Harry Kane’s 200th goal in a Tottenham shirt guided them to a 3-1 victory over Ludogorets in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
Tottenham put last week’s woes behind them as they eased past Ludogorets on Thursday. It was Harry Kane who opened the scoring in the 12th minute from a Lucas Moura corner, making amends after failing to find the back of the net as early as the 2nd minute, when he missed a sitter.
Soon after, the Tottenham front three combined expertly to score the second. Gareth Bale slipped a through ball for Kane, who drifted wide on the right and played a low cross for Moura to tap in. The second half saw a sluggish start by Spurs, who were rightly punished with a Ludogorets goal.
Claudio Keseru read the deflection of Bernard Tekpetey’s shot well and finished from close range. Tottenham, though, responded ten minutes later with the introduction of Son Heung-min and unsurprisingly, their two-goal lead was restored as Son set up Giovani Lo Celso to score a simple goal. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jose Mourinho’s men.
FULL-TIME: Job done in Bulgaria.
? #PFCL 1-3 #THFC ⚪ pic.twitter.com/J0JyhgZ9T2
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 5, 2020
Joe Hart: 6/10
Hart was untested in the first half, but faced a total of 4 shots in the second. There was not much he could do to save the goal they conceded. However, he did well to stop the other shots he faced.
Matt Doherty: 6/10
Doherty has not been the player he was at Wolves since coming to Tottenham and that showed versus Ludogorets as well. The right-back was good going forward, but the lack of a goal or a good cross is concerning. The Irishman could have scored in the first half, but the shot was straight at the keeper. Some of Doherty’s decisions were questionable in the second half as he put Spurs under pressure.
Toby Alderweireld: 7/10
Alderweireld did everything that was asked of him with aplomb. He did not lose a single aerial duel and his distribution was second to none.
Eric Dier: 7/10
Dier was extremely solid defensively, both on the ground and in the air. He even donned the armband in the second half and led the team expertly. Was unlucky to concede the goal.
Ben Davies: 6/10
Davies had a decent game for the Lilywhites. He was defensively strong, although he did let Bernard Tekpetey evade him with ease for the goal. Davies did not bomb forward as much as he could; when he did, his interplay was not quite up to the mark as he lost the ball 12 times and did not really pose a threat.
Harry Winks: 7/10
It was an excellent performance by Winks. He had the most touches and passes on the pitch, and the Englishman played some deft balls. The most notable of all was the chipped pass to Kane in the 2nd minute which Kane made a mess of. Winks would feel that he could have got a stronger block for the goal Tottenham conceded.
Moussa Sissoko: 6/10
Sissoko played only one half with the weekend fixture on Mourinho’s mind and was replaced by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Ludogorets failed to pose much of a threat and Sissoko was untroubled. His passing was very good, as he found the wide players with ease.
Lucas Moura: 9/10
The Brazilian produced a terrific performance after a long time and Mourinho and the Tottenham fans would be happy. Moura took a well-hit corner to create the first for Kane. Kane then returned the favour as Moura applied the finishing touch to his cross and made it two for the night.
Lucas Moura’s game by numbers for Spurs vs. Ludogorets:
48 touches
4 tackles (most)
4 take-ons completed (most)
3 shots
3 chances created
3 ball recoveries
1 foul won
1 goal
1 assistWhat a performance. pic.twitter.com/Te0CLp1S2c
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 5, 2020
Moura was an everlasting threat to the Ludogorets defence as he completed the most dribbles and always looked to create opportunities for others.
Giovani Lo Celso: 8/10
Lo Celso was another star performer of the night. The Argentine played the role of the advanced midfielder and was stellar at it. Lo Celso played 3 key passes and set up a sitter for Carlos Vinicius in the second half, which the Brazilian put wide. His good work on the night was awarded with a goal and his return to full fitness would be a huge boost for Tottenham.
Gareth Bale: 7/10
Another 65 minutes under the belt for Gareth Bale, who looked a lot more mobile and involved in this game. Played an exquisite through ball to Kane as the pre-assist for the second goal, and often occupied a more central space with Kane dropping deep and Doherty providing width. The tactical setup seems to work for Mourinho and he cannot wait for Bale to get back to full fitness.
Harry Kane: 8/10
It was a historic night for the prolific Harry Kane who scored his 200th goal in a Tottenham shirt. It is a massive achievement to have done it in 300 games.
Good win and a proud night for me reaching 200 @SpursOfficial goals. More to come. ??? pic.twitter.com/5T9WDmaF9I
— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 5, 2020
Kane produced another brilliant performance, scoring once and assisting another in just 45 minutes. The English striker has taken his season’s tally to 12 goals and 10 assists in just 13 games which is an extraordinary record.
SUBSTITUTES
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 7/10
Hojbjerg has arguably been Tottenham’s best signing of the season. His positioning and awareness was extremely impressive. The Dane was stuck on to his opponents, winning tackles everywhere. He even had the ability to slow the game down at will and then speed it up again. It was yet another fantastic performance from Hojbjerg.
Hojbjerg is really starting to remind me of one of those old school proper midfielders that really boss a game. Like an Ince or dare I say even a Keane. Impressing me so much such a presence ?? pic.twitter.com/phCOFK6bMq
— TAS⚽️ (@coys100) November 5, 2020
Tanguy Ndombele: 6/10
Ndombele came on in the 72nd minute for Lo Celso and looked a little off pace. He was often too slow on the ball, which led to him getting dispossessed with ease. It was not the best of cameos for the young Frenchman, who would be hoping to make amends on the weekend, when he is expected to start.
Carlos Vinicius: 5/10
Carlos Vinicius was impressive in the first Europa League fixture versus LASK but has been unable to replicate it since. It was yet another off day for the Brazilian. His hold-up play was not up to the mark and consequently, he failed to get those around him into play – something he is very good at generally. Vinicius even missed a sitter by skying a low cross despite a gaping empty goal at his mercy.
Son Heung-min: 7/10
Son has been a different animal under Mourinho this season, and his introduction after Ludogorets’s goal showed the intent of the manager. It took him less than a minute to impact the game. His direct style of play saw him get involved straight away and set up Lo Celso for the third of the night.
? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ???????! ?#UEL ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/9JoPZJGilS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 5, 2020
Steven Bergwijn: 6/10
Bergwijn was hoping to make a similar impact as Son, as he came close to scoring a goal with just his second touch on the pitch. It would have been quite an introduction for the Dutch winger. Apart from that moment, Bergwijn did not trouble the goalkeeper. However, he did look to get involved and seemed like he was trying to send a message to his manager.
There is quite a competition of places in this Spurs squad this season, and players would have to make do with whatever minutes they get and try to impress Mourinho.
