Tottenham Hotspur opened their Europa League campaign with an entertaining 3-0 win over Qarabag despite playing the majority of the match down to 10 men after Radu Dragusin’s early red card. Brennan Johnson, Pape Matar Saar and Dominic Solanke were on target as Qarabag missed several chances, as well as a second-half penalty,  in a chaotic contest.

Kick-off in north London was delayed by almost 40 minutes with visitors Qarabag arriving late to the ground due to traffic in the capital. Spurs then made a sloppy start, with Dragusin sent off in the seventh minute after hauling down Juninho when he lost control of the ball on the half-way line.

But the response from Ange Postecoglou’s side was impressive. Johnson fired his third goal in as many games five minutes after Dragusin’s red card following Solanke’s pass. Tottenham made it safely to half time despite Qarabag threatening an equaliser, and then doubled their lead after the break when Saar volleyed in from a corner.

Qarabag had a golden opportunity to pull one back from the penalty spot but Toral Bayramov blasted it over the bar and Solanke punished the visitors when he tucked in a rebound soon after for Tottenham’s third. The only concern for Postecoglou was the sight of Son Heung-min limping off ahead of Sunday’s trip to Manchester United in the Premier League.

Europa League Campaign Begins

Tottenham Hotspur began their European campaign with a home clash against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday.

The North Londoners return to continental competition after a one-season absence and Ange Postecoglou – who has insisted he always win silverware in his second season – will be targeting this competition for success.

A Positive Response

After a mixed start to the season, Spurs got their campaign back on track with a 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League last weekend. Dominic Solanke scored his first goal since joining from Bournemouth in a £65m deal in the summer, while Brennan Johnson and James Maddison were also on target.

Postecoglou is expected to rotate his team for the clash with Qarabag, given a huge fixture at Manchester United on the horizon.

Spurs travel to face their potential top-four rivals in the Premier League this weekend and the Australian will be keen to keep his key men fresh for that challenge at Old Trafford.

Team Selection and Key Absences

Richarlison’s absence means Dominic Solanke could retain his role at centre-forward, though academy graduate Will Lankshear, Timo Werner and Dejan Kulusevski are alternative options. The latter spent much of the pre-season campaign in an advanced role.

Wilson Odobert is another confirmed absentee for Spurs, while it’s unlikely Son Heung-min will feature against the team he scored his first goal for the club against in 2015.

Sergio Reguilon and Djed Spence are unavailable having not been included in the Europa League squad, following their returns from a loan spell at Genoa and Brentford respectively last season.

A Dramatic Start

Tottenham Hotspur started their Europa League campaign with an impressive 3-0 home win over Qarabag despite playing 83 minutes with 10 men.

After kick-off was delayed due to the late arrival of Qarabag’s team bus, Radu Dragusin’s night lasted only seven minutes when he received a red card.

It failed to significantly knock Ange Postecoglou’s team off their stride though, with Brennan Johnson able to score for a third successive match five minutes later before Pape Sarr doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 52nd minute.

Missed Penalty and Late Goal

Qarabag did regularly threaten and Tural Bayramov fired a spot-kick over after Sarr’s strike, which all but ended the visitors’ hopes and Dominic Solanke made it back-to-back goals with 22 minutes left to ensure Tottenham earned a third win in a row before Sunday’s trip to Manchester United.

Post-Match Reactions

A very pleasing sight for Spurs fans: Solanke and Johnson now have five goals between them in their last three games.

A 10:30pm finish does not help Tottenham ahead of their trip to face Manchester United on Sunday (4:30pm).

After that, Ange Postecoglou’s side play their second match of the Europa League away to Ferencvaros in Budapest next Thursday, before another trip to Brighton a week on Sunday.

A Winning Start with a Worry

But for Spurs, this was an impressive, battling performance. The only concern really is whether Son has picked up an injury after limping off in the 70th minute. Postecoglou’s side head to Manchester United on Sunday on the back of three straight wins but will be desperate for their captain to be fit.

Looking Ahead

Tottenham's next fixture is a huge Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The victory over Qarabag will give them confidence going into this difficult match, but the injury to Son Heung-min will be a cause for concern for Ange Postecoglou.

Despite the injury scare, Tottenham fans will be pleased with the start to their Europa League campaign. The 10-man win over Qarabag was a display of resilience and quality that augurs well for the rest of the season. They will now be looking to build on this momentum and carry it into the match against their rivals on Sunday.