What a night it was for Tottenham. What a game from Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Kieran Tripper, Harry Winks, Eric Dier, the core of young English players that have taken it to the champions of Europe this season, with the confidence of teenagers, and not a hint of inferiority.
They thoroughly deserved this. The win, the margin of victory, every accolade that will come their way. Aided by the outstanding Christian Eriksen, who scored their third and set up the second without actually touching the ball, Tottenham took apart the champions of Europe, a team that had not lost in the Champions League group stage since October 24, 2012, in Dortmund.
This was a brave and brilliant performance, as impressive as any delivered by an English club in Europe for many years – and Chelsea had already set the bar pretty high against Atletico Madrid. It took Tottenham ten minutes to get going but, once they hit their mark, they as good as blew Real Madrid away.
Seriously.
Christian Eriksen scored the third goal to kill off Real Madrid after a brilliant break from within their own half
Luka Modric couldn’t get close enough to the Danish playmaker as he dinked a shot past the helpless keeper
Dele Alli’s second goal of the game after half time looked to be crucial as the home fans went bezerk at Wembley
Real Madrid looked stunned after Spurs outplayed and out-fought the holders on a famous night at Wembley
MATCH FACTS, GROUP TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
Tottenham:
Lloris, Alderweireld (Sissoko), Sanchez, Vertonghen, Trippier, Eriksen, Winks (Dembele), Dier, Davies, Alli, Kane (Llorente)
Unused subs:
Rose, Son Heung-Min, Vorm, Aurier
Bookings:
Goals: Alli (27, 55,) Eriksen (65)
Real Madrid:
Casilla, Hakimi, Nacho, Ramos, Marcelo (Hernandez), Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Isco (Mayoral), Ronaldo, Benzema (Asensio)
Unused subs:
Vallejo, Vazquez, Asensio, Mayoral, Ceballos, Ramos
Bookings:
Goals: Ronaldo (80)
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir
Dele Alli poked home the opening goal of the game after a switch of play. For for of our Matchzone feature, click here.
This was not one of those nights when every swing of the boot was a goal. Indeed, Alli missed arguably his best chance of the match, a free header from another excellent Tripper cross after 78 minutes which should have been his hat-trick.
The odd snatched shot aside, though, so much of what Tottenham did was exemplary, not least at the back where Jan Vertonghen tied it all together superbly having lost Toby Alderweireld to a hamstring injury after 24 minutes. The vision of Kane – so much more than just a goalscorer. The sharp, early delivery of Trippier, which put one in mind of no less a wide player than David Beckham. The work-rate, the intelligence.
It was all there. Some will look at Tottenham’s results with Kane absent – two defeats – and come to a familiar conclusion, but this display was about so much more than one man. Tottenham must now overcome their stigma against the biggest Premier League clubs. Looking at what they did to Real Madrid, it would be scandalous if this team never fully realised its potential.
Start with the third goal, because it was so good. A lovely reverse pass from Alli to Kane; a perfectly weighted pass inside from Kane to Eriksen; the coolest of finishes from Eriksen clipped with his left foot, past goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, to ensure Tottenham would be vulnerable to no late surprises.
And that was it. Real Madrid were done, their executives and club legends staring on in mute disbelief. Tottenham were just better: hungrier, sharper, smarter. My word, Tottenham really did a job on them. By the end, Cristiano Ronaldo, who had never lost a match at Wembley until last night, was a study in cold, impotent fury. He wasn’t even in the best 11 players on the field, despite his opportunist, scrappy goal from close range in the 80th minute. Every one of that best XI played for Tottenham.
Alli’s effort from just inside the box took a deflection before flying past Casilla to double the lead for Tottenham
Dele Alli opened the scoring as he managed to get a toe on the cross to divert past Real Madrid goalkeeper Casilla
Alli celebrated his goal in front of some glum looking away supporters as Mauricio Pochettino’s side took the lead
The Tottenham midfielder showed his desire to get on the end of the cross and get across Nacho in the six yard box
Trippier and Alli combined effectively to stun Real Madrid who made a lacklustre start to the Champions League tie
Luka Modric comes away with the ball as Real Madrid’s Croatian midfielder assesses the options in front of him
Alli, naturally, will garner the headlines: two goals saw to that. He was excellent on his return to European football, following last season’s suspension. What a different team Tottenham look in this competition, from then to now. The previous campaign was a bogey.
Having pulled what many perceived to be the easiest group of any English entrants – although hindsight suggests it wasn’t, due to the presence of Monaco – Tottenham came up very short. A year on, they have gone long. They have scored six goals, at Wembley, against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund; won away at the Bernabeu, and qualified with two games to spare.
And if the point in Spain had a degree of the rearguard action about it, this could not have been more different. Tottenham were different class, the best team by a distance. If two of their goals had fortune about them – provider Tripper was offside for the first, Alli’s shot for the second took a deflection – the performance more than compensated. No way was this a fluke.
Every goal showed Tottenham’s quick thinking. The second, after 56 minutes, came about when a fine ball out from the back was read by Eriksen, his dummy working perfectly to set Alli away. He showed great calmness, working his way towards goal, before hitting a shot which clipped Sergio Ramos’s thigh and defeated Casilla at his near post.
Kane was, as ever, the catalyst of so much that was good about Tottenham. It was his pass in the tenth minute that began Tottenham’s purple patch. What a beauty it was, too, as good as anything Toni Kroos or Luka Modric could have conjured for Madrid, putting Eriksen in much as he did in a game at Old Trafford on the first day of the season two years ago.
That was the pass of the match, too, as it was here – and as happened at Manchester United, Eriksen did Kane a disservice. He miscontrolled the ball and a great chance went west. Thankfully, Kane tends not to be as careless when the favour is returned.
Cristiano Ronaldo attempts to bamboozle Kieran Trippier with some step-overs early on in the contest at Wembley
Modric competes with Eric Dier for the ball, Dier was forced to move into defence after Toby Alderweireld went off
The England international was busy and put his body on the line in this collision with Brazilian midfielder Casemiro
Ronaldo struggled to establish himself in the game as Tottenham restricted the Portugal talisman
Soon after came the rehearsal for what would be Tottenham’s opening goal. Again, Kane was at the heart of it with a lovely crossfield pass that found Trippier high on the right. Here is what makes Trippier special. He takes it early. First time, often.
He crosses as Beckham used to, as a first thought, giving the forward in the middle as much time as possible to take his chance. Too many wide players and midfielders want to finesse their work; so many touches, so much delay, looking for the perfect ball. Trippier hit Kane’s pass on the volley, first touch, and Alli in the middle should have been on the end of it. He wasn’t ready. But he’s a quick learner. He didn’t make the mistake the next time.
And there was a next time, 13 minutes later. Winks played a similar pass to the one Kane hit for Trippier, and the wing-back gave it the same treatment, a low first-time cross into the six-yard box. Now, Alli knew what to expect. He made ground and poked it past Casilla. Tottenham had the lead they deserved.
The unsung hero of the goal? Kane. He chased a lost cause of a ball, Jamie Vardy-style, much to the surprise of Madrid defender Nacho, who gave away a panicky throw-in. From that, Tottenham built the pressure that cracked Madrid.
English clubs have not always played as beautifully as the best of Spain; but some attributes, though earthier, are equally worthwhile. It was Tottenham’s speed that caused so many problems. Not just down the flanks, but speed of thought and speed in their reactions to loose balls.
The only cloud involved Alderweireld. He is a key player and his absence will be felt; but not just yet. Long after Wembley had emptied it was impossible to wipe the smile from the faces of Mauricio Pochettino and his players.
Nacho Fernandez leaps off the ground and puts a full-blooded challenge on Eriksen who dictated play on the night
Alli thought he should have had a penalty but the referee waved away his protests and allowed play to continue
Toby Alderweireld was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury as he was replaced by Moussa Sissoko
It was a fantastic night for Spurs who took control of the group and look favourites to qualify in top spot
Tottenham had the chances to extend their lead but will be full of confidence after dominating the European champions