Son Heung-min and Tanguy Ndombele stood out but Joe Hart was sub-par as Tottenham were held to a 3-3 draw by LASK in the Europa League on Thursday.
LASK were the dominant of the two sides for large parts of the game and came the closest to scoring in the first quarter of the game when Johannes Eggestein struck the woodwork in the 20th minute. The hosts duly took the lead late in the first half, as Peter Michorl found the bottom right corner from just outside the box.
However, Tottenham pulled back on level terms on the stroke of half-time, as Gareth Bale scored from the spot after Tanguy Ndombele’s close-range shot struck the hand of Andres Andrade. Ndombele was involved again as Spurs made it 2-1 early into the second period, slipping Son Heung-min through for the lead.
However, a frantic end to the game would see Dele Alli score a penalty, sandwiched between two equalisers by LASK, who scored from outside the box each time, through Eggestein and Mamoudou Karamoko. In the end, the spoils were shared with the solitary point ensuring Tottenham’s progress to the UEFA Europa League Round of 32. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jose Mourinho’s men.
Joe Hart: 4/10
A night to forget for Joe Hart. While the Tottenham deputy goalkeeper did make one big save in the first half, he did not really cover himself in glory for the first two goals that LASK scored. The veteran custodian should have reacted better for Peter Michorl’s strike, while Johannes Eggestein’s shot went into the Spurs goal after hitting his arm.
Matt Doherty: 5/10
Not the best of evenings for Doherty, who did not really help his case for becoming the first-choice right-back for Tottenham. The Irishman lost the ball in the build-up to the first LASK goal and did not really impose himself defensively, bar a few positive moments. On the ball, he was quite sloppy, losing possession a staggering 26 times. Needs to do better.
Davinson Sanchez: 4/10
At a time when his future is up in the air, Sanchez needs to be a lot more solid at the back. Against LASK on Thursday, it was quite the opposite, as he was caught out of position before Eggestein scored the second goal for the hosts before giving Karamoko too much space to shoot for the third. Did win 7 duels, although his passing from the back was sub-par. A lot to ponder over.
Japhet Tanganga: 6/10
A lot better than Sanchez at the heart of the Tottenham defence, Tanganga made a couple of critical blocks in addition to clearing out danger at every possible opportunity. Threaded some fine long balls, although he too was wasteful on the ball. Did win each of the duels he contested (4).
Ben Davies: 6/10
The skipper on the night, Davies fared much better than his full-back partner. While he was mostly camped in his own half, Davies won 3 duels and made a couple of vital clearances. However, like the rest of the defenders, the Welshman gave the ball away plenty of times, completing just 59 per cent of his passes.
Giovani Lo Celso: 5/10
Back into the starting lineup, Lo Celso was well off his best. Like several of his teammates, the Argentine was wasteful on the ball, losing possession 20 times. Did work hard off the ball, but it was his attempts to carry the ball and create opportunities that left a lot to be desired.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 6/10
The enforcer was at it after a slow start to the game. Hojbjerg, who has been one of the standouts this season for Tottenham, was all over the place and did the cleanup job quite well. Won 6 duels, completed 4 interceptions as well as 3 tackles. His passing was relatively better than his midfield partner as well. Solid enough.
Gareth Bale: 6/10
"We want to compete in every competition possible and the @EuropaLeague is just as important."
? Catching up with @GarethBale11 after tonight's game. #UEL ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/IuQB1IMONt
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 3, 2020
A night when Bale could not be faulted for a lack of effort. However, his end product was lacking severely against LASK, apart from one moment when he squared the ball to Son Heung-min. Did not complete any cross and lost the ball 16 times. The saving grace for him was the penalty he converted to bring Tottenham back into the game. Making gradual progress.
Tanguy Ndombele: 7/10
The star of the show for Tottenham. The mainstay in Spurs’ midfield produced an all-action display as he looked to harry the LASK midfielders off the ball while looking to link up smartly with his teammates. Ndombele had a hand in the first two Tottenham goals, with the pass for Son being delightful, to say the least. What a turnaround Ndombele continues to enjoy.
Lucas Moura: 4/10
Poor from Lucas Moura, who just did not carry any threat whatsoever. The Brazilian, who saw very little of the ball anyway, was sloppy when he did see some action apart from creating one chance. Worked hard off the ball, though, supporting Davies quite well.
Son Heung-min: 7/10
Installed as the central striker in the absence of Carlos Vinicius and Harry Kane, Son was deprived of service for large parts of the game. The South Korean international was himself quite wasteful when he did get the ball at his feet. However, he made no error in finding the back of the net when put through by Ndombele. In the end, Son did his part.
Son Heung Min scores after a absolute gem of a pass from Tanguy Ndombele. Tottenham leads#COYS | #THFC
— Spurs On Tap (@SpursOnTap) December 3, 2020
SUBSTITUTES
Steven Bergwijn: 6/10
On for Ndombele, Bergwijn hardly saw the ball but made an impact when he won the penalty late on, which was converted by Dele Alli.
Moussa Sissoko: 6/10
Sissoko was typically industrious in the final quarter of the game and his introduction helped assert Tottenham’s dominance before the late surge by LASK.
Eric Dier: 5/10
Dier’s introduction saw Tottenham shifting to a back-three, but his presence hardly worked as Spurs allowed LASK to score two late goals.
Dele Alli: N/A
A late introduction, Alli did his best to help Tottenham to all three points, calmly slotting the penalty. However, it was not enough in the end.
Serge Aurier: N/A
A late introduction, Aurier did not play enough to warrant a rating.
