Tottenham Hotspur got back on the winning track in the UEFA Europa League with a 3-1 win over Ludogorets Razgrad on Thursday night.
Goals from Harry Kane -- his 200th for the club in 300 appearances -- and Lucas Moura put the Premier League side in a good position to secure all three points, and after a Claudiu Keseru strike helped to threaten a comeback, Giovani Lo Celso's second-half goal sealed the deal.
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Positives
If there is one word that could be used to describe this performance it would be "smothering." Tottenham were all over the underdogs like a rash and they constantly forced the issue, even when the score was looking fairly comfortable. They didn't let their foot off of the gas and that led to a really professional outing.
Negatives
There were definitely times when Ludogorets were given the freedom to surge through the midfield, and while they rarely had the quality necessary to punish Spurs for that, it was a sign of overconfidence that could've come back to haunt the visitors. They also lacked the killer instinct they needed to really put the result to bed, and as such, the scoreline somewhat flattered their opponents.
Manager rating out of 10
8 -- Jose Mourinho was far more animated than usual on the touchline, and when you combine that with the attacking starting XI he put out, it was clear to see he wanted a quick start to banish the memory of the Antwerp loss. He set the side up well, made changes to keep players fit for the weekend and held his nerve in the face of a potential comeback.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Joe Hart, 6 -- The former England international could've come off his line quicker for the goal but produced some nice saves to make up for it, and in general, he was a commanding presence between the posts.
DF Matt Doherty, 7 -- Controlled his side of the pitch nicely, worked well in both halves of the pitch and was very well-rounded from the first minute until the last.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 7 -- Served as a calming veteran influence in the defence on a relatively uneventful night for the Belgian.
DF Eric Dier, 5 -- While he did attack corners well and held his own for long spells, there's an argument to be made that he should've been quicker to react for Ludogorets' goal.
DF Ben Davies, 7 -- Looked fairly confident when moving into the final third and kept his composure.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 5 -- Despite winning the ball back on a few occasions, Sissoko's overall contributions were minimal and his passing was questionable.
MF Harry Winks, 7 -- Produced one his most positive Spurs performances in a long time with a real positive drive in his play, as was highlighted by a great second-minute pass over to Kane.
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 8 -- Battled hard, added real creativity at every available moment and grabbed a well-deserved goal to kill off the game as a contest.
FW Gareth Bale, 7 -- The Welshman dropped deep and was pulling strings all over the pitch, culminating in a slick pass to help set up Tottenham's second of the evening.
FW Lucas Moura, 7 -- In addition to a nice in-swinging cross that set up Kane's opener, Moura managed to arrive at the back post for a tap-in to make it 2-0.
FW Harry Kane, 8 -- Tottenham's talisman was a constant danger and marked his 300th appearance for the club with his 200th goal. Also grabbed an assist in an effective 45 minutes on the pitch.
Substitutes
MF Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 7 -- Was able to shine once again with his crisp passing, good vision and solid positioning both in midfield and when tracking back.
MF Steven Bergwijn, 6 -- Looked active upon being introduced and came close to scoring with a low shot just seconds after his arrival.
MF Tanguy Ndombele, N/R -- Provided Spurs with another set of fresh legs but didn't do much to alter the tempo of the match.
FW Carlos Vinicius, 5 -- Worked hard to find opportunities for himself but wasted his best attempt of the game when firing over in the 53rd minute.
FW Son Heung-min, 7 -- Carried the ball forward brilliantly, put himself in several great positions and picked up an assist with his first touch of the game just seconds after coming on.