Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Ludogorets: 5 talking points from an easy win for Spurs | Europa League 2020-21
In what turned out to be a straightforward game, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Ludogorets 4-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a Europa League game tonight.
The result puts Tottenham on the verge of qualification for the knockout stages, and with a win over LASK next week, their spot will be secured.
Two goals from Carlos Vinicius opened Tottenham's scoring in the first half, as Ludogorets offered very little resistance to wave after wave of attacks. The second half saw a wonder goal from Harry Winks, as he lobbed the goalkeeper from 53 yards, and finally, a nicely taken strike from Lucas Moura sealed the result.
Here are five talking points from Tottenham’s easy win over Ludogorets.
#1 Tottenham won’t have an easier game this season
Tottenham might’ve brushed aside Ludogorets a couple of weeks ago and also defeated LASK comfortably prior to that. Still, Jose Mourinho’s side are unlikely to find an easier game than this one all season. Even by Europa League group stage standards, this was a complete walkover.
Tottenham came out with plenty of attacking intent from the off here, with the likes of Dele Alli and Carlos Vinicius clearly looking to shine. And they were faced with the perfect opponents, as Ludogorets simply offered nothing in return.
The Bulgarian side basically couldn’t get out of their own half for the entire match and ended the game with 39% possession and not a single shot on goal. Even when they forced a corner late in the second half, the ball was fired comfortably into the arms of substitute keeper Alfie Whiteman.
Obviously, not every game can be this simple, even for a side as good as Tottenham. But this was the perfect warm-up for Sunday’s big Premier League clash with Chelsea.
Mourinho was able to give not only his fringe players but some young prospects a run-out, nobody appeared to pick up an injury, and the result was in the bag from the moment Vinicius opened the scoring.
After some dodgy European showings from Spurs this season, this one was faultless, and Mourinho will surely be pleased.
#2 Ndombele was absolutely fantastic in the first half
While the likes of Carlos Vinicius, Dele Alli, and Harry Winks worked hard to prove their worth in tonight’s game, it was one of Jose Mourinho’s usual starters – Tanguy Ndombele – who shone the brightest overall.
The first half saw the Frenchman have an absolute stormer from a slightly deeper-lying role in midfield. Ludogorets simply couldn’t handle him in the slightest, and he ended the half with the most touches (63), the most passes completed in the Ludogorets half (41), and also won the most tackles, too.
Obviously, his most impressive moment was the Jack Grealish-esque run that eventually led to Vinicius’ second goal. But overall, his performance was fantastic.
And given that he did play from a slightly more deep-lying role, could it be that Mourinho will now play him ahead of Moussa Sissoko alongside Giovani Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in Sunday’s clash with Chelsea? It’s certainly an intriguing prospect.
Either way, right now, there aren’t many Tottenham players on as good form as the Frenchman, and given his struggles last season, it’s brilliant to see.