- Tottenham held on for a 2-1 victory over Ferencvaros in Europa League
- Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson scored for the visitors
- Barnabas Varga netted late consolation
Tottenham made it two wins from two to kick-off their Europa League campaign as they overcame Ferencvaros 2-0 on Thursday evening.
As was the case against Qarabag last week, Spurs struggled through periods of the contest but scored at crucial moments to take the game away from the hosts on a wet night in Budapest.
Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson were on the scoresheet for Ange Postecoglou's side, while Barnabas Varga netted a late consolation for a Ferencvaros side that did create chances throughout.
How the match unfolded
There was great excitement among the Tottenham fanbase as the team news filtered through. Postecoglou was trusting the kids as he handed Will Lankshear and Mikey Moore their first competitive starts for the club.
Spurs struggled through the opening exchanges on a sodden Groupama Arena pitch, although Lankshear did spurn a good opportunity to give the visitors the lead. Ferencvaros offered a threat in behind and through the hold-up play of Varga, and the Hungarian forward thought he'd headed his side into the lead from a wicked Eldar Civic cross. His effort, however, was chalked off for offside.
It was after a period of Ferencvaros superiority when Tottenham took the lead. Sarr scored his second in as many Europa League outings as he finished from close range after the hosts made the mess of attempting to clear. Sarr tested Denis Dibusz on several occasions in the opening period, as did the bright Moore. Pedro Porro also had a lovely curling effort rebound off the post.
Chances continued to arrive at both ends after the restart, with Matheus Saldanha only being denied by a superb Guglielmo Vicario save to prevent the hosts from drawing level. Young Lankshear then came within inches of doubling Tottenham's lead before Timo Werner ought to have netted the visitors' second after a swift break, but his touch was far too heavy when he tried to round Dibusz.
The contest opened up considerably after the hour, making for great entertainment as the conclusion neared. Spurs didn't cease in their attempt to kill the game which handed the hosts numerous chances on the break. However, Ferencvaros failed to provide a killer touch when they arrived in the final third and were made to pay when Johnson scored his fifth in as many games to seal the points for the Premier League side - even if Varga clawed back a deserved goal late on.
Tottenham player ratings (4-3-3)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 8/10 - Beaten late on, but the Italian made a couple of outstanding saves before that and he was generally confident when claiming the high ball.
RB: Pedro Porro - 8/10 - Certainly took responsibility in a young Tottenham team. Found all sorts of angles in the build-up as his technical ability came to the fore. Porro was excellent.
CB: Cristian Romero - 6/10 - Crunched into tackles and delivered passes crisply through the lines, but this wasn't the Argentine's cleanest display.
CB: Archie Gray - 7/10 - Started in a position with which he's unfamiliar, and Varga did outduel him once or twice early. However, we got to enjoy Gray's impressive passing range and the comfort he supplies with the ball throughout. The hosts got in behind him when stationed at left-back.
LB: Ben Davies - 5/10 - Ferencvaros had early success crossing to back post early on, with Davies having little chance to compete against the likes of Varga.
CM: Yves Bissouma - 7/10 - Bissouma produces passes of infuriating laziness, but is also capable of the brilliant. We saw some wonderful sequences from the midfielder in this one, but he's got to be more consistent. Some of his footwork out of tight spaces was magic.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - 7/10 - On the scoresheet, but still looks a bit unsure of himself with the ball at his feet. Had a couple of loose moments, but his ability to recover was impressive.
CM: Lucas Bergvall - 5/10 - You could tell he was desperate to impress given what happened on matchday one, but the Swede could've done with a change of boots in the wet conditions. Took up some useful positions, but often lost his footing.
RW: Mikey Moore - 8/10 - A positive influence throughout, even if his execution wasn't always perfect. Quick feet and ever so dynamic, Moore is bound to play a part in this competition throughout the league phase at least.
ST: Will Lankshear - 7/10 - Spurned a couple of chances, but looked at ease overall. Held the ball up and ran the channels well. Certainly didn't do his hopes of earning more minutes any harm.
LW: Timo Werner - 5/10 - Had a bright early moment when he beat his man and crossed well for Lankshear, but Werner didn't produce much else and he should've killed the game when he was set through by Moore just before his withdrawal.
Substitutes
SUB: Brennan Johnson ( for Werner) - 7/10
SUB: Dejan Kulusevski ( for Lankshear) - 7/10
SUB: James Maddison ( for Bergvall) - 6/10
SUB: Dominic Solanke (81' for Sarr) - 6/10
Subs not used: Fraser Forster (GK, Brandon Austin (GK), Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven, Alfie Dorrington, Dante Cassanova, Oyindamola Ajayi
Manager
Ange Postecoglou - 7/10 - Loved his team selection and his senior stars entered the fray at the right time. His team were not water-tight at the back, but that's the Ange way! Well, kinda. Spurs' poorest defensive showings have arguably arrived in this competition.
