Spurs hopes hang in balance as Gent grab the advantage
good and put pressure on them to try and win a game.”
Other than keeping faith in his team to stage a Wembley comeback, Pochettino must also hope that Kane did not suffer a knee injury.
Asked how he would rotate over the next three games, against Fulham in the FA Cup, Gent and then Stoke City in the Premier League, Pochettino replied: “We need to assess some players. Harry Kane got a knock on his knee, different players too.”
Tottenham’s stars had told Pochettino that they wanted the chance to right the wrongs of the Liverpool defeat by starting in Gent, despite the club’s busy fixture list. But this was not much better.
Two moments summed up Tottenham’s sloppy first-half performance: Alli miscontrolled the ball straight out of play, and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sliced a straightforward kick out for a corner.
Spurs had been grateful to see Samuel Gigot shoot wide in the 20th minute, while a Kenneth Sayef effort was blocked after Kyle Walker had gifted him possession.
For all their misplaced passes and lethargy, Tottenham produced a couple of moments in the opening period from which they could have taken an undeserved lead. Alli fired a low drive just wide with Lovre Kalinic beaten, and Kane and Mousa Dembélé shot straight at the keeper from promising positions.
Pochettino switched to a back three at the break, with Ben Davies slotting in beside Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier, and Moussa Sissoko moving to left wing-back.
Tottenham certainly started the second half brighter, and it took only four minutes for Kane to hit the outside of a post after Alli had burst into the area.
Kane then teed up Dembélé, but the midfielder could not find the target. But just as Spurs had got on top, they were hit by a suckerpunch on the hour. Gent sprung the offside trap and Danijel Milicevic crossed for Perbet, who scuffed his first touch, but then managed to find the back of the net as Davies slid to the ground.
Milicevic hit a post after a mistake from the normally reliable Alderweireld, and Gent held on – much to the satisfaction of Arsenal’s beleaguered supporters back in England.