Tottenham vs CSKA Moscow: Spurs finally win at Wembley to secure Europa League spot
Tottenham 3 CSKA Moscow 1: Harry Kane and Dele Alli (2) turned the game for Spurs
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Your support makes all the difference.It took until December, but Tottenham Hotspur finally produced a Champions League performance to be proud of last night. They showed that they can play at this level, and they showed that they can play at Wembley, dispatching CSKA Moscow with a 3-1 win that was far more one-sided than the scoreline might suggest.
Spurs ensured that their European season will continue into the new year, as their third placed finish in Group E sends them into the last-32 of the Europa League, which begins again in February. It is not always glamorous, but it has its rewards, and will give Tottenham another chance to fill Wembley in the spring.
Tottenham’s dominance of this match made a mockery of the ‘Wembley curse’ as they played with the confidence, freedom and verve that has been missing from their game for so much of this year. They could very easily have racked up double figures against a CSKA side with little obvious interest in being here. Too little, too late, of course, but still better than playing badly.
Having just put five past Swansea City on Saturday, Spurs can now claim to be on better form than they have been all season. They have beaten two very limited teams, but can go to Old Trafford on Sunday with a real sense of momentum and confidence, two things that they have been absolutely devoid of since the October international break came straight after they beat Manchester City at home.
More importantly than these two wins is the crucial point that Spurs’ top players are playing well again. This was Christian Eriksen’s best performance of the season, in his new inside-right role. He found space naturally, delivered the ball perfectly and, with better finishing, he would have left Wembley with at least a hat-trick of assists to his name.
Inside him, Dele Alli ran riot as the number 10 in behind Harry Kane. He scored Spurs’ first, nearly scored their third and could have had another four or five in between. CSKA could never pick up his runs and by the second half just resorted to kicking him.
This was a very serious Spurs team, arguably a stronger one than any fielded by Mauricio Pochettino in the Champions League this season. He only made one change from the side that battered Swansea, with Harry Winks coming in for Mousa Dembele. Winks was excellent again, controlling the tempo in midfield, starting Spurs’ best moves and looking like he had started far more than four senior games before this one.
And as important as any of this was the fact that Toby Alderweireld returned, after almost two months out with a knee injury, and was roared on by 62,000 Spurs fans. With him back on Sunday, Spurs look closer to full strength than they have done all season.
Spurs started this game like a side desperate to make a point, about Wembley, about the Champions League and about themselves. Alli, Heung-Min Son, Eriksen and Alli should have put Spurs 4-0 up in a frantic early burst, in which Spurs finally showed they could play their natural game here.
Those missed chances made it even more infuriating when CSKA took the lead with their first attack. Spurs were switched off at the back and Zoran Tosic beat Jan Vertonghen to flick on Natcho’s long ball. Alan Dzagoev ran onto it, away from Eric Dier, giving the Russians a remarkable lead.
Spurs could have collapsed but they responded with two goals just before the break, giving them a lead they never surrendered. First Kane and Walker moved the ball to Eriksen, free in space on the right. He crossed to Alli at the far post, who, after missing two easier chances, hit the hardest one into the far top corner.
Now everything looked easy and they scored their second straight after. Eriksen clipped the ball round the corner to Danny Rose. He hit a first time cross and there was Kane at the far post to tap in. Spurs went into the break ahead, even if they had to go the long way round.
The second half was a constant battering of the CSKA goal, with too many Spurs chances to list. Kane could have had a second half hat-trick but it when the third goal finally arrived, it owed to a lucky bounce.
Alli headed Kane’s cross at Akinfeev, who dived to save, but kicked the ball in with his left foot. Only now could Spurs relax, although Alderweirled nearly scored two headers during his brief cameo, so bad was CSKA’ s defending. United will not be this bad on Sunday, but Spurs have their confidence back. A disappointing autumn could give way to a promising winter.
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Wanyama; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane (Onomah, 82)
CSKA (4-2-3-1): Akinfeev; Nababkin, V. Berezutski, A. Berezutski, Schennikov; Dzagoev, Natcho; Tosic (Gordyushenko, 71), Golovin (Chalov, 45), Milanov; Traore
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