Tottenham’s European hopes left in tatters
Tottenham Hotspur 2 (2) Eriksen (10), Wanyama (61) KAA Gent 2 (3) Kane (20 og), Perbet (82)
For most of Tottenham’s drained players this was a night of disappointment but pride, as they pushed
themselves to the physical limit at Wembley against KAA Gent, even if they did end up out of Europe. For Dele Alli, though, this was a night of shame. He was sent off for a disgraceful first-half foul on Brecht Dejaegere, the worst of his career, a moment of desperate and costly recklessness.
This was always going to be difficult after losing 1-0 in Belgium last week and at no point tonight were Spurs heading through to the last-16. But for 10 minutes in the first half and 20 minutes in the second half they were just one goal away, pinning Gent back with their constant pressure, always just unable to find the decisive touch.
But ultimately the task was made too difficult for Tottenham by the fact that they had to play more than 50 minutes of the game with 10 men. It was just before the break and the score was 1-1 on the night, with Spurs starting to grow anxious after starting well but conceding a Harry Kane own goal.
Alli lost the ball, thought he was fouled and did not get the free-kick. So he took out his frustration on the shin of Dejaegere with a tackle that was so high and so reckless that it could have caused serious injury. It was a tackle so bad that the red card he was given felt barely sufficient. It was shocking for its irresponsibility, both to Dejaegere’s career but also to Spurs’ Europa League campaign. That set up a second half in which Spurs, even down to 10 men, with everything stacked against them, threw everything they had at a Genk side packed inside their own half. Kane and Christian Eriksen gave it their all as the new front two, chasing lost causes, running in behind, looking like two players desperate not to wake up on Friday morning without a stake in the draw.
For 15 minutes the ball looked like it would not go in until Eriksen laid it off to Victor Wanyama on the edge of the box. Gent were so deep that Wanyama found space and he curled the ball into the net.
Wembley erupted but there was still more to do.
The problem was that Spurs’ 10 men put so much energy into the game that they could not sustain it, even when Heung-Min Son and Harry Winks came on. There was one moment when Stefan Mitrovic nearly headed in an own goal but Spurs started to tire and with so many bodies up the pitch, they were exposed on the break. First Moses Simon should have ended the tie when he popped up at the far post only to put his header into the side netting. Then, with eight minutes left, Gent finally killed Tottenham off. Kalifa Coulibaly ran forward, holding off Jan Vertonghen, trying to square the ball. Eric Dier got in the way but it found its way to substitute Jeremy Perbet. His shot deflected off the unfortunate DIer, rolling past Hugo Lloris and in.
At 2-2 on the night, Spurs were back to needing another two goals to go through and everyone knew it was not going to happen. The Spurs players collapsed to the floor, with all of their efforts having come to nothing. They will not be in the Europa League last-16 which means that the FA Cup is the only trophy they can win this season. If they do not then, after three years of progress, the Mauricio Pochettino project cannot be said to have reached its destination yet.
Of course it might be that Spurs’ being out of Europe improves their domestic results over the final stretch but the fact is that any big teams want to stay in Europe at this stage of the season. Spurs need to prove that they can compete on all front at the same time, getting over the line in the biggest games, and that is exactly what they still struggle with.
What was so frustrating for Pochettino is that, while the second half was a heroic effort, in the first 20 minutes they played some exceptional football. After appearing to rescue their season at Craven Cottage last Sunday, Spurs started in a similar vein today, switching back to the 3-5-2 system with which they played some of their best football at the turn of the year.
It worked so well, despite what happened afterwards. Spurs were brilliant for most of the first half, playing exactly the type of fast, aggressive football that Pochettino demands of them. They got the ball forward and wide quickly, they got crosses into the box and did not give Gent a second to think.
It was no surprise when Spurs took the lead, levelling the tie, after just 10 minutes. Eric Dier, back in the side after a rest, played a hopeful ball down the right wing into space. Three Gent defenders were under it, they all left it to each other and Christian Eriksen picked it up. Through on goal, he tucked a disguised finish into the net.
Spurs continued to throw everything at Gent in pursuit of a second goal to send them through. But it did not come and 10 minutes later Gent had equalised. From a disputed corner, Mitrovic won a header at the far post, looping the ball back towards goal. Kane got up to head it away but the ball flew off his head and into the net. Spurs started to panic and it showed in Alli’s wild foul, a moment from which, for all their efforts, Spurs never truly recovered.
Tottenham (3-4-1-2): Lloris; Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Walker, Dembele (Winks, 75), Wanyama, Davies (Son, 64); Eriksen; Kane, Alli
Gent (3-4-3): Kalinic; Gigot, Mitrovic, Gershon; Foket, Dejaegere (Verstraete, 56), Esiti, Saief; Simon (Perbet, 75), Coulibaly, Milicevic
MoM Kane Rating 7