After being eliminated from the Champions League group stage in November, Mauricio Pochettino’s men now have work to do next week in London to overturn a shock 1-0 deficit they suffered in Belgium if they are to avoid an early exit from Europe’s second-tier tournament as well.
Jeremy Perbet scored the winning goal just before the hour mark for Gent, who currently sit in a lowly eighth place in Belgium’s top tier. However, they fully deserved their victory against a painfully out-of-sorts Tottenham.
Man Of the Match – Danijel Milicevic. The Gent attacker set up Perbet’s winning goal and proved a constant menace to Tottenham’s right side. He could have also put the game out of sight had Hugo Lloris not tipped his finish onto the post late on.
The north London club have now scored only one goal in their last four games in all competitions, having hit 12 in their previous four. Their high tempo and energy have seemingly dropped since their winning streak of seven games in a row.
Gent Player Ratings
Lovre Kalinic- 5/10 – Did not have much to do other than handling tame efforts on goal, though he looked shaky with the ball. He came out of the game without any pressure.
Samuel Gigot -7 – Was a threat down the right side and also provided cover in defense when required. Kept in check with runs and did quite a good job.
Stefan Mitrovic- 6 – Made important interceptions throughout the game but gave away the ball easily on occasions.
Nana Asare- 7 – Was Solid and sturdy alongside Mitrovic in not allowing Kane a sniff of goal apart from one effort. Made sure the ball did not reach the danger area.
Thomas Foket -7 – Another very good performance in the left back role, kept Winks and Wanyama in his pocket throughout the game. Supportive in attack as well.
Anderson Esiti- 6 – Held the ball in midfield and did a good job apart from losing possession on a couple of occasions.
Brecht Dejaegere- 7 – Won the ball on several occasions and was always running back for cover. Put in a highly energetic performance.
Kenneth Saief- 8 – Was heavily involved in the attack, played a good ball through for Milicevic.
Moses Simon 7 – Missed a few chances, but was tidy overall.
Jeremy Perbet- 8 – Kept his cool and slotted the ball perfectly into the corner to earn a crucial victory for his side.
Danijel Milicevic -9 – Man Of the match for a reason, he almost grabbed a second for Gent late in the game after setting up Perbet for the winner. He proved to be a livewire and a constant threat for Spurs defence.
Tottenham Players Rating
Hugo Lloris- 6 – Could do nothing about Perbet’s goal, however, kept the scoreline only to 1-0 after pushing Milicevic’s effort onto the post.
Kyle Walker-5 – Was asleep when he allowed Milicevic to run and cross from the left side for the goal. Was also ineffective in the attack. However, he improved in the second half.
Toby Alderweireld-5 – Not his usual rock solid self. Missed Vertonghen as a partner and was lacking confidence.
Eric Dier -6 – Made fewer mistakes than he did against Liverpool but still has a lot to improve on. Made a few rash tackles, but was better than his previous few outings.
Ben Davies -4 – Might consider him to be unlucky as the defender’s slip was costly when he failed to cut out the cross from Milicevic.
Victor Wanyama -6 – Still not clicking for him in a Tottenham shirt, but was there to provide vital interceptions and cover when required.
Moussa Dembele -7 – Probably the only Spurs player who looked comfortable on the ball, was strong and his power and class were a threat when Tottenham attacked.
Sissoko –6 – Had a very little impact on the flanks as he kept on changing sides. Was unable to create anything in the game.
Harry Winks -6 – Not a bad performance from the youngster as he looked bright and comfortable on the European stage, but was unable to create any clear-cut chances.
Dele Alli -7 – Was a huge threat in the first half, shooting from distance but could not find his range as the game progressed.
Harry Kane- 6 – Worked hard, but very little came his way. Had the best chance for his side but hit the outside of the post.