Tottenham Hotspur continued their undefeated run in the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League campaign with a 1-0 win over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar after Richarlison converted his first goal of the season from the spot. Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou made nine changes from their 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham United last weekend, with the Brazilian forward, Rodrigo Bentancur and Fraser Forster all notable additions to the side.
Seventeen-year-old Mikey Moore – who was making his first home start for the club – almost found the back of the net inside the first five minutes after Timo Werner delivered a delicious ball into the box, but his glancing header sailed just wide of the post.
AZ were forced into an early change when Ruben van Bommel – son of legend Mark van Bommel – suffered a lower leg injury inside 10 minutes, which also forced a slight tweak in attacking formation, with their two wingers switching sides.
Spurs had a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock when Lucas Bergvall played a ball over the top with the outside of his boot which fell perfectly to Timo Werner, but the finish was tame and right at Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro. Following that miss, Spurs were almost made to pay for it immediately, with Alexandre Penetra’s header forcing Forster to make the acrobatic save to keep the scores tied at 1-1.
Forster had to be quick off the mark and race to the edge of his box when Werner’s back pass found the path of substitute Denso Kasius, but fortunately for the North London side, no damage was done, and they would enter half-time tied at 0-0.
Spurs had an electric start to the second-half with Moore dribbling through the midfield with his outside ball somehow finding half-time substitute and the in-form winger, Brennan Johnson, though the strike was cut out by the AZ defender. Almost immediately after, Moore’s cross from the left-wing almost went all the way, but a firm hand from Owusu-Oduro denied him his first senior goal.
Spurs’ early pressure was rewarded when they were awarded a penalty after Bergvall was brought down in the box. Initially, it looked as though James Maddison would step up to take the spot kick, but he would give it to Richarlison after his power of persuasion, and he calmly slotted it down the middle to kick off his 2024/25 goalscoring campaign.
In typical Spurs fashion, though, the game never looked comfortable, and Mayckel Lahdo’s strike almost troubled Spurs, though Forster held strong as the last line of defence. AZ would see red with five minutes to go after left-back David Moller Wolfe was handed a second yellow for his unnecessary foul on Johnson in the middle of the park.
Spurs had a late cry for a penalty after Destiny Udogie was caught high up the leg in the box, but after a lengthy VAR check, no penalty was given and play was resumed. With three wins from three, Spurs now move up to second in the revamped Europa League table with Galatasaray, AS Roma, and Rangers next to come.
Tottenham vs AZ – Match Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
Tottenham | Statistic | AZ |
60 | Possession (%) | 40 |
16 | Shots | 9 |
5 | Shots on Target | 3 |
6 | Corners | 4 |
3 | Saves | 4 |
0 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
Match Highlights
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK – Fraser Forster – 6/10
Was at full stretch to deny Alexandre Penetra from opening the scoring on the half hour mark in what was his first real action of the contest.
LB – Destiny Udogie – 8/10
There was a reason why he was one of just two players to keep his place in the side from the weekend’s win against the Hammers. He was electric when getting forward down the left-hand side, and was unlucky not to really create anything of substance from his deliveries into the area.
CB – Ben Davies – 6/10
Very solid at the back, and looked comfortable when making interceptions, though, admittedly, he had very little to do.
CB – Radu Dragusin – 6/10
Looked fairly steady in the first period, though he almost put his team in trouble when he tried to drift the ball past Poku and was caught by the opposing winger. Fortunately, nothing came from it.
RB – Archie Gray – 7/10
Looked to get forward when possible, and made a plethora of darting runs down the wing. Combined very well with Mikey Moore on the right-hand side.
CM – Lucas Bergvall – 7/10
Played a beautiful ball over the top with the outside of his foot for Werner to run onto in the first half, but the end result robbed him of what would have been an excellent assist. Arguably one of his better performances in lilywhite.
CM – James Maddison – 8/10
Captaining the side tonight with Son Heung-min ruled out the contest and Cristian Romero on the bench, Maddison looked fresh out of the blocks having been substituted at half-time last weekend, and was Spurs’ key creative spark in the first half, operating from that coveted No. 10 position. Was one of two players who could have been Man of the Match, though on this one occasion, it had to go elsewhere.
CM – Rodrigo Bentancur – 7/10
Looked a steady force in the centre of the midfield three, and was very accurate with his passing, though he preferred to pass backwards and sideways instead of forward.
LW – Timo Werner – 4/10
Played like a player with zero confidence, doing all the hard work (off the ball movement, runs) well, but lacking any real quality when he found himself in front of goal. It was unsurprising that he was subbed by Postecoglou at half-time.
ST – Richarlison – 6/10
Spurs’ number nine needed a goal more than anything, and he was gifted the chance to take the spot kick from his captain, which he made sure to dispatch with confidence in what was virtually his only real impact in the contest.
RW – Mikey Mooore – 8/10
After a slow start to the game, since moving over to the left-wing position to start the second half, he instilled fear in the opposing defence, looking to go forward and get the ball into the box at every opportunity.
Sub – Brennan Johnson – 7/10
Came on at half-time for Werner, and his energy was notable from the jump, with his first touch almost leading to a goal after a blinding ball played across the field by Moore.
Sub – Dominic Solanke – 6/10
By the time he had come on, the energy had slightly dissipated, but he showed some nice runs into the box, and his hold-up play was solid.
Sub – Dejan Kulusevski – N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub – Pape Matar Sarr – N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub – Wilson Odobert – N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
AZ Player Ratings
GK – Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro – 6/10
Dealt with the attacking pressure from Spurs well, keeping his team in the game right until the final whistle, making four vital saves, though he struggled with his passing accuracy, with his long balls tending to fall to the opposition.
LB – David Moller Wolfe – 5/10
One of AZ’s better defenders initially, though he was sent off with five minutes to play after picking up a second yellow card after running into the back of Johnson, bringing him down.
CB – Maxim Dekker – 6/10
Struggled at the back at times, losing possession multiple times, and was awarded a yellow card to cap off his game.
CB – Alexandre Penetra – 7/10
Was the best defender in the back line, and it was his four clearances, along with his blocked shot and interception, which ensured that AZ stayed in the game to the very end.
RB – Seiya Maikuma – 6/10
Struggled down the right-hand side and was eventually subbed off after having made virtually no impact on the game.
CM – Kristijan Belic – 6/10
Was fairly accurate with his passing, completing 21 of his 25 passes for 84 percent, and was a formidable force when it came to ground duels.
CM – Sven Mijnans – 7/10
Operated well in the No. 10 position, and always looked to play the ball forward, creating four key passes, and had two crosses into the box, one of which was accurate. One of AZ’s better players on the night.
CM – Jordy Clasie – 7/10
Was composed on the ball, completing 91 percent of his 55 passes. Alas, they were not necessarily forward ones, though he was accurate on two of his three long ball attempts.
LW – Ruben van Bommel – N/A
Went off with an injury inside the first 10 minutes.
ST – Troy Parrott – 7/10
Most of his work in the first half was done on the defensive side of the ball, but his effort cannot go unnoticed, leading his team from the front line. Didn’t get the opportunity to really have a crack on goal against his former club.
RW – Ernest Poku – 7/10
Was undoubtedly AZ’s brightest spark in the first half, looking threatening every time he made a run down the left wing after making the switch when van Bommel came off.
Sub – Denso Kasius – 7/10
Came on much earlier than he had perhaps expected after van Bommel’s injury and looked a threat when going forward. One of AZ’s lone bright sparks going forward.
Sub – Peer Koopmeiners – 5/10
Struggled to get in the contest after coming on, and would lose the ball more than he won it.
Sub – Mayckel Lahdo – 6/10
Despite getting just 20 minutes, it was Lahdo who came the closest to equalising for AZ, after an error from the back. But, Forster kept him at bay.
Sub – Dave Kwakman – N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub – Mexx Meerdink – N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Man of the Match
Mikey Moore (Tottenham)
Based on his second-half performance alone, in which he ran riot and looked to terrorise the AZ defence every time he was able to get forward, it was Mikey Moore – the game’s youngest player – who deservedly earned tonight’s award. His infectious energy driving forward to begin the second-half helped Spurs pile the pressure on AZ, and it was this reinvigorated energy that saw the North London side fill the box, and win a penalty as a result.
After the game, Maddison even went on to state to TNT Sports that he felt like he had Neymar out there alongside him on the wing – high praise indeed for a very talented winger with seemingly limitless potential.
If people didn’t know about Moore before, they certainly do now, and he could well be a secret weapon for Postecoglou to integrate more into his game plans as the season goes on.