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Tottenham Hotspur registered a 4-1 victory over Wolfsberg in the Europa League Round-of-32 first leg on Thursday. Heung-Min Son, Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius were all on the scoresheet.
COVID-19 protocols in Austria meant that this fixture was moved from the original venue to the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
Jose Mourinho named a relatively strong starting line-up, although rare starts were handed to Gareth Bale and Dele Alli.
The visitors started the game on the front foot and went ahead in the 13th minute through a stooped header by Son.
A well-worked move down the right flank saw Bale send a cross into the box, from which the South Korea international bent low to score his 17th goal of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur continued to ask all the questions, with a hapless Wolfsberg defense powerless to stop them. The north London outfit doubled their lead in the 28th minute when Gareth Bale sent an emphatic left-footed finish beyond Alexander Kofler.
It was 3-0 just six minutes later after Lucas Moura dribbled his way across the Austrians' defense before finding the back of the net.
Before that, Wolfsberg fashioned their best chance of the first half. Dario Vizinger forced Hugo Lloris to tip his point-blank header onto the post.
The second half began with the home side on the front foot, and they got a lifeline 10 minutes into the second half when Moussa Sissoko tripped Christopher Wernitznig in the area.
Michael Linedl stepped up to calmly send Lloris the wrong way and give Wolfsberg hope. The goal seemed to rattle Tottenham Hotspur, and it was practically one-way traffic for the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Mourinho made some changes to provide steel in the middle, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele coming on with 12 minutes left.
Their introduction practically changed the dimension of the game, and Tottenham Hotspur saw out the closing stages in control of the match.
They got a late fourth through Carlos Vinicius. A flicked header into the box by Lamela was excellently struck home by the Benfica loanee to give Tottenham Hotspur a more comfortable victory.
Both sides will clash again in the return fixture at White Hart Lane next Wednesday, with a place in the Round of 16 on offer.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Comfortable victory puts Tottenham Hotspur in the driving seat ahead of second leg
Even though Wolfsberg might not be the most prominent of sides on the continent, the Austrians are still capable of an upset.
They only gained promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga less than a decade ago but have secured continental football for two consecutive seasons. This term, they proved their mettle by finishing second in a group also containing serial European performers CSKA Moscow and Feyenoord.
Their 4-1 win away to the Dutch giants showed what they are capable of, and Jose Mourinho would have been wary of a shock result.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager wanted a dominant scoreline to have some breathing space ahead of the second leg, and his wards responded with an excellent all-round display.
There were times when their play was less than stellar, particularly at the start of the second half, but their class ultimately shone through, with a three-goal advantage putting them in the driving seat.
Mourinho can now afford to rest some of his more important players in the second leg, with emphasis placed on crucial Premier League games.
#4 Christopher Wernitznig shows his quality against superior opposition
Despite ending on the losing side, Christopher Wernitznig proved to be the brightest spark for Wolfsberg.
He was always full of running and kept the Tottenham Hotspur defense on the back foot for most of the game.
Wernitznig showed great awareness and tenacity to win a penalty off Sissoko 10 minutes into the second half and was unlucky to see his well-struck shot hit the post soon after.
#3 Sloppy Sissoko almost costs Tottenham Hotspur
Moussa Sissoko's performance on the night was the only blot on what was otherwise a five-star performance from Tottenham Hotspur.
He was deployed as part of a double pivot alongside Harry Winks. However, while the Englishman was tidy and efficient in possession, Sissoko was guilty of lingering on the ball too often.
The 31-year-old gave away possession right at the end of the first half in a dangerous position. Jose Mourinho's annoyance was clear as he threw away the card he scribbled on during the game.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager ostensibly had a go at him during halftime but his words seemingly fell on deaf ears as two errors in the second half came in quick succession.
One of them led to the awarding of a penalty to Wolfsberg, which made the game less comfortable than it was at halftime.
Ultimately, his side held on for a more convincing win but their job was undeniably made more difficult by Sissoko's sloppiness in possession.
#2 Son delivers yet again
This has been Son's best season of his career, and the South Korea international has flourished under Mourinho's management.
His telepathic combination with Harry Kane has been one of the revelations of the season but even in the absence of his strike partner, Son still shone brightly.
He opened the scoring with a well-taken header and put the home side on the back foot throughout his 45 minutes on the field.
The 28-year-old was taken off at halftime with several key games to come for Tottenham Hotspur but he made his mark in his short time in the fray.
#1 Gareth Bale puts out a confident display
Things have not gone to plan for Gareth Bale since he joined Tottenham Hotspur last summer. However, the Wales international was given a chance to impress in the Europa League knockout round. He took his chance well and was arguably Spurs' best player on the night.
Having set Son up for the opening goal, the Real Madrid loanee got in on the action himself with a brilliant strike soon after.
His combination with Matt Doherty down the right flank came to the fore on several occasions, and their combination led to the second goal for Tottenham Hotspur.
With Doherty charging at the Wolfsberg defense, Bale used his hand to direct him to where he wanted the ball. The Irish defender promptly complied, playing the ball in behind Jonathan Scherzer.
The Tottenham Hotspur number 9 took an exquisite touch to set him up and leave Scherzer sprawling on the floor, before finding the corner with a pristine shot.
The goal was reminiscent of Gareth Bale at his best and gave him the confidence to play his best football before he was replaced by Eric Lamela in the 65th minute.
Wolfsberg are not the toughest opposition that Tottenham Hotspur will face, and Bale will need to up the ante against more formidable opposition.
However, his performance here could serve as a confidence boost for him to play his best football in the home run of the season.
