Tottenham Hotspur secured their place at the top of Group J in the UEFA Europa League following a 2-0 win over Royal Antwerp. It was a game of two halves as an underwhelming attacking display in the first 45 minutes was followed by an onslaught that saw Carlos Vinicius and Giovani Lo Celso find the back of the net, effectively sealing all three points for the Premier League leaders.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings Vs Royal Antwerp
Joe Hart 6/10
Had absolutely nothing to do all game as Royal Antwerp failed even to muster a single shot on target. An easy-clean sheet for the Tottenham goalkeeper.
Japhet Tanganga 7/10
Japhet Tanganga operated on the right-hand side of the defence and later acted as a right-back as Tottenham shifted into a back-four. Useful minutes for the young defender.
Davinson Sanchez 7/10
Davinson Sanchez marshalled the Spurs backline with his imposing presence. He was competent in dealing with the danger of Cristian Benavente throughout the game.
Ben Davies 7/10
Starting on the left-hand side of the defence, Ben Davies stuck to his task and provided support to the likes of Sanchez and Tanganga.
Matt Doherty 5/10
It was a rather underwhelming performance from Matt Doherty who struggled to make his presence felt on the right flank. He also looked sloppy in the build-up play, though the Irishman did improve during the final stage of the game.
Harry Winks 6.5/10
Harry Winks operated in the deepest midfield role as usual. He didn’t make any mistakes and acted as the transition player for Tottenham Hotspur before making way for Tanguy Ndombele around the hour mark.
Giovani Lo Celso 9/10
It was a match-winning performance from Giovani Lo Celso. The Argentine provided excellent ball-progression even in the first-half and was always a creative outlet for his side in the final third. Capped off his brilliant performance with a goal in the second half.
Sergio Reguilon 6/10
Sergio Reguilon wasn’t as potent as he would have hoped and didn’t get high enough to trouble the Royal Antwerp backline. He was replaced at half-time by Jose Mourinho.
Gareth Bale 6.5/10
Gareth Bale wasn’t involved much in the proceedings, but it was his majestic freekick that completely bamboozled the opposing ‘keeper with Vinicius easily tapping in the rebound. Was replaced shortly after.
Carlos Vinicius 6.5/10
Carlos Vinicius offered the work-rate and tenacity as usual. However, the penetration was lacking in his game, with the Brazilian notably missing a good first-half opportunity. Made no mistake in tapping home the opener though.
Lucas Moura 7/10
Lucas Moura was by far the most industrious attacker for Tottenham when they were struggling in the first half. His link-up play has improved considerably under Mourinho.
SUBSTITUTES
Steven Bergwijn 7/10
Steven Bergwijn came on for Reguilon at the start of the second half as Mourinho opted for more attacking bodies in the final third.
Tanguy Ndombele 7.5/10
Tanguy Ndombele offered dynamism and penetration after coming on for Winks during the final phase of the game.
Harry Kane 7.5/10
Harry Kane should have scored after coming on for Bale around the hour-mark, but his effort was wide. Caused a lot of trouble for the Royal Antwerp defenders nonetheless.
Son Heung-Min 7.5/10
Son Heung-Min was another Tottenham player who made life difficult for the opposition after coming on around the hour-mark. His combination play with Kane was eye-catching as ever.
Moussa Sissoko 7.5/10
Recovered the ball and initiated the counter-attack that led to Tottenham’s second goal.
