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 settle into life as a Spurs player.
‘Today was an amazing opportunity for me. i am very happy as i can help my team to win,’ said Llorente. ‘it’s difficult when you don’t have a lot of opportunities but you have to work to help the team.’
pochettino added: ‘i’m pleased for him. players need time to adapt when they arrive at a new club. it’s important for him because strikers need to feel the net.’
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.
And Spurs’ stand-ins stood up. The Cypriots held on for 20 minutes, though that was more by luck than skill. Aurier and Son Heung-min fired narrowly wide from distance inside the opening four minutes.
Foyth glanced a header from Danny rose’s corner 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 driven 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.
Spurs were strolling in the second half. 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 on Saturday. He is likely to be disappointed.