Tottenham Hotspur kicked off their Europa League campaign with a bang, securing a convincing 3-0 victory over Qarabag FK despite facing early game adversity, which saw Spurs getting reduced to 10 men within the opening 10 minutes. Ange Postecoglou‘s side displayed a show of resilience at White Hart Lane as the Lilywhites took all three points in their opening UEL bow.
Winter signing Radu Dragusin took an early red card, which sent shivers down the spines for those at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as that could have meant the slow start to their season continues. However, it is fair to say that the Lilywhites responded brilliantly as former Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson continued his purple patch and found the net almost immediately to give Spurs the lead, marking this his third consecutive game on the scoreboard.
In the second half, we saw midfielder Pape Matar Sarr double Spurs advantage before Dominic Solanke secured the three points with a close-range finish.
The game could have gotten trickier when Spurs led by two goals when Yves Bissouma conceded a penalty; however, Qarabag failed to capitalise on the opportunity as Tural Bayramov hit the pen off the bar.
Crouch backs Tottenham for Europa League glory
With an impressive performance despite going down to ten men, it got former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch raving and backing the team for Europa League glory.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Crouch spoke about the importance that the UEL campaign will have for the Lilywhites while insisting that Ange’s side are the favourites to win the competition.
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Crouch Said: (via. BBC)
“The Premier League is not looking like it’s achievable – top four potentially. They are favourites in this competition. As you go deeper into the competition, there will become a chance for Tottenham to have an impact in this competition.”
Resilient displays like the one against Qarabag FK not only send a strong message to Spurs Europa League rivals but also give confidence to the squad. Playing with 10 men for most of the game is difficult, and the hosts still came out of it with a win. It shows how the quality flows in this squad, and now it is about finding some consistency.
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Tottenham now has another tricky tie at the weekend as they face Manchester United in a game that could be make or break for the Lilywhites following their slow start to the season.
