Pedro Porro shocking, 9/10 MOTM – Tottenham player ratings v Hoffenheim
Pedro Porro produced a shocking performance as Tottenham beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
First-half goals from James Maddison and Son Heung-mon put Spurs in the driving seat to claim the win in Germany on 23 January.
However, Ange Postecoglou’s side found themselves on the back foot in the second half, with Anton Stach halving Hoffenheim’s deficit.
Although Son restored the visitors’ two-goal lead in the 77th minute, fears of a slip-up came back after the Bundesliga outfit scored their second through David Mokwa late on.
Here, Tottenham News rates each player’s performance out of 10.
Brandon Austin – 5
Made a fine low save to deny Tom Bischof in the first half. Was at the heart of a big refereeing decision as the official initially pointed to the spot after he clattered into Max Moerstedt before overturning it after a VAR check. The goalkeeper was caught in no man’s land as Hoffenheim grabbed their second.
Pedro Porro – 3
Provided the assist for Maddison’s opener with an exceptional long ball. Had a glorious chance to double the lead from the centre of the box, but he pulled his left-footed shot wide and concerns over his positioning emerged again as Hoffenheim’s goal came from his side. Did not do much as Mokwa leapt over him to head home the hosts’ second. Barring the assist, it was a rather shocking performance.
Radu Dragusin – 4
Made a fine block to deny the hosts an equaliser in the opening 10 minutes, but concerns over his ability on the ball remain.
Ben Davies – 5
Was the better of the two centre-backs, but not convincing enough.
Archie Gray impress for Tottenham
Archie Gray – 7
The 18-year-old continues to defy his age as he proved to be a solid presence at the back, putting his body on the line when needed.
Lucas Bergvall – 6
Played well alongside Rodrigo Bentancur.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 7
Produced a neat and tidy performance in the middle of the park. His importance to the team cannot be understated.
James Maddison (Off for Callum Olusesi 89‘) – 8
Put Spurs in front with a great finish after producing a splendid touch to bring Porro’s long ball under control, and grabbed the assist for Son’s goal with help from a deflection.
Dejan Kulusevski poor for Tottenham
Dejan Kulusevski – 3
Had a bad night at the office as he produced an underwhelming performance down the right-hand side. Fatigue, maybe?
Richarlison (Off for Mikey Moore 56′) – 4
Can cut him some slack as he gets back up to speed, but there is no denying that the Brazilian was lacklustre.
Son Heung-min (Off for Will Lankshear 79′)- 9 Man of the Match
Doubled Tottenham’s lead 22 minutes into the game after missing a chance moments earlier. Stepped up like any captain should when his team needed the most, restoring Spurs’ two-goal lead with a pinpoint finish.
Substitutes
Mikey Moore (On for Richarlison 56′) – 6
Nicked the assist for Son’s second.
Will Lankshear (On for Son 79′) – NA
Callum Olusesi (On for Maddison 89′) – NA
In other Tottenham news, Spurs are huge favourites to sign this forward after a new update from Sky Sports.
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