Tottenham player ratings vs Copenhagen: Give Micky van de Ven the Puskas Award! Defender's stunning solo goal caps crushing Champions League win for 10-man Spurs
Tottenham boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League with a commanding 4-0 win at home to Copenhagen, despite playing much of the second half one man light. Goalscorer Brennan Johnson was sent off with Spurs already two to the good, but Thomas Frank's side showed fantastic character to score twice more as they put in arguably their best performance of his tenure so far.Tottenham pulled ahead just before the 20-minute mark. Copenhagen clumsily gave the ball away in the Spurs half, allowing Rodrigo Bentancur to win possession back and hand the reins over to Xavi Simons, who quickly saw Johnson darting in behind the high defensive line and fed him down the right-hand channel. Goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski came a long way out of his box to challenge Johnson and missed, with the Welshman cooly rolling the ball in from a tight angle.Spurs ought to have doubled their lead before the break when a lovely, flowing team move saw Simons square the final pass for Randal Kolo Muani, who somehow fumbled the chance to score his first goal for his new club by firing wide from close range.Shortly after the restart, the hosts found that second goal. Pedro Porro's long ball over the top was chased all the way by Kolo Muani, who blocked Kotarski's clearance and retrieved the high clearance with an immaculate first touch before selflessly passing to Wilson Odobert to finish.But the game threatened to turn when Johnson was shown a red card on 57 minutes. The winger caught Marcos Lopez on his heel with his studs, and after consulting with VAR, the referee gave him his marching orders.However, that only seemed to galvanise Tottenham, who scored their third of the evening soon after. Joao Palhinha nicked the ball back on the edge of the Spurs penalty area, and Micky van de Ven proceeded to sprint almost the entire length of the pitch before firing beyond a helpless Kotarski. Seconds later, it was four. Another quick breakaway saw Odobert slip in centre-back Cristian Romero, who managed to reverse the ball back for Palhinha to smash in at the back stick.Richarlison rattled the underside of the crossbar with a powerful header from a Porro cross before Spurs received a penalty when Dane Scarlett was tripped by Junnosuke Suzuki. Brazil's No.9 stepped up and, would you believe it, hit the exact same spot on the bar again. However, that mattered little in the grand scheme of things as Tottenham ran out convincing winners.GOAL rates Spurs' players from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium...Guglielmo Vicario (6/10):Once roundly criticised for his inability to catch a cross, the Italian goalkeeper guarded his six-yard box superbly to hoover up Copenhagen crosses. Only really tested by way of shot-stopping from distance.Pedro Porro (7/10):Gave the ball away a couple of times in his own half early doors but was much better defensively here than he has been all season. Came up with the daring long ball which led to Odobert's goal.Cristian Romero (7/10):Swept up for Van de Ven whenever the Dutchman went marauding into midfield in a role-reversal of their usual tasks. Found himself playing up front for a brief few seconds before teeing up Palhinha for Spurs' fourth goal. Subbed for Danso.Micky van de Ven (8/10):Wow. Came into the game with a point to prove after walking off without clapping the fans against Chelsea on Saturday, left as the name on everyone's lips for the right reasons. Hardly troubled at the back and then ran Copenhagen ragged with one hell of a sprint right through their entire team to score Spurs' third.Destiny Udogie (7/10):Spurs have missed natural width down the left despite the emergence of Spence as an outstanding one-v-one defender. Combined well with Odobert throughout. Taken off for the England full-back eventually.Rodrigo Bentancur (7/10):One of several players eviscerated by Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football this week, but responded excellently with a top performance at the base of midfield, winning possession back and moving it on at pace.Pape Matar Sarr (7/10):The engine behind Tottenham's direct performance. Always looked to play the ball forward and bring attackers into play as soon as possible.Xavi Simons (8/10):His best performance in a Spurs shirt since moving from RB Leipzig at the end of the summer window. His clever thinking set Johnson racing away for the opener, while Kolo Muani denied the Dutchman two other assists in the first half. Sacrificed for Palhinha after the hosts were reduced to ten men.Brennan Johnson (7/10):From hero to zero, from an objective sense. Put Spurs ahead with a well-taken finish from a narrow angle, only for his night to end early after VAR recommended a red-card review for a high, if weak, foul on Lopez. Fortunately, this only spurred Tottenham on to demolish their visitors.Randal Kolo Muani (7/10):Missed a couple of sitters but was always in the right place at the right time and grabbed an assist for countryman Odobert. The fans showed their appreciation for his efforts with a standing ovation when coming off for Richarlison.Wilson Odobert (8/10):No single player has made the left wing spot their own at Spurs so far this season, but the young Frenchman strengthened his credentials with a goal while showing a growing understanding with the likes of Udogie, Simons and Kolo Muani. Subbed for Scarlett late on.Joao Palhinha (7/10):Brought on to shore up the midfield after Johnson's red card, ended up on the scoresheet. Now up to four goals in his Spurs career already. Technically got the assist for Van de Ven too.Richarlison (5/10):Replaced Kolo Muani. Hit the bar with a header and then a penalty.Djed Spence (6/10):Came on for Udogie.Kevin Danso (6/10):On for Romero.Dane Scarlett (7/10):Afforded some extremely rare first-team minutes in place of Odobert. Won the penalty which Richarlison missed.Thomas Frank (9/10):After the calamity of the Chelsea loss, Frank desperately needed a result and performance like this to improve his popularity among Tottenham fans. His selections and substitutions were spot on.
Tottenham boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League with a commanding 4-0 win at home to Copenhagen, despite playing much of the second half one man light. Goalscorer Brennan Johnson was sent off with Spurs already two to the good, but Thomas Frank's side showed fantastic character to score twice more as they put in arguably their best performance of his tenure so far.Tottenham pulled ahead just before the 20-minute mark. Copenhagen clumsily gave the ball away in the Spurs half, allowing Rodrigo Bentancur to win possession back and hand the reins over to Xavi Simons, who quickly saw Johnson darting in behind the high defensive line and fed him down the right-hand channel. Goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski came a long way out of his box to challenge Johnson and missed, with the Welshman cooly rolling the ball in from a tight angle.Spurs ought to have doubled their lead before the break when a lovely, flowing team move saw Simons square the final pass for Randal Kolo Muani, who somehow fumbled the chance to score his first goal for his new club by firing wide from close range.Shortly after the restart, the hosts found that second goal. Pedro Porro's long ball over the top was chased all the way by Kolo Muani, who blocked Kotarski's clearance and retrieved the high clearance with an immaculate first touch before selflessly passing to Wilson Odobert to finish.But the game threatened to turn when Johnson was shown a red card on 57 minutes. The winger caught Marcos Lopez on his heel with his studs, and after consulting with VAR, the referee gave him his marching orders.However, that only seemed to galvanise Tottenham, who scored their third of the evening soon after. Joao Palhinha nicked the ball back on the edge of the Spurs penalty area, and Micky van de Ven proceeded to sprint almost the entire length of the pitch before firing beyond a helpless Kotarski. Seconds later, it was four. Another quick breakaway saw Odobert slip in centre-back Cristian Romero, who managed to reverse the ball back for Palhinha to smash in at the back stick.Richarlison rattled the underside of the crossbar with a powerful header from a Porro cross before Spurs received a penalty when Dane Scarlett was tripped by Junnosuke Suzuki. Brazil's No.9 stepped up and, would you believe it, hit the exact same spot on the bar again. However, that mattered little in the grand scheme of things as Tottenham ran out convincing winners.GOAL rates Spurs' players from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium...Guglielmo Vicario (6/10):Once roundly criticised for his inability to catch a cross, the Italian goalkeeper guarded his six-yard box superbly to hoover up Copenhagen crosses. Only really tested by way of shot-stopping from distance.Pedro Porro (7/10):Gave the ball away a couple of times in his own half early doors but was much better defensively here than he has been all season. Came up with the daring long ball which led to Odobert's goal.Cristian Romero (7/10):Swept up for Van de Ven whenever the Dutchman went marauding into midfield in a role-reversal of their usual tasks. Found himself playing up front for a brief few seconds before teeing up Palhinha for Spurs' fourth goal. Subbed for Danso.Micky van de Ven (8/10):Wow. Came into the game with a point to prove after walking off without clapping the fans against Chelsea on Saturday, left as the name on everyone's lips for the right reasons. Hardly troubled at the back and then ran Copenhagen ragged with one hell of a sprint right through their entire team to score Spurs' third.Destiny Udogie (7/10):Spurs have missed natural width down the left despite the emergence of Spence as an outstanding one-v-one defender. Combined well with Odobert throughout. Taken off for the England full-back eventually.Rodrigo Bentancur (7/10):One of several players eviscerated by Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football this week, but responded excellently with a top performance at the base of midfield, winning possession back and moving it on at pace.Pape Matar Sarr (7/10):The engine behind Tottenham's direct performance. Always looked to play the ball forward and bring attackers into play as soon as possible.Xavi Simons (8/10):His best performance in a Spurs shirt since moving from RB Leipzig at the end of the summer window. His clever thinking set Johnson racing away for the opener, while Kolo Muani denied the Dutchman two other assists in the first half. Sacrificed for Palhinha after the hosts were reduced to ten men.Brennan Johnson (7/10):From hero to zero, from an objective sense. Put Spurs ahead with a well-taken finish from a narrow angle, only for his night to end early after VAR recommended a red-card review for a high, if weak, foul on Lopez. Fortunately, this only spurred Tottenham on to demolish their visitors.Randal Kolo Muani (7/10):Missed a couple of sitters but was always in the right place at the right time and grabbed an assist for countryman Odobert. The fans showed their appreciation for his efforts with a standing ovation when coming off for Richarlison.Wilson Odobert (8/10):No single player has made the left wing spot their own at Spurs so far this season, but the young Frenchman strengthened his credentials with a goal while showing a growing understanding with the likes of Udogie, Simons and Kolo Muani. Subbed for Scarlett late on.Joao Palhinha (7/10):Brought on to shore up the midfield after Johnson's red card, ended up on the scoresheet. Now up to four goals in his Spurs career already. Technically got the assist for Van de Ven too.Richarlison (5/10):Replaced Kolo Muani. Hit the bar with a header and then a penalty.Djed Spence (6/10):Came on for Udogie.Kevin Danso (6/10):On for Romero.Dane Scarlett (7/10):Afforded some extremely rare first-team minutes in place of Odobert. Won the penalty which Richarlison missed.Thomas Frank (9/10):After the calamity of the Chelsea loss, Frank desperately needed a result and performance like this to improve his popularity among Tottenham fans. His selections and substitutions were spot on.
