Tottenham 2-0 Royal Antwerp: Player Ratings as Second-Half Spurs Charge Secures Top Spot

Tottenham overcame a spirited Royal Antwerp side in the Europa League on Thursday night, with a 2-0 win securing top spot in Group J for Jose Mourinho’s men.

The 2,000 Spurs fans in attendance will have been wishing they'd stayed at home on the basis of their team's first-half performance. Carlos Vinicius should have handed his side the lead on the stroke of half time but the Brazilian fired his effort straight at Alireza Beiranvand.

It took a moment of Gareth Bale brilliance to spark the game into life, with the Welshman's superb free kick only parried by Beiranvand into the path of Vinicius who tapped home the rebound.

The game was effectively ended as a contest midway through the second half, with the newly introduced Harry Kane sliding Giovani Lo Celso through before the Argentina international applied the finish.

That's the highlights done with, now to those Spurs player ratings.

1. Goalkeeper & Defenders

Joe Hart (GK) - 5/10 - Retained his place in Spurs' Europa League starting XI but did little to suggest he'll be challenging Hugo Lloris anytime soon. Sloppy distribution throughout though his handling was solid enough.

Davinson Sanchez (CB) - 6/10 - Put his pace to good use as he stifled a rare attack from the visitors in the first half. Looked calm in possession and did what was expected of him.

Japhet Tanganga (CB) - 6/10 - Solid performance from the youngster. Will have much more testing appearances but can't be faulted for the defensive work he put in.

Ben Davies (LB) - 5/10 - Caught out slightly as he followed his man into midfield and left a gap which was nearly exploited. Didn't do badly on the left of a back three but unlikely to be deployed in the position in the Premier League.

2. Midfielders & Wing-Backs

Matt Doherty (RWB) - 5/10 - Battled well on the right but not the kind of performance that is going to see him restored as Spurs' first choice right back.

Harry Winks (CM) - 7/10 - As industrious and busy as any Spurs player on the pitch. Looked to break up play and drive through the rigid Royal Antwerp lines whenever he could.

Giovani Lo Celso (CM) - 8/10 - Produced a moment of brilliance in the first half as he nutmegged a Royal Antwerp midfielder before his outside-of-the-boot effort was parried away. Effortlessly controlled the midfield and took his goal very well.

Sergio Reguilon (LWB) - 6/10 - Surprise inclusion in the starting XI ahead of this Sunday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. Showed plenty of endeavour down the Spurs left without ever producing a moment of real quality. Hooked at half time in place of Steven Bergwijn.

3. Forwards

Gareth Bale (RW) - 6/10 - Slightly off the pace in open play but produced a moment of magic to unlock the game. Was withdrawn shortly after the effort but we can't score him down after that piece of brilliance.

Carlos Vinicius (ST) - 6/10 - Struggled to impact the game but kept plugging away despite a poor first half. Did well to react to the rebound from Bale's free kick to hand his side the lead.

Lucas Moura (LW) - 7/10 - Showed a couple of lovely touches early on as he wriggled away from the Royal Antwerp backline. Constantly dropping into pockets of space and looking to cause problems.

4. Substitutes

Steven Bergwijn (LW) - 7/10 - Added an urgency to the Spurs left which had been sorely missing in the first 45 minutes.

Harry Kane (ST) - 6/10 - Displayed his telepathic linkup play with Son Heung-min within minutes of being introduced and looked sharp. Produced a nicely weighted ball for Lo Celso's goal but should have done better with a header from a corner.

Son Heung-min (LW) - 6/10 - A surprise appearance but couldn't cap his cameo with a goal. Clearly full of confidence as he fired off shots whenever given the chance.

Tanguy Ndombele (CM) - 5/10 - Introduced as part of a triple change with Kane and Son. Failed to really get a foothold in the game.

Moussa Sissoko (CM) - 5/10 - The final of Mourinho's five subs. Ran around for 20 minutes but didn't have much of an impact.