Tottenham excelled in the face of adversity as they beat Qarabag 3-0 in North London despite having 10 men for almost the entire match.
Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke scored again to extend their respective goalscoring runs, whilst Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr recorded his first goal of the campaign to make a potentially dire situation look fairly comfortable for the Lilywhites.
Spurs went a player down early on, as Radu Dragusin was given his marching orders in just the eighth minute for fouling Qarabag striker Juninho whilst being the last man.
But Ange Postecoglou’s men defended valiantly and rode their luck at times to start their Europa League campaign with a triumph.
Qarabag were extremely wasteful as they missed a number of golden opportunites, including Azerbaijan international Tural Bayramov skying a penalty off the crossbar.
The resilience Tottenham players displayed will please Postecoglou and here’s how we rated each individual performance.
Tottenham Player Ratings
Guglielmo Vicario – 9
The Italian stopper had a virtuoso performance guarding Spurs’ net as he made several smart stops to preserve the clean sheet.
The 27-year-old was called into action early on as Ben Davies was dispossessed just inside Tottenham's half and the keeper showed a surprising turn of pace to block the ball 35 yards away from his goal-line.
With Spurs legs tiring, Qarabag had the large portion of the possession in the second period and they peppered their opposition's goal, but their efforts were thwarted by the body of Vicario, who deservedly received the Player of the Match award.
His splendid day at the office was made even better when he was given the captain’s armband for the final stages of the contest after captain Heung-min Son had been substituted.
Archie Gray – 7
The teenager really grew into the game after a shaky opening half hour.
In the first period, the former Leeds United man showed flashes of brilliance going forward but looked fragile defensively.
It also seemed as if the full-back was carrying a knock which hampered his ability to track back and deal with the demands of playing attacking football with one less player.
But after the interval, the Englishman shook off the injury concern and played with maturity beyond his years to help his team keep a clean sheet with a numerical disadvantage.
Gray, who is equally adept in midfield, operated at right full-back and due to Djed Spence’s omission from Spurs’ 25-player Europa League squad, the £40 million summer signing could prove to be a regular fixture in these European contests.
Radu Dragusin – 0
The Romanian jeopardised his team’s chances of getting anything from the game as he got sent off extremely early.
A lapse of concentration saw a simple pass from his centre-half partner Micky Van de Ven roll under his foot which allowed the lively Juninho to pounce and pick up the loose ball.
With the Brazilian bearing down on goal, Dragusin instinctively pulled on the attacker’s jersey to hinder his progress, but the forward went down and referee Willy Delajod had no choice but to send him off.
A moment of madness from the defender, which earns him a suspension for their next European game away at Ferencvaros next week.
A zero is the best we can offer him.
Micky Van de Ven – 8
The Dutchman stepped up for his side when they needed him the most to command the backline and cover acres of space with their defence stretched.
Van de Ven never looked fazed and utilised the bursts of acceleration he has in his locker to stop several potential Qarabag attacks from materialising.
Furthermore, he didn’t just win the ball back but also showed composure to retain possession on what was his first European appearance in Lilywhite.
Ben Davies – 7
An ever-reliable member of the squad, Davies once again put in a solid shift.
However, the Welshman was bailed out by his goalkeeper during the first half after being caught dawdling on the ball as his blushes were spared by heroics from Vicario.
Ignoring that slight mistake, the defender maintained a high level throughout the rest of proceedings and helped organise a makeshift backline under pressure.
Yves Bissouma - 6
Bissouma was introduced back into the fold from the start after being unavailable for sizeable minutes since the international break due to injury.
On the whole, the Malian controlled the tempo effectively and his ability to protect the ball in dangerous areas was key to keeping his team in front.
But his performance wasn't perfect as his mistimed tackle on Elvin Jafarquliyev gifted Qarabag a penalty and a chance to get back into the match.
Fortunately for Bissouma, the spot kick was missed.
Pape Matar Sarr – 7
Sarr capped off an accomplished performance with his first goal of the season to double the Lilywhites’ advantage.
The Senegalese international peeled off from a Dejan Kulusevski corner shortly after the break and after Qarabag keeper Mateusz Kochalski’s flimsy punch fell to the midfielder, he sorted his feet out well to stroke in Spurs’ second to afford his side a little bit of breathing room.
It has been an unconvincing beginning to the campaign for Sarr after his breakthrough season last year, but the 21-year-old showed glimpses that the highly-regarded form of old is making it's return.
Lucas Bergvall – N/A
It would be completely unfair to give the Swede a rating, due to the fact he was the unfortunate player to be sacrificed after Dragusin’s early red card.
Bergvall visibly looked emotional after seeing his number flash up on the fourth official’s board on the tenth minute and it’s a big blow for the 18-year-old in what was a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talents.
Brennan Johnson – 8
The Welshman is in scintillating form as he netted for the third consecutive game in a third different competition.
After being teed up by Solanke, the winger coolly slotted the ball into the far corner to give his side the lead. Most importantly, it was great to see a smile return to the face of a man who has been unfairly treated in recent times.
Johnson was then taken off at halftime - a wise decision from the manager to protect the forward’s fitness ahead of a busy schedule.
Dominic Solanke – 8
Solanke displayed the attributes that made Postecoglou want him so badly this summer and Spurs' new striker looks to have rediscovered his prolific form.
After recording his first goal for his new club on the weekend against Brentford, the striker finished in a very similar manner to wrap up the three points.
But his defensive contribution particularly stood out, with the Englishman consistently tracking back to help his teammates in defence.
Heung-min Son – 7
Spurs' captain also put in a admirable defensive shift and the South Korean's leadership skills helped to iron out his team's sloppiness.
It was Son's curling effort that was parried by Kochalski into the path of Solanke for Tottenham's third and the winger also helped dictate the flow of the game by slowing it down when necessary.
The South Korean's first ever goal for Tottenham Hotspur was scored against Qarabag and he would have been gutted to miss out on scoring his 165th under the lights on Thursday night.
Substitutes
Destiny Udogie – 8
Despite not starting the match, Udogie ended up playing almost the full game as Postecoglou opted to bring the Italian into the fold following Dragusin's dismissal to restore balance to the backline.
It was an all-encompassing display from the full-back, as he used his athleticism to cover every blade of grass whilst providing a creative outlet when necessary.
Dejan Kulusevski – 8
Kulusevski is a vital part of this Tottenham squad and situations like tonight are exactly why he is a necessity for Postecoglou.
The Swede offers the unique ability to wriggle out of tight spaces and keep hold of the ball in precarious spaces, which is always a huge asset, especially when his team are numerically disadvantaged.
He was substituted on at halftime and his lung-busting runs, neat footwork and exemplar work ethic was crucial in controlling the game.
Credit should also be given to Kulusevski for Spurs' second, as he whipped in a dangerous corner into the six-yard box which forced Qarabag's goalkeeper into an error which subsequently lead to Sarr netting.
Timo Werner – 5
The German's 15-minute cameo was a quiet one as the hosts looked to conserve energy.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
With Bissouma still returning to full fitness, Bentancur came on to sure up the midfield and the Uruguayan provided an injection of energy.
Mikey Moore – N/A
Came on with roughly ten minutes to go to gain some experience in senior football. The 17-year-old needs to be nurtured appropriately if he is to flourish and reach his full potential and small cameos such as these will be perfect for his development.