 win against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.
The kick-off in north London was delayed by 35 minutes due to severe travel disruption through the city, which meant Qarabag did not arrive until just before the original scheduled time of 8pm.
Spurs played most of the game with ten men after an early red card, but Ange Postecoglou’s side were impressive.
How the game developed
At seven minutes from the start, Tottenham they found a man down. A loose touch from Radu Dragusin saw Juninho pinch the ball and run towards goal, only for the Romanian defender to get a last-ditch tackle, and he was sent off for a foul.
But the hosts broke the deadlock soon after. Dominic Solanke stole the ball from Julio Ramao and played Brennan Johnson to dismiss goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.
Another chance for Johnson came and went when he raced on to a long pass from Archie Gray and rounded Kochalski, but his effort from a tight angle went wide.
Qarabag should have equalized just before the break. Elvin Jafarquliyev made his way towards the byline and crossed into the six-yard box, where Juninho turned the post.
Shortly after the break, Tottenham doubled their lead. A Dejan Kulusevski corner was headed home by Kochalski, and Pape Matar Sarr was on hand at the back post to convert the loose ball.
Minutes later, Qarabag were awarded a penalty when Yves Bissouma brought down Jafarquliyev. However, Tural Bayramov skied the shot.
Almost immediately at the other end, Son Heung-min set up Solanke but was denied by the feet of Kochalski.
Qarabag attacked with more intensity and rattled the post through Juninho after breaking past the last line of the Spurs defence.
The visitors were left quite vulnerable at the back and made to pay as Tottenham added a third. Son’s shot from distance was spilled by Kochalski and into the path of Solanke, who hit the ball into the empty net.
Qarabag finally had the ball in the net in the 78th minute through Juninho, but the flag quickly went up for offside and their joy was short lived.
Tottenham’s triumph was confirmed after three minutes of added time as they extended their record to three consecutive victories in all competitions.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – 7/10 – He made some truly impressive saves to ensure Tottenham stayed in the ascendancy and never backed down despite the red card.
RB: Archie Gray – 7/10 – A fine European debut for the teenager, who linked up well with Johnson and Kulusevski down the right flank. Meaningful minutes in the Premier League shouldn’t be too far away.
CB: Radu Dragusin – 1/10 – Is it possible to give a negative rating? The Romanian’s woeful touch and foul ensured his side had to play 83 minutes with just ten men. Absolutely terrible.
CB: Micky van de Ven – 6/10 – He was understandably unsure of his balance when he switched to the right side of the defence, but he often made up for it with his otherworldly recovery pace.
LB: Ben Davies – 6/10 – He never lacked confidence in possession, even when he was switched to centre-back and even when he lost the ball in similar fashion to Dragusin shortly before the break.
DM: Yves Bissouma – 4/10 – He had an almighty task trying to tie up a two-man midfield, but too often made a stick for his back. She made a rather silly dive to concede the penalty and was very lucky that it shot over.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – 8/10 – The midfield engine was a bit busier than probably expected, covering more distance following the dismissal of Dragusin and the subsequent tactical switch to a two-man midfield. He got his first goal of the season for his efforts.
CM: Lucas Bergvall – 6/10 – Withdrawn shortly after Dragusin’s red card in favor of another defender in Udogie. Understandably frustrated when he got off so early in his first home outing and then looked dejected on the bench.
RW: Brennan Johnson – 8/10 – He made the most of the first chance of the game, slotting the ball into the bottom corner to score his third goal in as many games. Shot in the middle.
CF: Dominic Solanke – 9/10 – An all-round performance from Tottenham’s new striker. He made another goal with his early pressure wickets for Johnson before reacting quicker to a loose ball to convert in the second half. Put a hell of a shift on the ball.
LW: Son Heung-min – 6/10 – This was not the Spurs captain’s best performance, although his pace caused Qarabag serious problems in transition and it was his shot that led to Solanke’s goal.
Substitutes
SUB: Destiny Udogie (12′ by Bergvall) – 6/10 – Tottenham needed their energy to offset Qarabag’s one-man advantage. However, his final product was missing.
SUB: Dejan Kulusevski (46′ for Johnson) – 6/10 – Likewise, he brought new legs to a team that forced them to cover gaps.
SUB: Timo Werner (70′ for Son) – 6/10
SUB: Rodrigo Bentancur (70′ for Bissouma) – 6/10
SUB: Mikey Moore (85′ for Solanke) – N/A
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK), Brandon Austin (GK), Pedro Porro, James Maddison, Will Lankshear
manager
Ange Postecoglou – 8/10 – Tottenham played superbly under the circumstances, even if this meant giving up a bit more space for the opposition to try to take advantage of.
