Tottenham show maturity as Ange Postecoglou selection decision vindicated by goals ahead of Man United trip

The Europa League group stage has rarely set the pulse racing among Tottenham fans but, if this chaotic curtain-raiser was anything to go by, that might change under Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs began their return to the competition with an impressive and resilient 3-0 win over Qarabag, despite playing almost the entire match with ten men after Radu Dragusin's early red card.

Goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Matar Sarr and Dominic Solanke got Spurs off to a winning start in the new-look league phase, with Qarabag's Toral Bayramov’s missing a penalty in the second half.

Here are three Spurs talking points from the match...

Spurs show resilience and maturity

When Dragusin was dismissed after just seven minutes for a clumsy foul on Juninho, you wondered if Spurs could be in for a torrid night against the Azerbaijani champions.

True, Postecoglou’s side rode their luck and had Bayramov’s penalty miss and a string of outstanding saves from Guglielmo Vicario to thank for their clean sheet. The Italian’s best save was one-hand flying effort to deny Elvin Jafarguliyev at 3-0.

For long periods of the game, however, ten-man Spurs were surprisingly comfortable against Qarabag, who – do not forget – pushed Bayer Leverkusen close in last season’s round-of-16.

For most of the first half, Postecoglou’s young side played with maturity, keeping possession but maintaining the pressure on Qarabag’s back-four, with Solanke outstanding in the press and when dropping deep to collect the ball.

They visibly tired towards the end of the first half, leading to a spate of Qarabag chances, but regrouped at the break, Pape Matar Sarr doubling their lead at the perfect time with a cool finish seven minutes into the second half.

Yves Bissouma’s foul on Jafarguliyev was a little rash – the midfield appeared to catch the man before winning the ball – and penalised with a spot-kick, but Bayramov blazed the penalty off the crossbar and over.

The game became stretched but Spurs showed a ruthless edge which has been missing in recent weeks when Solanke made it 3-0 from close-range.

After such a nightmare start, Postecoglou will surely feel that this was an encouraging night for Spurs in what were tricky circumstances.

Forwards finding their feet but Son withdrawal a worry

Postecoglou’s decision to stick with the same front three that started against Brentford was arguably risky, with a trip to Manchester United to come on Sunday.

Presumably the manager wanted to build on the performances of Heung-min Son, Solanke and Johnson against the Bees.

The decision was vindicated as Johnson opened the scoring with what is fast becoming a characteristic low finish into the far corner, his third consecutive game with a goal.

Having set up the winger, Solanke also made it back-to-back goals, reacting quickest to finish from close range after Son’s shot was parried by goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.

Johnson, who was replaced at half-time to save him for the weekend, will now go to Old Trafford full of confidence, as Spurs aim for a first win over a so-called big-six rival in a year.

There is a fresh concern for Postecoglou, however, with Son needing treatment after Solanke’s goal and immediately replaced by Timo Werner. The South Korean was able to walk off, looking non-plussed, but fans will face an anxious wait on his fitness.

If the South Korean has picked up an injury, the manager’s call to stick with his big guns up front will suddenly not look so canny.

Dragusin the villain, while Bergvall frustrated

For all the positives, there was no escaping that this was a rough lesson for Dragusin, who might have cost his side dearly on different night.

The Romanian let Micky van de Ven's pass run across his body and was pickpocketed by Juninho before bringing down the Brazilian. He could have few complaints when the referee immediately brandished a red card.

Perhaps he was impacted by the delayed start, with kick-off pushed back by 35 minutes after Qarabag were caught in traffic for more than two-and-a-half hours.

Dragusin has shown enough to suggest he will prove a useful signing for Spurs, and he was excellent against Manchester City in the home game last May.

He has, though, looked rusty in his two other appearances this season, the defeat at Newcastle and last-gasp win over Coventry in the EFL Cup, perhaps suggesting he is suffering from a post-Euros hangover.

The big frustration for Postecoglou is that the Romanian will be suspended for next month's visit to Ferencváros in game two, which will likely deny the head coach the chance to rest one of his first-choice centre-halves.

A word, too, for Lucas Bergvall, who was the fall-guy after Dragusin's red, the Swede's home debut lasting just 12 minutes before he was replaced by Destiny Udogie. He will have other opportunities but it must have been a huge disappointment.