After a lengthy kick-off delay due to Qarabag encountering some travel issues, Tottenham Hotspur eventually got their 2024/25 UEFA Europa League campaign underway on Thursday evening.
And despite Radu Dragusin seeing red inside the opening ten minutes of the game, Spurs got their European adventure off to a perfect start, with goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke securing a comfortable 3-0 win.
Here were Tottenham’s best and worst-performing players in the win, according to 90min’s player ratings.
Dominic Solanke: 9/10
Dominic Solanke had shown some signs of what he’s capable of in the first few weeks of his Tottenham career, but Thursday felt like the time when the striker finally announced himself to the Spurs faithful.
The striker was in top, top form against Qarabag.
He harassed the opposition defence by pressing high to win back possession before teeing up Brennan Johnson for the opening goal of the game, and showed off his poacher’s instincts to cap off the scoring in the second half.
*Extremely High School Musical voice* This could be the start of something new for Tottenham.
Honourable mention
Pape Matar Sarr: 8/10
Sarr probably didn’t expect to put in as big a shift as he did against Qarabag. However, after one of his midfield partners – Lucas Bergvall – was sacrificed after Dragusin saw red, Sarr was tasked with a lot in the middle of the park.
And he more than stepped up to the plate.
As well as completing 92% of his passes and battling hard out of possession in midfield, Sarr also popped up in the box to net Tottenham’s second goal of the game. Nice one.
Radu Dragusin: 1/10
Dragusin was handed a rare start, and a rare opportunity to prove himself to his head coach Ange Postecoglou against Qarabag.
The result?
The defender dragged a Qarabag player to the ground when he was the last line of defence, earning himself a straight red card inside eight minutes of kick off.
Not ideal.
