Llorente finally off the mark for Spurs
HIS beaming smile and over-zealous embrace with Serge Aurier summed it up. Finally, Fernando Llorente has lift-off. On his 17th appearance since joining from Swansea for £12million, Llorente scored his first goal for Tottenham as the Premier League side finished their Champions League group campaign with a routine win over APOEL Nicosia.
Llorente needed this. Mauricio Pochettino believed he had finally found the man to provide authentic competition for Harry Kane when the Tottenham boss hijacked Chelsea’s move for Llorente in the dying hours of the summer transfer window.
It has not gone according to plan, but this is a start. With the monkey off his back, Llorente will feel he can finally settle into life as a Spurs player.
With their place at the top of Group H already guaranteed, the pressure was off for Pochettino. The Argentine used the encounter to rest a host of regulars.
Kane, Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier and Christian Eriksen were given the night off as Llorente, GeorgesKevin N’Koudou and 19-year-old Argentine Juan Foyth were given rare starts.
The encounter wasn’t a total dead rubber. APOEL were vying for third place and entry into the Europa League. And the Cypriots held on for 20 minutes, though that was more by luck than skill.
Aurier and Heung-min Son fired narrowly wide from distance inside the opening four minutes before N’Koudou and Davinson Sanchez were foiled by a combination of goalkeeper Nauzet Perez and Jesus Rueda’s instinctive, but fortunate, goal-line clearance.
Foyth glanced a header from Danny Rose’s corner narrowly wide before Tottenham finally broke the deadlock. Llorente’s touch and swivelled finish from eight yards was expertly executed.
The chance was created by Harry Winks’s vision to spread the play and Aurier’s cross.
Llorente was also involved in Tottenham’s second in the 37th minute, his touch teeing up Son who stroked past Perez from the edge of the area.
APOEL tried to mount a secondhalf comeback, Mickael Pote squandering two decent chances early after the restart, but Spurs quickly regained control.
Llorente missed with the goal at his mercy and Son sent a free-kick over before N’Koudou scored his first goal for Spurs in the 80th minute.
How Pochettino must wish every day can be a Champions League day. His side have taken 16 out of a possible 18 points in a group that included Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
And yet Tottenham are without a win in four Premier League matches.
Pochettino will hope it is this easy again when Stoke come to Wembley at the weekend. He is likely to be disappointed. TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Vorm 6; Aurier 7, Foyth 6.5, Sanchez 7, Rose 6.5 (WalkerPeters 70min, 6); Sissoko 6.5, Winks 7; N’Koudou 7, Alli 7 (Sterling 88), Son 7 (Dembele 65, 6); LLORENTE 7.5. Subs not used: Gazzaniga, Vertonghen, Davies, Amos. Scorers: Llorente 20, Son 37, N’Koudou 80. Booked: Aurier, Rose. Manager: Mauricio Pochettino 7. APOEL (4-2-3-1): Nauzet Perez 5.5; Vouros 5.5, Rueda 5, Carlao 6, Roberto Lago 6; Vinicius 5 (Sallai 46, 5), Nuno Morais 5; Zahid 5, Ebelcilio 5.5, Aloneftis 5 (De Carmargo 75); Pote 6 (Antoniou 81). Subs not used: Gudino, Alexandrou, Farias, Merkis. Booked: Sallai, Rueda. Manager: Giorgos Donis 5.5. Referee: Slavko Vincic (Svn) 6.5. Attendance: 42,679.