The Telegraph

After a turbulent start to the season, Arsenal are back on the ascent. A dominant display against their local rivals at the imposing Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw the visitors brimming with confidence against a lacklustre home side.

Speaking after the match, Renée Slegers, Arsenal’s interim manager, praised her team’s cutting-edge performance. “[Ruthless] is exactly one of the words we are using a lot at the club at the moment,” she said.

“We want to be ruthless in both boxes. It’s easy to say it but then turning it into action is another thing.”

Slegers and her team have managed to rejuvenate Arsenal’s attack in just a month and their display against Tottenham was undoubtedly ruthless.

They are unbeaten since she took charge after former manager Jonas Eidevall’s exit, and have handed Tottenham, Juventus, and Brighton heavy defeats in their last three fixtures without conceding a single goal.

Arsenal were 1-0 up within 63 seconds, when Mariona Caldentey powered in a cross which took a heavy deflection off Hayley Raso and fell into the path of Alessia Russo. She made no mistake with her shot, to which Tottenham goalkeeper Becky Spencer was unable to get a hand.

What should have been a wake-up call for the home side was anything but. For the majority of the first 45 minutes, they were stuck in their own half, sitting back, yet simultaneously leaving themselves far too open to Arsenal’s relentless pressing.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 22nd minute after Leah Williamson was left unmarked and with plenty of space just outside the box. She sent the ball forward to Frida Maanum who volleyed it past an infuriated Spencer and into the bottom-left corner.

The second goal finally injected some life into Tottenham’s attack and they worked themselves out of their own half and created a couple of good chances.

Bethany England came closest in the 34th minute with a shot from just outside the box. It clipped the crossbar and led to a corner which ultimately came to nothing for the hosts – much to the joy of the animated section of away fans just behind the goal.

The Tottenham captain gestured wildly and shouted to her team in the aftermath, making her frustrations known after a disappointing 45 minutes.

The second half followed much of the same pattern, with Arsenal looking dangerous every time they went forward and Tottenham struggling to cause visiting goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar any real problems.

It wasn’t quite as easy for Arsenal in the opening stages as Tottenham maintained a more rigid back line. However, the gulf in attacking quality between the two sides was demonstrated by the introduction of Arsenal’s firepower duo of Beth Mead and Stina Blackstenius.

The latter almost added a third goal to the visitors’ tally just moments after joining the game, and then made no mistake the second time she had a chance with a decisive strike from close range.

Slegers has overseen a complete revitalisation to her side’s attacking prowess although she would not be drawn into suggestions of her name being in the hat for the permanent role.

“The block has gone really well so far,” she said. “We have one more game ahead of us, and we’re going to do everything to get a good performance again in that last game and that’s when we start breathing. But for the moment we just have to stay focused because we’ve got a lot of hard work to do.”

At the start of the season, Arsenal lacked edge and many were questioning whether they were really capable of keeping up with fellow title challengers Manchester City and Chelsea.

But now, with their last loss being Eidevall’s final game just over a month ago, Arsenal have reasserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with. It would be surprising if Slegers were not emerging as a serious contender for the top job.

That could still change this season, with Tottenham, despite their defeat by Galatasaray, looking good in the Europa League and still in the Carabao Cup – what used to be the old Carling Cup – after knocking out Manchester City.

One can only assume that a Carabao Cup success would not be enough to break into Levy’s top three. A Europa League might be, given it earns qualification to the Champions League, but winning has not appeared to be the be-all and end-all at Tottenham for well over 20 years now.

It should be a source of profound embarrassment to Levy that for all the excellent players he has employed – Harry Kane and Gareth Bale were the two he picked out – Tottenham have not won more than a solitary League Cup under his watch.

Which brings us nicely to watches of the timepiece variety and the revelation by Hugo Lloris that the Tottenham squad who reached the final of the 2018/19 Champions League, of which Son was a member, were given watches with the word “finalist” engraved into the back of them.

That was the moment Lloris claims in his autobiography to have known that Levy and Tottenham were not in it for the winning, and after a defeat by Ipswich Town, fans are once again playing the club’s favourite game of “whose fault is it anyway?”

Postecoglou defended Tottenham over the Lloris comments, claiming that the “broader view” was that it “could have been a very successful period for the club”.

Maybe it would have been if the club had not become the first in history not to sign a single player in the summer before Tottenham’s Champions League final appearance. Or if Levy had backed Mauricio Pochettino, rather than sacking him just six months after it.

Postecoglou accepted responsibility for Tottenham’s inconsistency after the Ipswich defeat and it was the head coach who appeared to be on the end of some choice words from an angry fan as he headed down the tunnel.

No trophy for top-four finish

Asked at the same fans’ forum about how he handles criticism, Levy claimed: “I have a very thick skin and I just ignore it. (It) makes me want to be more successful.”

He was not asked how he would define “successful”. It would be interesting to hear if Levy’s interpretation of the word is different to that of Postecoglou, who recently responded to the suggestion “some people” see a top-four finish as being as good as a trophy with: “But there isn’t a trophy.”

Maybe somebody needs to tell Levy that his world-class stadium is not a trophy, just as the striking mural of Harry Kane on the way into it from White Hart Lane train station is not, either. And, apart from the watches he handed out, there is no silverware for reaching a final.

Much has been made – largely by himself – of Postecoglou’s record of winning trophies in his second seasons at clubs, but is he going to be another manager who finds that Tottenham is the exception to the rule? Jose Mourinho won trophies before and after his Tottenham experience, while Antonio Conte is top of the Serie A table with Napoli, the first club he has worked at since leaving Levy behind.

Supporters have an entire international break in which to go back and forth over the familiar Tottenham blame game. But the fact remains there has only been one constant during the 20-plus years in which Tottenham have managed to win a single trophy that does not even figure in the chairman’s top three.

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Tottenham Hotspur are to trigger a one-year option on Son Heung-min’s contract to commit his future to the club beyond the current season.

The Spurs and South Korea captain signed his latest deal in 2021 which expires in seven months’ time and it is understood that his club holds the power to extend for a further year.

Spurs only need to inform Son they have triggered their option and Telegraph Sport understands they fully intend to do so.

It means Son will head into a second decade at the club after joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 in a deal worth £22 million, which has been rated as one of Spurs’ finest achievements in the transfer market in the modern era.

Ange Postecoglou appointed the 32-year-old captain at Spurs after Hugo Lloris’ departure, having played a huge part in the club emerging as Champions League regulars during his nine-and-a-half years at the club.

The forward has reached double figures for goals in all but his first season at the club, with his haul of 123 in the Premier League making him the joint-third top scorer currently playing in the competition. Only Mohamed Salah (164) and Jamie Vardy (140) have scored more.

Son was asked about his contract earlier this season and insisted he was focused on ending Spurs’ trophy drought, which dates back to 2008, rather than looking at a new deal.

While at the club, Son has reached the final of the Champions League and EFL Cup but has yet to win a trophy.

“I am fully focused on this year and just want to win something that everybody at the club – the players, all around – deserves,” he said. “That’s what I’m working for.

“In the future you never know what will happen, but I will give everything for this club because it’s been almost 10 years and I give everything.

“I still have a contract with the club which is the very important thing and I just want to give everything until my contract [expires].”

Spurs are lying in seventh place in the Premier League, with 16 points, nine behind leaders Liverpool, but just two points off fourth place.

Postecoglou’s side are also well-placed in the 36-team Europa League table, where they sit second on goal difference after three wins out of three, and have reached the EFL quarter-finals, with a home tie against Manchester United scheduled for next month.

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Ange Postecoglou believes the demise of Erik ten Hag shows why leading Tottenham to a trophy will not guarantee long-term success.

Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United on Monday despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford.

Poor Premier League form and a lack of clear playing style ultimately contributed to Ten Hag being dismissed, but ahead of Spurs’ fourth-round Carabao Cup tie at home to Manchester City, Postecoglou conceded it was not a huge surprise.

“Nah, not really shocked. Disappointing as it was, it was almost inevitable with the scrutiny he had,” Postecoglou said.

“If you look at Erik, he was there for two and a bit years. He won a trophy in each year, they finished third in his first year. If he was here with that record would he have lost his job? I don’t know.

“Would he be under the same scrutiny? I don’t know, because everyone tells me all I have to do is win a trophy, but I have got a feeling it would be the same because, just the nature of the world today.

“As a manager you have to hit a sweet spot where you get success, you play football everyone likes, you get every signing right. In that moment you seem to get some sort of validation. Anything other than that, it seems to be for some clubs they want trophies not football, others want football. It is a difficult task.

“But what you have seen in the past, I’m sure Erik will bounce back from that because he is a good manager. You have seen it with other managers. I’m sure his career will continue to go on strongly.”

Ten Hag had the sympathy of managers around the Premier League a day after he was sacked, with most saying they could face the same fate any day in the results-driven business.

United have appointed their assistant manager and former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to take over on an interim basis with the club languishing 14th in the Premier League after nine games and 21st in the Europa League table.

“I feel very sorry for him, it’s one of the best jobs in football,” Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said. “There’s only us, it’s not teachers or architects or something like that.

“I wish him all the best and he will come back stronger. If the results aren’t good enough, you get sacked. No one is different, myself included.”

Slot believes Ten Hag will manage another top club soon

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that, as a fellow Dutchman, Ten Hag’s dismissal hit harder, but believes the coach will land on his feet.

“Always your first thoughts are with the person,” Slot said. “We are all in this job so we know that it can happen, but if it happens – especially because I know him a little bit and I know how much work he puts into it – to get this news for him is a pity.

“We also know, especially us from Holland how well he did at Ajax [Amsterdam] and he won two trophies over here, so we will see him in the near future again at a big club,” Slot added.

If Tottenham Hotspur dislike the term ‘Spursy’ so much, perhaps they should avoid performances such as this. Against a winless Crystal Palace who began the game as the lowest scorers in the top five professional divisions in the country, they were careless at the back and toothless at the front. And nothing much happened in between either.

Spurs were dismal for 45 minutes in the 3-2 defeat at Brighton but here they managed it for the entire 90. A win would have taken them into sixth place but they showed little will to achieve it. Palace were the side who played with ambition and if they had any sort of eye for goal their first Premier League victory of the season would have been far more emphatic.

As it was, Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal of the match, his third of the season, as the players behind last season’s strong finish to the season – Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton as well as Mateta – finally stepped up. That said, it was hard to judge whether they were back to their best or just taking advantage of feeble opposition.

Tottenham badly missed Son Heung-min, rested with a hamstring injury, and sent Mikey Moore, 17, out for his first Premier League start instead but he had few chances to shine as both teams scuffled ineffectively in a crowded midfield at first. For the first 20 minutes, the highlight was a long half-volleyed kick-out from Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson arrowed 60 yards to the feet of Tyrick Mitchell out on the left wing.

However, when Palace finally knocked at the visitors’ door, they found it wide open. In the 27th minute, Tottenham fell asleep after a corner kick and allowed substitute Will Hughes to cross unchallenged from the left. The ball reached the head of Maxence Lacroix but he sent it over the crossbar.

And the visiting defence erred again as Palace took the lead on the half hour. As they attempted to play out from the back, Micky van de Ven lost the ball, Ismaila Sarr crossed it, Eze flicked it on and Mateta drove it low past Guglielmo Vicario with the aid of a deflection.

Where, though, were Spurs as an attacking force? Henderson had been having such a quiet afternoon that he could afford to risk a stroll in the autumn sun to the centre circle and back as Tottenham defended a corner.

Brennan Johnson almost changed that with a shot that hit the post after 34 minutes. But it was not until the fifth minute of time added to the first half that they managed an effort on target and even then Henderson produced a fine diving save to his left to keep out James Maddison’s first time shot after Destiny Udogie had pulled the ball back from the byline.

Surely the visitors had to show more purpose in the second half? They did not. Spurs had to survive loud Palace claims for a penalty when Eze went down as Van de Ven challenged, although VAR did not invite referee Darren Bond to reconsider his award of a corner kick.

For a brief spell it seemed Palace must add to their goal, but both Sarr and Eze failed to make good chances count and you were reminded why they had scored only five goals before this. Wharton hit a cracking shot in the 82nd minute that deserved to double the lead, but Vicario got across to paw the ball away for a corner. Would Palace pay for missing chances? Not with Spurs in this mood.

A big chance for the visitors!

Penetra manages to get just in front of Davies in the penalty area and heads the ball goalwards. Tottenham goalkeeper Forster is at full-stretch and makes an important save to deny AZ the first goal.

The visitors quickly shoot again but the effort is miles off target.

Werner breaks down the left and times his run perfectly to get himself in behind. He has time to position himself and then goes for goal. However his effort is very timid - he shoots straight into the hands of the goalkeeper who easily collects the ball.

The attempt of a player perhaps very low on confidence.

Maddison weaves through the AZ backline and finds a good position just on the edge of the six-yard box. He is in the position to shoot but instead opts to cross to Moore who awaits near the goal line.

An AZ defender manages to get a head to it and sends the ball away from danger.

The home side could be at danger of letting AZ grow more and more into this game as the first half progresses.

Despite Spurs dominating in the opening stages, the visitors are starting to pose more of a threat - particularly down the left-hand side where Poku is currently winning the battle against Gray.

The first real chance of the game for the visitors.

Kasius drives down the right and plays a perfect cross into the box. His effort sweeps pass the Spurs backline but, unluckily for the visitors, none of their players can get a head or foot to the ball and it goes behind for a goal kick.

There’s an injury issue for AZ with Ruben van Bommel down on the floor.

He is the son of former PSV and Bayern Munich midfielder Mark van Bommel, who is in attendance at the game tonight.

After a quick assessment, van Bommel is led off the pitch and heads straight down the tunnel. AZ are briefly down to 10 men.

While Tottenham have fared well against Dutch opponents in the past, it’s a less positive picture for AZ Alkmaar who haven’t beaten a Premier League side since 2007.

Spurs have won 10 games and lost six against Dutch competitors in European competitions - with one of their most renowned feats being the comeback win against Ajax which propelled them to the Champions League final in 2018/19.

AZ will certainly hope for improvement when it comes to their record against English opponents with 11 losses, five draws, and just two wins. Their last success was a 2-0 home victory against Newcastle United in 2007. Since then, they have had nine games against English opponents without a triumph.

Tonight marks the first meeting between the two sides.

Ange Postecoglou has opted to start a few of his youngest players in tonight’s fixture with 17-year-old Mikey Moore and 18-year-olds Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray all getting the nod.

As reported by Sam Dean in the summer, Gray’s arrival [in August] was part of a wider strategy, now overseen by technical director Johan Lange, which has seen the club move out of one cycle and into the thrilling start of the next.

Since last summer’s transfer window, when Postecoglou was appointed as head coach, the average age of the new signings at Spurs has been younger than 22. This season, alongside Gray, they have added promising Swedish midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who is also 18, and winger Wilson Odobert, 19, who has joined from Burnley.

Spurs are betting on young talent. Micky van de Ven (£43 million), Brennan Johnson (£47.5 million) and Radu Dragusin (£25 million) all arrived in the last year, aged 22 or younger. There are others to come: Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic, 17, joins the club next year, as does South Korean forward Yang Min-Hyeok, 18.

Read Sam’s full story here.

Ange Postecoglou has named by far his weakest Tottenham team yet for tonight’s Europa League game against AZ Alkmaar. Only James Maddison and Destiny Udogie start from the team that started against West Ham United.

That may not reflect too well on Maddison, who was replaced at half-time against the Hammers. Teenager Mikey Moore is starting and he is 19 years younger than 36-year-old goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who has come in for Guglielmo Vicario.

It has been a tough start to the season for Richarlison who has been sidelined with various injuries and has so far only racked up the minutes in substitute appearances.

He has his chance to prove his worth to Ange Postecoglou tonight in his first start of the season, with Dominic Solanke dropped to the bench and Son Heung-Min out of action.

Postecoglou has once again opted for a youthful approach to the European fixture with the inclusions of 17-year-old Mikey Moore and Lucas Bergvall, 18, in his starting XI. The pair have impressed on the European stage thus far, as has Will Lankshear who is on the bench tonight.

James Maddison captains the home side and second-choice goalkeeper Fraser Forster is the preferred option over Guglielmo Vicario. Postecoglou has opted to give a few of his trusty starting players a rest this evening, with the likes of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski, and Brennan Johnson on the bench.

Welcome to our coverage of the Europa League as Spurs host AZ Alkmaar at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs’ slightly underwhelming start to the Premier League season reached a crescendo just before the international break, when the side capitulated against Brighton in a loss which manager Ange Postecoglou described as “unacceptable”.

However, a much-needed 4-1 win against West Ham at the weekend had fans feeling much more positive about their team’s prospects heading into this Europa League matchday three clash.

The hosts are one of the competition’s favourites and have made a perfect start to the league stage, registering two wins in their opening two matches.

They are one of five clubs to still have a 100 per cent record in the Europa League this season and will look to continue that streak on home turf tonight. Recent history is certainly in their favour, with the team having won the six Europa League games they have played at their new stadium without conceding a goal.

Captain Heung-Min Son will be rested for tonight’s game, whilst full-backs Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are ineligible. Wilson Odobert and Radu Drahgusin will both be available, with the former returning from a hamstring problem and the latter having served a one-match ban in the previous fixture.

Richarlison could be handed his first start of the season in tonight’s clash. The Brazilian has been out of action on multiple occasions this year with various injuries and has often found himself sidelined with Dominic Solanke the preferred starting striker for Postecoglou’s side. If he starts, the forward will be eager to continue building his fitness and proving his value to his coach.

And a familiar face returns to north London as Troy Parrott, who joined the Dutch club in the summer, will be in AZ’s matchday squad.

The visitors are in the midst of a four-game losing run, with their most recent victory being their first Europa League fixture against IF Elfsborg in September. It is certainly not the ideal time for Maarten Martens’ side to face one of their trickiest European opponents.

The game kicks off at 8pm BST and we will have team news for you shortly.