Ludogorets (away) 05.11.2020

Much had been written about the defeat to Royal Antwerp, but Jose Mourinho pulled out the big guns to try and ensure a quick pathway through to the knock-out stages and it paid off with a 3-1 win against Ludogorets, despite a small scare soon after half-time.

90 seconds in, Spurs put together a neat passing move, with Winks playing it in to Bale, who laid it back, for Winksy to lift a pass over the defence for Harry Kane to score his 200th Spurs goal. Except he lifted his volley over the bar from eight yards out, which was most unlike the Spurs captain. It was a great opportunity to open the scoring and set the tone for the match, much like the Spurs goal against LASK that opened up the game. Kane struck a 22 yard shot against the post with five minutes gone and the chances that Spurs were creating were just not going in.

A couple of minutes later, Lo Celso was crudely fouled by Verdon, providing Gareth Bale with an opportunity to go for goal from 25 yards and his dipping free-kick kept low, bouncing just in front of the goalkeeper’s dive, but he smuggled it past the post for a corner. From it, Toby Alderweireld got a header in at the near post, but it went over the top. When Moura had a shot blocked for a corner,
the header was again won by a Spurs head and this time it was Harry Kane rising between two defenders to power it past the keeper. 200 up for HK ! Moura’s corner was put into the heart of the six-yard box, but Kane’s run gave him space to attack the header and get on the scoresheet at the third attempt. 

Lo Celso had a little conversation with the referee for a handball when he slid in to make a tackle, but was soon on the offensive, curling a shot just over and then the home defence gave the ball away allowing Lucas to have a shot, taken early that left the goalie flat-footed and it went a foot the wrong side of the post as far as Spurs were concerned.

Eric Dier had a couple of dodgy moments, when he first miscued a pass to Ben Davies to concede a corner and then, when it came in, an attempted clearance hit him from close range and there were appeals for handball. They weren’t successful, but the ball struck his arm, albeit as close to his body as you could get … but they have been given, as we well know.

Twenty-five minutes in, Lo Celso slipped a pass to meet Kane’s run wide right of the goal and he played a low ball in, which Moura was just beaten to. However, it went back across the box to Doherty, who forced the keeper into a save with a rising shot that was tipped over the bar. 

A simple goal was set up for Lucas Moura on 32 minutes to double Tottenham’s lead. Gareth Bale played a ball wide to Harry Kane on the right with the outside of his left foot and it was rolled across the goalmouth first time to lay it on a plate for Moura coming in at the far post to tap into the net. Both teams had been a bit guilty of giving the ball away to easily, but when Tottenham put their passes together, they looked very threatening.

Ludogorets did get forward after the second goal, with the ball being deflected off Dier, as he tried to block it and going just wide, after Joe Hart had to scramble across goal having gone the other way initially. Kane almost got a second, when Doherty’s cross was deflected up into the air at the far post and Bale headed across goal to Harry, whose header was saved. He then forced Iliev to another stop after Lo Celso stretched to play him in on the right side of goal. Racking up the shots on goal, you had a feeling that another was coming, but as it was both sides were caught offside as the half petered out.

Ludogorets got back in the game when they scored through Kerseru, volleying past Hart from close range after a block on substitute Tekpetey’s shot looped the ball up over our defence, finding him alone eight yards out. It was much like Kane’s early chance in the match and he took it very well, but it put Tottenham back under pressure. It showed, as passing got ragged and they needed to settle
back into the pattern of the first half, where they controlled the play well. Vinicius struck a ball way too high when the ball was played back to him by Gio and then Doherty’s back-heel provided Lo Celso with a shot that he put a couple of feet wide of the goal.

Son came on for Lucas on the hour and with Hojbjerg breaking away, he received the ball from the Dane and it looked to the goalkeeper that he was going to shoot, but poked it square for Lo Celso to score from the six yard line. It was an immediate impact and a vital goal, as the next one in the game would have been important and it was more important for Spurs to get it.

Bergwijn’s introduction almost brought a goal with his first touch, as he drilled Son’s pass across goal and narrowly wide of the far post. Ludogorets went looking for a goal when Yankov ran at Toby and could only finish it with a side-footed effort straight at Hart from the edge of the box, with Alderweireld backing off. Then Cauly came inside from a right-wing throw-in and smashed a shot at
goal, but it swerved away from the target, when he should have concentrated on getting it on goal. The same player then poked a shot from 10 yards out at the Spurs keeper after the ball had pin-balled around the area.

Winks tried to play in Ndombele five yards outside of the box, but he was brought down by Santana from behind – possibly a worse foul than that which Doherty had just been booked for. Dier shaped to take it, but Hojbjerg dipped one that forced Iliev to take it at the second attempt. There was lots of space for Tottenham when Ludogorets lost the ball, but sloppy, under-hit passing failed to make the most of the possession. Bergwijn did well to get past Terziev on the left of the box, squaring across the goal to Vinicius, who wasn’t alert to the ball and the chance went begging. Stevie had a chance of his own in the last minute of normal time when the ball ran away from Tanguy, but he scuffed it into the ground and wide.

So, the full-strength side put in a performance full of strength and control that was far too much for the Bulgarian side. Kane could have given Spurs a flying start, but he started the scoring, which opened the way for him to create the second for Moura. The goal for the home side was fortunate in the way it came about, but the decisive goal went our way, allowing Spurs to see out the match and take the three points that put them level on points with Antwerp and LASK, but were top on their goal difference.

Steve Harrington

Harry Kane plays his 300th Spurs game.
Harry Kane scores his 200th Spurs goal.
Harry Kane scores his 100th Spurs away goal.