Giovani Lo Celso was a start tonight following a recent return from injury, even getting on the scoresheet against Ludogorets, however, he was criticised by Mourinho after the final whistle for his work off the ball.
Unlike last week in the defeat to Royal Antwerp, Tottenham Hotspur looked at it from minute one this evening, with Harry Kane going close twice in the opening six minutes.
Tottenham’s main man finally found the back of the net with a header from a corner soon after, giving his side a much-deserved lead on the 13-minute mark.
Lucas Moura made it two just past half an hour when he tapped home yet another assist from Kane, looking to take the tie beyond Ludogorets.
However, at the start of the second 45, after Mourinho had already taken Kane off, the home side pulled one back rather fortuitously after an initial shot deflected into the path of Keseru to smash home.
Fortunately for Spurs, their two-goal cushion was restored 12 minutes later when Heung-min Son squared the ball to Giovani Lo Celso just 17 seconds after the South Korean was subbed on.
Mourinho claimed that the Argentine was good on the ball and remains an amazing player, but added that he needs more intensity and quality off the ball.
He said (Football London): “Good with the ball and not good without the ball. He is not in good physical condition. His preparation has been up and down. He is coming now step by step. I feel when he plays he’s not the Gio that we know and that we know he can be an amazing player. What he does with the ball we know is incredible but we need more intensity and better in the transitions. He played for an hour though and it was a good, let’s say training session, for his match fitness.”
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