Tottenham Hotspur’s quest to qualify for the Europa League knockout stage nudged a little closer after they defeated Ludogorets in Bulgaria on Thursday evening.
Jose Mourinho wanted a reaction and boy did he get one as Spurs romped home to a 3-1 victory in Group J, though for now, they remain behind Royal Antwerp in the standings.
The north Londoners took the lead through Harry Kane in typical fashion, heading home his 200th goal for the club in the 13th minute. His assister, Lucas Moura, then became goalscorer by doubling the advantage before Giovani Lo Celso sealed it after the home side had clawed one back in the second half.
Supporters voted for the Argentine playmaker as their Man of the Match on Twitter, which echoed the thoughts of the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who lauded him as Spurs’ “star man” on the night.
However, it was Lucas Moura who shone above everyone else – even if he was withdrawn after just an hour. That only goes to show he did enough to creep into Mourinho’s plans for West Brom on Sunday.
Per SofaScore, the €40m-rated (£36m) winger picked up the highest rating on the pitch (8.9) and also recorded four tackles, four dribbles and two key passes.
Moura won 75% of his duels, both on the ground and aerially, delivered one accurate cross and created Kane’s opener.
It’s no wonder that former teammate Jan Vertonghen, who is now at fellow Europa League side Benfica, once lauded him as an “unbelievable player” who is “just a nightmare” to play against in training.
The Brazilian dynamo stole the show in Bulgaria on Thursday night and deserves way more plaudits for how he’s been performing as of late.
That goal was his third in the competition this season – there’s just something about Moura and playing in Europa – remember Ajax?
Right now, there’s a chance that he’s the man to keep Gareth Bale out of the starting XI in the Premier League and that would be some feat to achieve.
AND in other news, £18m-rated Spurs lightweight has given Jose Mourinho a new headache…