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Heung-Min Son, Gareth Bale and Dele Alli covered a poor performance by Spurs, as a 3-3 draw at LASK ensured José Mourinho’s team qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.
The Spurs were outscored in the first half on a frigid night in Linz and fell behind the long-range effort of Peter Michorl that squirmed under Joe Hart (42). But the visitors managed to equalize when Andrés Andrade handled Tanguy Ndombele’s shot and Bale beat Alexander Schlager from the penalty spot (45 + 2).
After the break, the Spurs barely improved but, needing only one point to qualify, they scored a goal that gave them a break as Son ran to pass them after a good job from Ndombele (56).
Bale should have put the result out of the question six minutes later, but he tried to square it up for Son and missed his teammate. Hart was again at fault by allowing Johannes Eggestein to equalize from outside the area (84).
LASK was at fault again within minutes, however, with substitute Steven Bergwijn brought down in the area by Philipp Wiesinger. Alli set out to blatantly discard Schlager to give the Spurs the upper hand, with the kind of arrogance the rest of his performance had sorely lacked.
There was still time for more drama in added time as another substitute, Mamoudou Karamoko, tied with another effort from distance that this time left Hart with no chances. It wasn’t enough to keep LASK’s hopes alive as their head-to-head record against the Spurs saw them knocked out.
Very changed Spurs do their job, but outmatched in Austria
With just one point to qualify, the Spurs did not seem like a team willing to show a sense of urgency in Austria, and six minutes later, they received a wake-up call when Johannes Eggestein fired at the wood from 20 yards.
It was a warning they ignored, with Hart being forced to make the first real stop of the night by Rene Renner in the 21st minute, as the visitors failed to produce any passing movement of note.
The pressure from the hosts came in three minutes before the break when Matt Doherty was stolen from the ball on the field, before an unmarked Michorl had room to turn and shoot from 25 yards, and beat Hart with a dipping effort that the doorman should still have grappled.
A halftime lead would have been exactly what Lask deserved, but in a cruel twist of fate, Andrade, whose own goal had given Spurs the advantage in the second leg, managed Ndombele’s shot to hit him. Bale got a chance to score from 12 yards, and he sent the wings level at half-time with the last kick of the first 45 minutes.
Little improved after halftime in terms of the Spurs’ performance, but at 11 minutes into the second period they took the lead for the first time when Ndombele bit into Mads Madsen’s strong touch and released Son, who ran before finishing his composure. typical.
Gareth Bale tied Spurs with the last kick of the first half
Karamoko gave a brief glimpse of what was to come when he fired a shot wide from 20 yards moments after going in with 20 minutes to go, before attacking partner Eggestein left Hart with his head in his hands again as the goalkeeper clapped his close hand. post drive in the top corner.
Hart appeared to have been disappointed in two minutes when the impressive Wiesinger pushed Bergwijn into the box, before Alli rallied to beat Schlager from 12 yards with a cool chip.
The Spurs had run out of trouble three times but still had time for another misdemeanor as Karamoko was given room to turn and shoot in the second minute of overtime, and punished the visitors’ poor marking with an excellent shot in the corner beyond Hart. helpless diving.
Sunday, December 6 4:15 pm
Start 4:30 pm
Man of the match – Tanguy Ndombele
Ndombele has played a lot of football lately, more than anyone in the Spurs jersey, and not long ago, one would have wondered if he was committed to three games in seven days.
But this is a new Ndombele, one who runs, harasses, annoys and still has the quality on the ball that convinced the Spurs to make him their record signing less than 18 months ago. He pounced on Madsen’s strong touch to make Son second, having already earned the penalty for the Spurs draw when his goal kick was handled before the break.
On a night where Mourinho will have been angered by his fringe players’ lack of commitment, Ndombele can be counted out of that number after his 2020 turnaround, with performances like this demonstrating exactly why.
Opt for facts
- The Spurs conceded three goals in a game for the first time since an October 3-3 draw with West Ham; they had only conceded three goals in their previous nine games before tonight.
- This was the second time that an Austrian team has scored more than 3 goals in a major UEFA European match against English opponents, with FC Red Bull Salzburg losing 4-3 to Liverpool in last season’s Champions League.
- Son Heung-Min has scored 12 goals in all competitions for Spurs this season; Among Premier League players, only Harry Kane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (13 each) have more in 2020/21.
- Only Leicester City (8) have scored more penalties in all competitions between Premier League teams than Spurs this season (7).
Whats Next?
Tottenham host Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday, live Sky Sports Premier League from 4.15pm; start at 4.30 pm.
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