Tottenham will head into their Europa League semi-final second leg showdown against Bodo/Glimt with a huge advantage. Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke were all on target at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Norwegian champions pulled one back late on through Ulrik Saltness which saw the first leg end 3-1 to the hosts.
Ange Postecoglou's side were relentless for 65 minutes, but after losing Maddison and Solanke to injury in quick succession saw their dominance waiver. Updates on the duo and Lucas Bergvall, who'd missed out entirely, have since been revealed by Postecoglou.
"Lucas, it looks like the injury is significant enough to probably keep him out for the rest of the season. Yeah, just tweaked ligaments in his ankle, so he is out," said the Australian post-match.
"Dom not too bad, he's still sore from last night but we don't think it's anything too serious. Obviously a doubt for the weekend, but we're hoping that it will settle down pretty quickly. Madders is a bit more of a concern because it's the knee. We've sent him for a scan and just waiting to hear the outcome."
Despite still winning by a margin of two goals, it could have been so much more for the Lilywhites and given what awaits in Norway and the return of at least three influential players. Captain Patrick Berg and Hakon Evjen will both be available after serving bans due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Andreas Helmersen was also suspended for the first leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after being sent off in the dramatic quarter-final triumph over Lazio. Elsewhere, Ole Blomberg overcame a minor injury to start, while centre-back Odin Bjortuft was only fit enough for a place on the substitutes bench.
With a make-shift midfield and an unfamiliar centre-back pairing, Bodo/Glimt significantly struggled but their goal came through left-back Fredrik Bjorkan, one of their bright sparks on the night, with his driving run and pass inside offering Saltness a shot at goal.
Defensively, he did struggle against Johnson and he was shown a yellow card after the Welshman escaped down the right flank. That was his third booking in the Europa League this season and, while it would normally result in a suspension, he will be available for the second leg due to UEFA's rulings on yellow cards.
"Exceptionally, all yellow cards and pending yellow-card suspensions expire on completion of the play-offs," it is stated in Article 52.04 of their handbook. "They are not carried forward to the group stage. In addition, all yellow cards expire on completion of the quarter-finals. They are not carried forward to the semi-finals."
Cristian Romero was also cautioned on the night. While mostly due to injury, that was only his second in Spurs' European campaign and a third in the arctic circle would also not see him banned for a potential final.