In the first-half we saw why Jose Mourinho got the Tottenham job; in the second, why he wanted it.
Sloppy, sluggish and complacent, became vibrant, skilful and energised; two goals down became 4-2 up. What Mourinho knows he must achieve from here is greater consistency.
It cannot be that two Tottenhams turn up in the same campaign, or on the same night. On one hand, Harry Kane is the quickest player to 20 goals in the Champions League, reaching that milestone in 24 matches, two fewer than Alessandro Del Piero, the Juventus legend.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the fourth goal that completed their comeback against Olympiacos
Jose Mourinho punches the air and celebrates in front of the fans after winning his first home game in dramatic style
Harry Kane puts the result beyond doubt as he glances home from Christian Eriksen’s free kick for Spurs’ fourth goal
Serge Aurier pins his ears back as he takes the acclaim of the Tottenham crowd after making it 3-2 against Olympiacos
Tottenham defender Serge Aurier is embraced by team-mates after giving Tottenham a dramatic lead over Olympiacos
The Ivory Coast defender is joined by Harry Winks and Dele Alli as they celebrate going ahead in the 73rd minute of the game
Jose Mourinho celebrates with his coaching staff after Aurier’s goal completed an incredible second-half fightback
Serge Aurier completes the turnaround for Jose Mourinho’s side as he drills a right-footed effort low into the far corner
Harry Kane celebrates after drawing Tottenham level five minutes into the second-half against Olympiacos
Dele Alli converts from close range on the stroke of half time after Yassine Meriah missed Serge Aurier’s cross
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND GROUP TABLE
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga 5; Aurier 8, Sanchez 6, Alderweireld 6, Rose 5.5; Winks 6.5, Dier 5 (Eriksen 28, 7); Moura 7 (Sissoko 61, 6), Alli 8 (Ndombele 83), Son 7; Kane 8.5
Subs not used: Vertonghen, Lo Celso, Sessegnon, Austin
Goalscorers: Alli 45, Kane 50, 77, Aurier 73
Booked: Alderweireld
Manager: Jose Mourinho 8
OLYMPIACOS (4-3-3): Sa 5; Elabdellaoui 6, Semedo 7, Meriah 6, Tsimikas 6; Camara 6, Guilherme 7, Bouchalakis 6.5 (Valbuena 74, 6); Podence 7 (Randjelovic 79), El Arabi 7 (Guerrero 85), Masouras 7
Subs not used: Benzia, Allain, Papadopoulos, Torosidis
Goalscorers: El Arabi 6, Semedo 19
Booked: Semedo, Tsimikas, Bouchalakis, Podence
Manager: Pedro Martins 7
Referee: Georgi Kabakov 6.5
Attendance: 57,024
Ratings by Sami Mokbel
Equally, Tottenham are the only English team in history to concede nine goals at home in the tournament’s group stage. Mourinho has been brought in to level out these rollercoaster highs and lows. Whisper it, but Tottenham could do with becoming a tad more predictable.
Still, the new manager hadn’t even taken his first training session this time last week. Now he’s won two games, scored seven goals, secured a berth in the last-16 of the Champions League and negated a tricky final group stage fixture away to Bayern Munich. He’d have settled for that, no doubt – as would Mauricio Pochettino.
Significantly, he’s getting a tune out of some very important players here, too. Dele Alli has been revitalised while Serge Aurier was arguably Tottenham’s man of the match – and it’s not often one can say that. A special mention, too, for the anonymous ball boy whose quick thinking chimed perfectly with Mourinho’s mind set and helped Tottenham draw level after 50 minutes.
If the goal scored just before half-time laid the ground for the second-half comeback, it was scoring so quickly after half-time they made Tottenham almost certain winners. Once level, their class, their supremacy was evident.
So all hail one whip smart young man. When the ball went out, it was he who spotted Olympiacos in a state of organisational disarry, chucking the ball swiftly for Aurier to recycle it. His throw then put Lucas Moura away, cutting the ball back for the prolific Kane to show why Mourinho rates him among Europe’s greatest goalscorers.
Having looked lost after 20 minutes, now there was only going to be one winner. Mourinho gave the ball boy a big hug of appreciation and, bless him, he blushed.
Yet the manager was right, for here was the game-changer. In the 73rd minute some delightful skill from Alli ended with a cross flicked on by Son Heung-min. Olympiacos were slow to react but Aurier wasn’t – his first time shot flew across goalkeeper Jose Sa and into the net, the reward his performance deserved and his first goal for the club since playing Tranmere in the FA Cup last January.
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli challenges for the ball during the early stages of their Champions League group game
Paulo Gazzaniga is at full stretch but can’t get a glove to El-Arabi’s low shot which finds the bottom corner of the net
Youssef El-Arabi celebrates by beating his chest after giving the Greek side a shock lead in just the sixth minute of the game
Harry Kane attempts to rally his Tottenham team-mates after they fell behind early on against their Greek opponents
Semedo converted from close range after an Olympiacos corner kick found its way through a crowd of players
Olympiacos’ players celebrate after Ruben Semedo’s goal doubled their lead away at Tottenham on Tuesday night
Jose Mourinho issues instructions to Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen as he plans an early substitution
Eriksen comes on for Eric Dier just 29 minutes into the game after Spurs had fallen two goals behind at home
Mourinho consoles England international Dier after his withdrawal in the opening half hour of the group game
Kane provided the finishing flourish four minutes later albeit with one of the least complicated of his Champions League score. A free-kick from deep on the left by Eriksen saw Kane losing his man for a clear header from close range. Mourinho punched the air.
With Munich having already secured top spot in Group B there is quite literally nothing on next month’s match. He could even rest some of his best XI before the draining Christmas programme, unless pride, or maintaining a winning run, becomes a factor.
What did make little sense, mind, was that having appointed Mourinho, a marquee name, a big ticket item, Tottenham should then keep him hidden away on the occasion of his first home match. There was no fanfare, no grand unveiling before the mighty white wall.
It was almost as if Tottenham were not especially proud of the events that had unfolded last week, and wished for this landmark to almost pass unnoticed. It was football’s equivalent of the Conservative’ Party’s manifesto announcement.
So an opportunity to inspire, to get the crowd going, to position them behind the new man, was missed. As a result the biggest noise once the game began came from the away end and Olympiacos responded accordingly.
Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks clashes with Olympiacos counterpart Mohamed Mady Camara in the first half
Ruben Semedo looks in shock as he is handed a yellow card by referee Georgi Kabakov in the opening period
Harry Kane goes for goal from a free kick just outside the area but sees his effort land on the roof of the Olympiacos net
Jose Mourinho speaks with the fourth official after a disastrous start to his first home game in charge of his new side
They were much the better team for long periods of the first-half, particularly the opening 20 minutes when they established a worrying two goal lead. Worrying for Eric Dier, certainly. He was substituted, replaced by Eriksen after 29 minutes, as Mourinho searched frantically for a way back into the game.
Did Dier deserve it? No more than many of his team-mates. Danny Rose had been desperately poor, Harry Winks unconvincing, the forwards couldn’t get into the game, Paulo Gazzaniga was channelling his inner Roberto – it was as if Tottenham believed they simply had to turn up to win. What were they thinking? They can’t play West Ham every week.
So by the time Olympiacos took the lead after six minutes, they had already recorded their first chance of the game – a shot from Giorgos Masouras which Gazzaniga punch-parried, never a convincing look for a goalkeeper. The next attack brought the first serious setback of Mourinho’s brief Tottenham career.
It was the product of a simple channel ball, dealt with poorly by Rose who flicked his clearance half-heartedly into the path of Youssef El Arabi. He wasn’t closed down quickly enough and had time to cut inside and get the ball onto his left foot. He was roughly 20 yards out when he struck his shot but even at full stretch Gazzaniga was nowhere near it.
Mourinho appealed for calm but Tottenham were skittish. In the 17th minute, a mistake by Winks sent Daniel Podence on a break that was only thwarted by a fantastic recovery tackle from Davinson Sanchez. The errors that led to the second goal, however, could not be overcome.
Harry Kane brings Tottenham level just five minutes after half-time as he converts Lucas Moura’s low cross into the net
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min celebrate with Lucas Moura and Danny Rose after drawing level in Tuesday night’s game
Mourinho embraces the ball boy whose quick-thinking helped Tottenham create the chance for Kane’s equaliser
Masouras took a low corner to the near post, where Winks had completely lost Guilherme, who flicked the ball on with a heel into the six yard box. There, Ruben Semedo had escaped the attention of Toby Alderweireld for a close range finish that left Gazzaniga no chance. By then, Mourinho could stand idle no longer. Within 10 minutes he ditched Dier for Erikson and his initiative helped change the game.
To that point, Tottenham’s lone chance had been a 14th minute free-kick from Winks, that had found Son, his glancing header forcing a save from Jose Sa. Eriksen, and the circumstances of having to chase the game, improved matters. Yet, at first, it still required fortune to intervene.
Mourinho missed the goal that got Tottenham back into the game because he was fruitlessly arguing with the fourth official over the paltry award of two minutes injury time – Semedo had been down for quite some time earlier – but no matter. It was hardly a classic anyway.
Winks fed Aurier on the right and his low cross should have been dealt with by any remotely competent defender. Yassine Meriah has won 40 caps for Tunisia and should certainly fall into that category. Instead, he completely missed his kick, allowing the ball to fall to Alli in the six yard box for an easy conversion.
Mourinho had a point about the injury time, but was all smiles by the end. There is a long way to go yet but here was the first part of this season’s mission completed.
By the time Tottenham play their next meaningful Champions League match they may be the same personnel, but a very different team.
Jose Mourinho clasps hands with Dele Alli as the England midfielder is removed just seven minutes from time on Tuesday