Spurs launch new-look Europa campaign with expected ease as phoney war gets going

Better late than never - kick-off was 35 minutes late but Spurs eventually made up for lost time (Picture: YTJourno)

Europa League Matchday 1/8

Tottenham (1) 3 Johnson 12, Sarr 52, Solanke 68

FK Qarabag (0) 0

This was not a match that had potential shock result written over it. In fact, the only thing that wasn't predictable was the 35-minute delay to the kick-off because of the visitors troubles on a clogged A10.

Spurs could even afford to play with 10 men for all but the opening seven minutes - having the hapless Radu Dragusin sent off for hauling back Juninho to prevent the Qarabag striker having a clear run on goal.

This should have been a big night for the Romanian central defender. In the absence of Cristian Romero, who was not even on the bench, this was his chance to stake a claim for a more regular starting role. But he miss-controlled a free-kick from Ben Davies and paid the price.

It was rough on youngster Lucas Bergvall, who was sacrificed for Destiny Udogie to shore up the defence. The 18-year-old Swede was looking forward to the evening in only his second start for the club. He featured prominently in the match programme, but was forced to make do with a consoling pat from the boss as he made way for the Italian.

Dragusin will have been relieved to see the men he left behind soon go in front when sloppy play was picked off by Yves Bissouma and Dominic Solanke teed up Brennan Johnson for a tidy finish.

The extra man did tell at times and there were a few moments of vulnerability. When Elvin Jafaguliev was given all the room in the world down the left, an unmarked Juninho really should have put the squared pass away. The Brazilian would hit a post in the second half but it was not going to be his night.

Having survived the scare, Spurs pressed on and made it more comfortable when half-time sub Dejan Kulusevski swung in a corner that keeper Meteusz Kochalski could only flap at and Pape Sarr was free at the back post to volley home.

The numerical disadvantage ought to have made this much closer - especially as Qarabag spurned the perfect opportunity to get back into it just before the hour mark when Bissouma fouled Jafarguliev in the area. Turai Bayramov fired his spot-kick well over the bar and a route back into the contest was lost.

When Hueng-Min son fired from distance, the keeper's parry gifted Solanke an easy tap-in and any lingering doubts were extinguished. There was not even a consolation goal to be had as Gulielmo Vicario kept out a long-range hit from Jafarguliev and a linesman's flag ruled out a header into the net that was offside.

The outcome was hardly a shock. Spurs did the double over the Azerbaijanis in the Europa League in 2015 - a two-goal Son the sole survivor from a 3-1 home win - and the visitors had lost all six ties played against English teams before tonight.

Chelsea thrashed them 6-0 in London in 2017 and 4-0 in the return in Baku while Arsenal had home and away successes the following season.

There are no issues about a long return trip east for Spurs under this new competition format, though. This was a one-off and an ideal one at that for Ange Postecoglou's side as they begin the task of piloting a way through a mixed bag of first round ties.

In a couple of weeks, they head for Ferencvaros in Hungary and travel to Turkey to take on Galatasaray after their next home match in the Europa against AZ Alkmaar of Holland.

They end the year with altogether more challenging assignments at home to Roma and away to Rangers, before January dates with Hoffenheim (away) and Elfsborg of Sweden at the TH Stadium.

In many ways, tonight was the phoney war before the phoney war. Even those tricky ties with 2023 beaten finalists Roma and that visit to ex-Celtic boss Ange's bitter Glasgow rivals ought not to stand in the way of a safe passage to the knock out rounds next year. But we shall see.

The road to next year's final in Bilbao is a long and winding one. And that's even before you factor in the vagaries of the A10.

Spurs (4-3-3) Vicario - Gray, Dragusin, van de Ven, Davies - Sarr, Bissouma (Bentancur 70), Bergvall (Udogie 12) - Johnson (Kulusevski h/t), Solanke (Moore 85), Son (Werner 70)

Qarabag (4-2-3-1) Kochalski - Silva (Huseynov 79), Mustafazade, Huseynov, Jafarguliev - Julio Romao (L Andrade 67) , P Andrade - Bayramov (Adai 67), Benzia, Zoubir Jankovic 79) - Juninho

Attendance: 51,757