Tottenham Hotspur continued their good form with a win away to Hungarian champions Ferencvaros in the Europa League. It was a professional performance from Ange Postecolgou’s side, who ran out 2-1 winners in the Groupama Arena.
The Lilywhites, sporting an all green kit tonight, scored a goal in each half to ensure they won all three points. Young midfielder Pape Matar Sarr opened the scoring for the visitors, pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty box to fire home and give his side a 1-0 lead.
After some good pressure from the home side, and still only a goal up and far from comfortable, Postecoglou turned to his big guns on the bench.
They certainly had an impact the Australian had hoped for, with James Maddison finding Brennan Johnson just inside the penalty box, who finished well into the bottom left-hand corner for his fifth goal in as many games. The Hungarian side pulled one back in the 90th minute, but could not find an equaliser.
There were certainly some impressive individual performances from Spurs, not least from their substitutes. However, one of their standout players on the night was exciting young talent Mikey Moore.
Moore’s stats vs. Ferencvaros
There is lots of hype around Spurs youngster Moore, who has impressed at academy level. After making his debut last term, he has finally managed to break into Postecoglou’s squad this season and is making a real impact.
Before the game, Maddison described his potential as “scary”, and that was certainly on show in Hungary. The youngster is a quick and direct winger, who is not afraid to run at a defender and look to take him on in a one-vs-one situation.
He showed that against Ferencvaros on Thursday night, as his stats from Sofascore reflect. The 17-year-old had 67 touches of the ball, completing 80% of his passes, creating one big chance and winning an impressive four fouls. He also worked hard off the ball, winning six ground duels and one tackle.
His impressive performance in Hungary earned him an 8/10 rating from The Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick. The journalist praised the teenager for an ‘excellent showing’ against the Hungarian side, in which he ‘always looked to take on his man’.
Whilst Moore impressed against the Hungarian outfit, there was arguably one player who outshone the 17-year-old – Archie Gray.
Gray’s stats vs. Ferencvaros
It was an impressive performance against the Hungarian outfit from young Gray. He has featured in all but three of Spurs’ games this season, with the trip to Ferencvaros his third start of the new campaign.
The trust that has been shown in the youngster demonstrates just how highly rated he is by Postecoglou, and the England youth international has certainly repaid his faith. He was superb against the Hungarian champions, retaining possession well and working hard off the ball in an unfamiliar position at centre-back, before moving to left-back in the second half.
His impressive contribution was reflected in his post-match stats. The 18-year-old had 82 touches of the ball in Hungary – more than even teammate Yves Bissouma (76), completing 87% of his passes and creating two chances. Off the ball, the youngster performed well, and won three from three tackles.
Gray stats vs. Ferencvaros |
|
---|---|
Stat |
Number |
Pass accuracy |
87% |
Touches |
82 |
Passes completed |
47/54 |
Ground duels won |
4/10 |
Tackles won |
3/3 |
Interceptions |
3 |
Chances created |
2 |
Stats from Sofascore |
His performance was enough to earn him a 7/10 rating from Kilpatrick. He explained the summer signing from Leeds showed ‘flashes of real class’ against the Hungarian side, praising him for his versatility.
It is a performance that will bring real confidence to Postecoglou, who will be hoping Moore, Gray and their teammates can continue a good run of form away to Brighton at the weekend.