It took until December, but Tottenham Hotspur finally produced a Champions League performance to be proud of last night. They showed that they can play at this level, and they showed that they can play at Wembley, dispatching CSKA Moscow with a 3-1 win that was far more one-sided than the scoreline might suggest.
Spurs ensured that their European season will continue into the new year, as their third placed finish in Group E sends them into the last-32 of the Europa League, which begins again in February. It is not always glamorous, but it has its rewards, and will give Tottenham another chance to fill Wembley in the spring.
Tottenham’s dominance of this match made a mockery of the ‘Wembley curse’ as they played with the confidence, freedom and verve that has been missing from their game for so much of this year. They could very easily have racked up double figures against a CSKA side with little obvious interest in being here. Too little, too late, of course, but still better than playing badly
Having just put five past Swansea City on Saturday, Spurs can now claim to be on better form than they have been all season. They have beaten two very limited teams, but can go to Old Trafford on Sunday with a real sense of momentum and confidence, two things that they have been absolutely devoid of since the October international break came straight after they beat Manchester City at home.
More importantly than these two wins is the crucial point that Spurs’ top players are playing well again. This was Christian Eriksen’s best performance of the season, in his new inside-right role. He found space naturally, delivered the ball perfectly and, with better finishing, he would have left Wembley with at least a hat-trick of assists to his name.
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