Tottenham 2 KAA Gent 2: Dele Alli red card puts Spurs on their knees and out of Europe

The great Wembley European misadventure is over for Tottenham Hotspur for this season at least and in its wake are more questions about Mauricio Pochettino’s team's suitability to challenge for the big prizes and keep their nerve on the big nights.

This time it was a senseless red card for Dele Alli, and a failure to put away a team placed sixth in the Belgian league for whom this Europa League round of 32 victory, 3-2 on aggregate, will rank among the greatest European nights. As for Wembley itself, Spurs could yet be back for the semi-finals and the final of the FA Cup but their record here as a club is dismal with just one win in the last seven visits including those two Champions League group stage defeats this season.

It was a Europa League record attendance of 80,465 which at least suggests that the club’s dream of filling that new stadium rising on the Tottenham High Road is realistic, the question is what happens next season when they will make Wembley their home for ten months. This was the night to establish themselves in their temporary residence but they left themselves too much to do with ten men and did not even win on the night.

Pochettino later did his best to defend Alli, as well you might expect of a manager who knows that he will have to rely on his 20-year-old Englishman when they face Stoke City in that crucial Premier League game at White Hart Lane on Sunday. This is not the first flash of the Alli temper: he might have been dismissed against Fiorentina in the same competition 12 months earlier and his retrospective ban last season for striking Claudio Yacob hints at a problem that will need resolving.

Spurs 2 - 2 KAA Gent (Jérémy Perbet, 82 min)

There is plenty of time to do that but there is no doubt that Alli’s foul on Brecht Dejaegere was borne of another foul moments earlier on the Spurs man and the attendant frustration that came from it. He launched at the Belgian with a tackle that caught his opponent below the knee and flexed his leg back in disturbing fashion – and Dejaegere later had to come off as a consequence.

It was also a bad night for Harry Kane who scored an own goal in the first half and was lacking the sharpness we have come to expect of him, twice coming up short when the ball was drilled invitingly across the goal. Ideally, Kane and his team-mates would have settled this tie early on and he could have been given a breather with Stoke in mind but they were all there battling to the end even when Gent’s second equaliser of the night made a comeback impossible.

The Gent manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck conceded afterwards that on the night his side had been below par and had prevailed over the two legs as a consequence of their fine performance in Belgium and then a lot of heart in London. He was right in that regard – and certainly for most of the second half it looked like Gent were the team down to ten men, so thoroughly were they dominated.

Christian Eriksen had scored the first within ten minutes and after Kane’s own goal, Victor Wanyama restored Spurs’ lead. But with the score at 2-1 and one more goal required, Spurs could not find a way through, and the changes Pochettino made from the bench demonstrated that his options are limited despite the investment in the likes of Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko.

Mousa Dembele was superb once again, a force in midfield who is so difficult to tackle and equally brilliant at winning back possession but once again he did not last the full 90 minutes. Heung-Min Son was the most effective of the second half substitutes but eventually Spurs simply ran out of steam before the equaliser from substitute Jeremy Perbet.

To Gent’s credit they came with an open mind about the game and little more than nine minutes in they were one goal down on the night and level on aggregate and facing a very different scenario. It was the mistake of Stefan Mitrovic which allowed Kyle Walker’s long ball down the wing to find its way through to Eriksen who swept in his goal from the right channel.

It was Eriksen’s first goal in 12 games and a strong start from a Spurs team which had more Belgians in their starting line-up – three – than the visitors from Belgium, who had only two. Then Kane’s own goal flicked in off the head of the striker after Mitrovic had headed a cross back across the Spurs area.

Alli’s red card came on 39 minutes after he took a heavy touch when the ball was played into him by Ben Davies. What followed was not the actions of a man thinking clearly - he waded in after the ball with a wild right-footed challenge on Dejaeger. As Alli crossed the touchline Pochettino made no move to console his player.

Spurs 2 - 1 KAA Gent (Victor Wanyama, 61 min)

Just after the hour, with Spurs well on top, Wanyama dispatched a shot beyond the Gent goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic after Walker had driven forward. The decisive moment was Eriksen’s first time back heel into the path of Wanyama whom the Dane had seen advancing into a good shooting positon.

With eight minutes left, the decisive blow came when Kalifa Coulibaly broke free in midfield and, going into the area, tried to cut the ball back. Eric Dier allowed it to bounce limply off his chest and Perbet, the first leg goalscorer, poked the ball in via a deflection off Dier. Spurs have conceded more goals at Wembley in four games this season than they have in 12 at White Hart Lane, which tells its own story.

10:00PM

Gent, meanwhile ...

9:59PM

Full time

Tottenham are out of the Europa League at the first hurdle. There have been no glory, glory nights this season. They played fairly well but the finishing was dreadful and they were depleted by Dele Alli's stupid red card for a hideous foul. 

9:57PM

90+3 min 

Gent have 10 men behind the ball and Spurs cant get through. Gent break like the clappers when the seventh block in a minute falls kindly but when they cross into the box with Tottenham scrambling back proudly, Matton was offside. The ref blows for that and to signal time's up. 

9:55PM

90+2 min

Kane takes the ball with back to goal on the right corner of the 18-yard line, flicks it between his heels, turns on a tight circle but then steers his shot the wrong side of the far post. 

9:53PM

90+1  min

Correction three minutes. Back-to-back corners for Tottenham, taken by Eriksen that Gent defend en masse. 

9:52PM

89 min

Winks is booked for a petulant challenge. Janssen replaces the consistently 4/10 in central defence Dier. They need two goals in two minutes. 

9:52PM

86 min

Son takes a good position on the right, away from Gershon and is there when Kane dribbles crossfield from the left to set him up. But he gets his foot under it and slices it too, sending it banana-ing off to the right and over the bar. Poor. Very poor, Reeves.

Spurs vs KAA Gent shots on goal

9:49PM

85 min

Spurs half-heartedly throw the kitchen sink at Gent but they lack numbers and drive. 

9:45PM

GOAL!!

Tottenham 2-2 Gent (Perbet) 

Dier is not very convincing at centre-half and confuses Alderweireld in the offside trap when the ball was brought forward by Coulibaly following an angled pas from Kenny Saief. No communication left a highway between the defenders and all Coulibaly had to do was take it into the box and pick out the unmarked Perbet who slotted home with the help of a deflection. 

Spurs 2 - 2 KAA Gent (Jérémy Perbet, 82 min)

9:44PM

81 min

Winks takes a dive when he loses control 30 yards from goal and Gent break upfield and score!

9:44PM

79 min

Spurs are running out of time. Son from the left and Walker from the right will be the ones to break Gent if the third goal comes. 

9:42PM

77 min

Spurs corner on the right, taken expertly by Eriksen and met at the end of a decent run by Alderweireld but powered over. How many chances will they squander? 

Spurs vs KAA Gent shots on goal

9:39PM

75 min

Just before the substitution Walker was booked for a late tackle, more mistimed than malicious. 

9:38PM

74 min

Perbet replaces Simon for Gent. Off goes Dembele for Tottenham, replaced by Winks. 

9:37PM

72 min

Spurs breathe again when Saief takes advantage of Walker being preoccupied with raiding down the right and he storms into the vacated space, bullocks down the touchline and bends in the perfect, left-foot cross straight on to Simon's head at the optimum height. He;s unmarked from 12 yards and steers his header into the side netting. For a moment the 10,000 Gent fans think he's scored but it's an illusion, perhaps a delusion. 

9:34PM

69 min

Kalinic is almost beaten by Gershon's header from the corner and is an inch from the header dribbling under him but he recovers and clears then Walker spears a shot into the side-netting. Spurs are rattling out of the traps and flying at them, the crowd, unusually at Wembley, roaring them on. 

9:31PM

68 min

Son, over on the right now, whips in a low outswinger through the six-yard box and for the fifth time Kane misses. Misses as in misses the ball. He's just half a yard off tonight with his runs. Spurs corner. 

9:30PM

66 min

Terrific tackle from Gigot who scrambled over to the right to block-tackle Eriksen on the right of the box when found by Kane. Eriksen lacks spark off the mark and was waiting for Gigot to commit himself then sweep it around him but the centre-back was not going to be diddled and waited. 

9:24PM

GOAL!!

Spurs 2-1 Gent (Wanyama)

Son has injected pace which created two half chances muffed by Kane whose shooting is way off tonight. But Son makes Foket panic on the right, creating quick ball that allows Spurs to switch it and deft footwork from Eriksen and Wanyama allows the latter to rifle in a right-foot shot to make it 2-2 on aggregate with one more to get to put them ahead and take out the away goals rule.

Spurs 2 - 1 KAA Gent (Victor Wanyama, 61 min)

9:22PM

60 min

Son comes on for Ben Davies

9:21PM

58 min

No changes before Kane squanders a wonderful chance, one on one with the keeper from the right of the box, he collars his shot and hooks it away from the far post. The chance was created by Eriksen pouncing on Saief's rushed and almost lethal backpass. 

Average touch positions (half time)

9:20PM

57 min

Son is coming on. Take Dier off and go for it. 

9:19PM

56 min

Dejaegere, blood flecking his sock, finally goes off to be replaced by Louis Verstraete. 

9:18PM

55 min

Oh come on Pochettino. Put Son on. They could do with some pace. 

9:17PM

53 min

Kane, who is more of a 10 than a nine by inclination, dinks a delightful pass between Gershon and Gigot with a swing of the hip and an artfully raised knee. Eriksen should be the beneficiary but he can't get there 12 yards out before Kalinic dives forward to gobble it up. 

9:14PM

51 min

Kane threads the ball through Saief's legs from the D to Walker on the overlap down the right. He has opportunity to shoot and a decent angle but opts for a conservative cross that Gershon wellies clear. 

9:13PM

49 min

Simon has come out to the right and is shoved over. The attendance is a record for a Europa League game. The Spurs fans sing their funereal remix of When the Spurs Go Marching In. 

9:11PM

47 min

Walker picks up where he left off, bombing at Saief and Gershon. His energy causes panic and a shonky back-pass lets Eriksen run at goal from 25 yards but he prods a tame shot wide through Mitrovic's legs. 

9:10PM

Gent make a change

And it's no Dejaegere who goes but Milicevic, replaced by Thomas Matton. 

9:00PM

Time for some half-time statistical diversions

Average touch positions (half time)

 And what about the shot count?

Spurs vs KAA Gent shots on goal

Imprecision is undermining Spurs' efforts

Spurs vs KAA Gent shots on goal

8:55PM

Half time

Spurs are down to 10 men and need to score twice to make it through to the last 16. Walker will be the key but Kane looks out of sorts, a man in need of a tonic. Perhaps this can provide it.  

8:53PM

45+2 min

Eriksen drives in with real purpose from the Spurs right, hurtles along the 18-yard line then spoons a hideously mishit shot 10 yards high and five wide. 

8:51PM

45+2min

Simon has a rush of blood and tries for a backpass from 60 yards that Kane cuts out on halfway and spots Kalinic on the 18-yard line. He tries to lob him a la Xabi Alonso or Beckham but is miles off to the left of goal. 

8:50PM

45 min

Dejaegere is limping heavily after the maiming from Alli. He'll have to go off. Meanwhile Kalinic is booked for timewasting over the goalkick. There'll be two more minutes. 

8:48PM

43 min

Pochettino has cause for a legitimate complaint when Walker fizzes in his umpteenth cross from the right and Gigot beats Kane to it by a toenail and hacks it over the bar. Obvious corner, but the referee awards the goalkick. 

8:46PM

41 min

Pochettino protests the red card but he's barking up the wrong tree there. It was pure filth. 

8:45PM

39 min

Alli sent off. Dreadful challenge. Deserved red card. Misses the ball when he miscontrolled it and lands his studs into the top of Dejaegere's right shin, causing his knee to hyperextend, as he tried to recover. 

8:43PM

37 min

Spurs waste their corner and Gent break like lightning and have a 3v2 when they make the Tottenham box and Saief unleashes Milicevic whose shot is blocked behind. Gent corner, struck to the back post again where Coulibaly wins the header and sends it towards the six-yard box, causing Spurs to scramble it away. Dejaegere shapes to shoot but Dembele gets his toe to it and takes out the man afetrwards too while Dier puts his laces through a clearance

8:40PM

34 min

Walker lets one fly again. This time Kalinic has to be sharp to claw it away at the near post.

Spurs vs KAA Gent shots on goal

8:39PM

33 min

Gent have nine men behind the ball with only Coulibaly up front when Dele Alli and Eriksen try to dance their way through but are dismissed like Barrowlands bampots approaching a young lady for the first time. 

8:37PM

31 min

BT Sport shows us that the corner that led to Gent's equaliser should have been a goal-kick. Ah, well. Walker storms up the right again and arrows in a low cross. Kane sticks his right foot through Mitrovic's legs to try to tow it in but the centre-back stands firm to block it out for a corner that Spurs take short and mess up. 

8:35PM

29 min

Another chance for Spurs - Eriksen thuds a quick, low corner through the six-yard box, catching Gent by surprise. Alli darts to the near post but can't flick it in and Wanyama at the far post can't reach it. Dier, in the middle, was asleep. 

8:33PM

25 min

Excellent run from Davies down the left is met by Alli's cut pass and the wing-back tees up Kane to slide in at the far post but he's caught on his heels and doesn't even launch himself at it. Surprisingly hesitant. As if he's wearing someone else's boots. Seconds later Saief is booked for double foul, first on Kane and then a yank on Walker's shirt

8:30PM

24 min

Gent fans are having a right old knees-up and don't seem perplexed when Alli has room to shoot and whacks it over from distance. They then win a free-kick for Saief's shirt-pull but Alderweireld smacks it into the wall form 35 yards. 

8:27PM

GOAL!!

Tottenham 1-1 Gent (Kane og)

Spurs 1 - 1 KAA Gent (Harry Kane, 20 min)

 Towering backpots header from Mitrovic meeting Milicevic's corner and Kane, going up to clear away from Simon, can't reach it and ends up glancing it past Lloris. 

8:25PM

19 min

Here's an indication of how high Walker is playing.

Average touch positions (half time)

 Vertonghen goes on a forceful 40 yard run and gets into the Gent box but cannot pick out Dele Alli because Foket reads his intentions and picks off pass sparking a counter attack and Spurs have Alderweireld to thank for stopping Milicevic at the cost of a corner. 

8:22PM

17 min

Walker, who hasn;t scored for more than a year, has his second shot of the night. He's devouring Kenny Saief on toast down the right but his scudded daisycutter is easily swallowed by Kalinic. 

8:21PM

16 min

The goal came from Gershon missing Alderweireld's moonball drive and Erisken capitalised on the mistake and a luckyish bounce. 

8:20PM

15 min

While we've been waiting for the graphic to kick in, Alli had a shout for a handball in the Gent area and Eriksen has flashed another shot wide. He's definitely at it tonight. 

8:19PM

14 min

Spurs 1 - 0 KAA Gent (Christian Eriksen, 10 min)

8:17PM

GOAL!!

Spurs 1-0 Gent (Eriksen)

Bombed in off the right flank, kept going towards the box and maintained his lead over the chasing defenders then curled in a right foot cross that beat the keeper to his left. 

8:14PM

9 min

Walker, in optimal crossing position, spanks a low one too close to the keeper who dives on top to smother it. Could have surprised him. Gent are defending capably and in numbers. 

8:12PM

7 min

Vertonghen chips a 20-yard pass up the left for Dele Alli who controls it superbly and passes to Eriksen who has peeled off to the left of the box. He knocks it back to Alli who finds himself hounded by Dejaegere and Foket and can't play it to Keane. So he has to go backwards and when he eventually gets it back he screws a weak shot through a thicket of legs in the area and out for a goalkick. 

8:09PM

5 min

Dembele boots a left-foot diagonal pass out towards Kane who has broken from the middle out to the right. It's carelessly struck, though, and skips out of play for a Gent throw-in. 

8:08PM

3 min

The fifty seconds have past and Spurs are at it, starting at a decent tempo on a slicker pitch than normal at Wembley. Foket moves it up the right to Simon, dropping short and out comes Coulibaly to join them but Tottenham bundle it away. 

8:06PM

1 min

Two sides go 3-4-3 to 3-4-3, Tottenham attacking up the right through Walker from the kick-off and tries to bend in a cross for Kane but Mitrovic beats him to it and Gent calmly send it clear.  

8:05PM

Right we're about to start

This is the largest ever crowd for a Europa League tie, we're told. 

8:01PM

Ranieri news is kosher

 Always easier to sack the manager than get rid of the culpable players.  So the champions have sacked their manager before the next campiagn has finished in successive years in the Premier League. 

7:45PM

News is breaking ...

That Leicester have sacked Claudio Ranieri. We're trying to stand it up right now. 

7:38PM

Apologies for the cursory build-up

Following BT Sport's lead here. But now the players are out and warming up. Spurs, hoping to make it through to the last 16, can take great succour from this night against Belgian opponents, the very night that Tony Parks wrote himself into Lilywhite history. They're going to win tonight. Gent are eighth in the old Jupiler and Tottenham will summon the spirit of 1984. Most of us do have that particular year at the forefront of our minds these days anyway.

7:25PM

Those teams in the Three B's style

Tottenham Hotspur Lloris, Walker, Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Dele, Kane.
Substitutes Vorm, Wimmer, Trippier, Winks, Sissoko, Son, Janssen.

Gent Kalinic, Gershon, Mitrovic, Gigot, Saief, Esiti, Dejaegere, Foket, Simon, Coulibaly, Milicevic.
Substitutes Rinne, Matton, Kalu, Perbet, De Smet, Verstraete, Ibrahim.

Referee: Manuel De Sousa (Portugal).

7:14PM

And here's Gent's team

 Coulibaly is back. 

6:56PM

Good evening - Spurs have named their team

And they've gone Player's Navy Cut, all full strength. Will they pass the Pochettino 50-second test?