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Off the mark for Spurs, but it was a long time coming
Dembele (Son 65) 6 Walker-peters (Rose 70) 5 Sterling (Alli 88) MOTM FERNANDO LLORENTE is off the mark for Tottenham at the 17th attempt – and, just like celebrated archer William Tell, he took out an Apoel with a single shot.
Frustrated by his lack of game-time as Harry Kane’s understudy, Llorente’s Spurs career had suffered a false start to rival old bangers on a frosty morning.
But as the £12million Spaniard, pinched from under Chelsea’s noses last August, opened his account, Tottenham returned to winning ways at a stroll.
Ever since he gave European Cup holders Real Madrid a guided tour of Wembley’s wide-open spaces last month, the swagger has returned to Llorente’s stride.
In fairness, this was only 32-year-old Llorente’s fourth start for Spurs.
And if he was ever anxious about breaking his duck, he could not have asked for more accommodating opponents than the outclassed Cypriots.
There are no easy games in the Champions League – except Apoel Nicosia at home.
Critics who endure the competition’s group phase as a monument to tedium and wallpaper for TV schedules found plenty of ammunition for their grievances.
The pitch was flat, the atmosphere was flat and, after a presentable first half, Spurs’ performance fell flat.
After just one win in six games in another forlorn title race, at least this was more comforting than plink-plink fizz after the office Christmas party. But glory, glory nights in Europe are supposed to be more glamorous than the relentless drumming of 5,000 visiting fans. Can you hear the drums, Fernando?
Spurs’ latest addition to the scoresheet might even get a gallop in the Premier League double-header with Stoke and Brighton at Wembley over the next seven days.
As Mauricio Pochettino made eight changes from the weekend’s bruising draw at Watford, Wembley’s upper tier was so sparsely populated it resembled a join-the-dots grid.
And at ground level, there were almost as many gaps for Spurs to exploit – although it took 20 minutes for them to locate the target.
From Serge Aurier’s low cross, Llorente spun adroitly to fire his first goal for Tottenham.
Spurs were content to weave pretty patterns – nice but harmless, like a pair of Laura Ashley curtains – until eight minutes before the break.
Heung-min Son played an exquisite give-and-go with Llorente before curling the return pass left-footed into the corner from 18 yards.
Nice finish, but as a contest it had already matched routine training-ground drills for intensity by then.
And the game was in danger of petering out altogether until Georges-kevin Nkoudou, cutting in from the left, made it 3-0.
Nkoudou’s shot beat Apoel keeper Nauzet Perez with the help of a telling deflection off Jesus Rueda, but the French winger didn’t care.
He was another first-time scorer for Spurs on a night when Kazaiah Sterling, 19, enjoyed a three-minute walk-on part for his Tottenham debut.