José Mourinho has felt the Europa League defeat that his
Tottenham team suffered away to Antwerp at the end of last month nag away at him. It was the night when he substituted four of his players at half-time. This victory represented a surer footed step and it tasted like redemption for two of those taken off; a timely injection of confidence for them.
It was Dele Alli’s first appearance since Antwerp and Carlos Vinícius’s third. They responded by driving Spurs into an unassailable 2-0 first-half lead; Alli supplying the assists, Vinícius the finishes. They were the latter’s first goals since his loan move from Benfica.