Goals from three academy graduates helped Tottenham Hotspur to a 3-0 win over IF Elfsborg in the UEFA Europa League, securing their place in the last 16, while Di Gule narrowly missed out on the play-offs, finishing in 26th place.
Turning their focus away from a seven-game winless streak in the Premier League, Spurs knew that a victory over Elfsborg would secure a top-eight finish in this final group match. As expected, Tottenham were dominant from the start, but they struggled to create clear chances. Ben Davies headed over from a corner, and captain Son Heung-min caused problems for the Elfsborg defence down the left. He set up two of the best opportunities of the first half, the first after skipping past Besfort Zeneli and passing to Pape Matar Sarr, whose shot was cleared off the line. Mikey Moore was also denied by a great save from Elfsborg goalkeeper Isak Pettersson, after being set up by Son.
Going into this match, no team in the UEL had less possession than Elfsborg, so it was no surprise they looked relatively comfortable without the ball. After absorbing a lot of pressure, the Swedish side nearly took the lead after the break when Zeneli’s deflected shot fell to Jalal Abdullai, who attempted an acrobatic shot that flew just over the bar. Tottenham’s injury problems, particularly in defence, continued, and as Micky van de Ven made his long-awaited return, his replacement, Radu Drăgușin, was forced off injured.
However, Spurs finally had something to celebrate when Dejan Kulusevski, who had come on at halftime, delivered a brilliant cross for returning loanee Dane Scarlett, who made a smart run into the box and scored with a header. With results elsewhere affecting their progress, Elfsborg were now in danger of missing out on the play-offs, and their goal difference took another hit when debutant Damola Ajayi combined with Scarlett to score Tottenham’s second.
Moore completed the 3-0 win with his first goal for Spurs in stoppage time, after a solo run, sealing an 11th consecutive unbeaten UEL match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and sending Spurs through to the last 16 with a fourth-place finish in the group stage. Only a win would have seen Elfsborg reach the play-offs, but their inferior goal difference meant they missed out by the smallest margin.
