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Richarlison’s second-half penalty gave Tottenham a 1-0 home win over AZ Alkmaar to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Europa League.
The Brazilian scored his first goal of the season to make it three wins from three in the competition for Ange Postecoglou's side, who sit second in the 36-team league table behind leaders Lazio on goal difference.
There was a brief argument between James Maddison and Richarlison over the taking of the penalty with Spurs' stand-in captain eventually handing the ball to the striker, who converted down the middle in the 53rd minute.
Postecoglou admitted in his post-match press conference that he "wasn't bothered" by the deliberation and praised Maddison's "great decision" to allow Richarlison to take the penalty.
As it happened: How Spurs made it three EL wins from three
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Europa League Table | Results | Fixtures
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But while Richarlison got off the mark on his first start of the season, the frustration continues for fellow attacker Timo Werner who wasted two chances in the first half and was substituted for Brennan Johnson at half-time.
The German has not scored in his last 16 Spurs appearances and the player who took up his position on the left in the second half, Mikey Moore, was electric.
The 17-year-old academy graduate inspired an improved second half which saw Spurs win a penalty when Lucas Bergvall was brought down by Maxim Dekker with the spot-kick scored by Richarlison.
Fraser Forster made a good save late on to deny Mayckel Lahdo, but any hope of a comeback for the Dutch side was extinguished in the 85th minute when David Moller Wolfe was sent off for a second booking.
There was to be no goal on Troy Parrott's Spurs return after he joined AZ in the summer as Spurs made it back-to-back wins following Saturday's Premier League victory over West Ham.
Moore compared to Neymar by Maddison as Ange praises teenager
Teenager Moore was sensational in the victory as his switch to the left side in the second half caused plenty of problems for AZ, while in the first half he nearly scored his first senior goal as he just headed wide from Werner's cross.
Such was the England U19 international's eye-catching display, team-mate James Maddison compared him to Neymar.
Maddison told TNT Sports: "From minute 45 to 65, I thought we had Neymar on the left wing! (Moore) was brilliant.
"Demanded the ball, fearless. That young fearless mentality, you never want to take that away from him.
"He's a young kid, a brilliant lad. He's a lovely boy, takes on information and he has got bags of ability. So, I will be there as an older player, hopefully with some wise words, to help him along the way. He has all the ability. It is about knuckling down and keep working hard which he does to be fair to him."
Following Harry Kane's exit in the summer of 2023, the home fans now have a new academy graduate to be excited by with Kane's 'One Of Our Own' chant already bestowed upon Moore.
Postecoglou can no longer keep Moore a secret.
"Pretty hard for me to keep a lid on it now, isn't it?," the Australian said in his post-match press conference. "He was exciting. You can't deny it.
"I love the way Mikey is just taking it all in his stride. He's working hard every day. He's wanting to develop. His understanding that this is a journey and it's very easy for a young guy like him who's just turned 17 to feel like he's somehow made it but you never get that sense.
"It's exciting when you've got such a young player who wants that responsibility to make an impact rather than being worried about making mistakes.
"We have to be really careful about how we use him and when we use him, that is the key for us, particularly in these early stages.
"I have no fear throwing him in. absolutely not. I know and I see it every day, he's a great young player and definitely more to come."
So what effect could Maddison's Neymar comparison make on Moore. None says Postecoglou.
He said: "You're worried about sort of putting too much pressure on young players, particularly in today's world but the thing that gives me the most sort of confidence is just how he's handling everything.
"I don't think that even if he does hear what Madders has said about him, will affect him tomorrow."
Ange: Werner lacks self-belief
But while Moore's rise continues, Werner's confidence crisis deepens - and Postecoglou admits the 28-year-old is lacking "self-belief".
"He's definitely down in confidence," he said. "You can see that. It's a difficult thing to get out of sometimes. You feel like the weight of the world's on your shoulders. All we can do is try and support him and keep trying to get him to a place where he feels a little bit more confident with certain things.
"He's played a great ball in for Mikey to score early and if that goes in then maybe it's an assist for him and it gives him a lift.
"But at the same time, he needs to find a way out of it. Because for us, in those positions, we need players to make an impact and I thought in a couple of moments, he really kind of lacked some self-belief that we need to try and instil in him somehow."
Maddison explains Richarlison penalty decision
Tottenham midfielder James Maddison speaking to TNT Sports:
"Initially we both wanted to take it. I'm a senior player, I was the captain today and I was going to take it.
"I had a little thought in my head and just thought Richy's come back from an injury, it can be difficult coming back, especially as a striker - I knew that last year, it took me a while to get my first goal.
"That really gives confidence. It was a split-second to let him take it and it'll do him the world of good.
"It's about leadership, I wore the armband tonight but even if I wasn't [wearing it], I'd still like to think I'd make decisions which were best for the team.
"Richy's a good penalty-taker and hopefully it gives him a big boost."
What's coming up in the Europa League?
Richarlison’s second-half penalty gave Tottenham a 1-0 home win over AZ Alkmaar to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Europa League.
The Brazilian scored his first goal of the season to make it three wins from three in the competition for Ange Postecoglou's side, who sit second in the 36-team league table behind leaders Lazio on goal difference.
There was a brief argument between James Maddison and Richarlison over the taking of the penalty with Spurs' stand-in captain eventually handing the ball to the striker, who converted down the middle in the 53rd minute.
Postecoglou admitted in his post-match press conference that he "wasn't bothered" by the deliberation and praised Maddison's "great decision" to allow Richarlison to take the penalty.
As it happened: How Spurs made it three EL wins from three
Teams | Match stats
Europa League Table | Results | Fixtures
Stream Sky Sports with NOW
But while Richarlison got off the mark on his first start of the season, the frustration continues for fellow attacker Timo Werner who wasted two chances in the first half and was substituted for Brennan Johnson at half-time.
The German has not scored in his last 16 Spurs appearances and the player who took up his position on the left in the second half, Mikey Moore, was electric.
The 17-year-old academy graduate inspired an improved second half which saw Spurs win a penalty when Lucas Bergvall was brought down by Maxim Dekker with the spot-kick scored by Richarlison.
Fraser Forster made a good save late on to deny Mayckel Lahdo, but any hope of a comeback for the Dutch side was extinguished in the 85th minute when David Moller Wolfe was sent off for a second booking.
There was to be no goal on Troy Parrott's Spurs return after he joined AZ in the summer as Spurs made it back-to-back wins following Saturday's Premier League victory over West Ham.
Moore compared to Neymar by Maddison as Ange praises teenager
Teenager Moore was sensational in the victory as his switch to the left side in the second half caused plenty of problems for AZ, while in the first half he nearly scored his first senior goal as he just headed wide from Werner's cross.
Such was the England U19 international's eye-catching display, team-mate James Maddison compared him to Neymar.
Maddison told TNT Sports: "From minute 45 to 65, I thought we had Neymar on the left wing! (Moore) was brilliant.
"Demanded the ball, fearless. That young fearless mentality, you never want to take that away from him.
"He's a young kid, a brilliant lad. He's a lovely boy, takes on information and he has got bags of ability. So, I will be there as an older player, hopefully with some wise words, to help him along the way. He has all the ability. It is about knuckling down and keep working hard which he does to be fair to him."
Following Harry Kane's exit in the summer of 2023, the home fans now have a new academy graduate to be excited by with Kane's 'One Of Our Own' chant already bestowed upon Moore.
Postecoglou can no longer keep Moore a secret.
"Pretty hard for me to keep a lid on it now, isn't it?," the Australian said in his post-match press conference. "He was exciting. You can't deny it.
"I love the way Mikey is just taking it all in his stride. He's working hard every day. He's wanting to develop. His understanding that this is a journey and it's very easy for a young guy like him who's just turned 17 to feel like he's somehow made it but you never get that sense.
"It's exciting when you've got such a young player who wants that responsibility to make an impact rather than being worried about making mistakes.
"We have to be really careful about how we use him and when we use him, that is the key for us, particularly in these early stages.
"I have no fear throwing him in. absolutely not. I know and I see it every day, he's a great young player and definitely more to come."
So what effect could Maddison's Neymar comparison make on Moore. None says Postecoglou.
He said: "You're worried about sort of putting too much pressure on young players, particularly in today's world but the thing that gives me the most sort of confidence is just how he's handling everything.
"I don't think that even if he does hear what Madders has said about him, will affect him tomorrow."
Ange: Werner lacks self-belief
But while Moore's rise continues, Werner's confidence crisis deepens - and Postecoglou admits the 28-year-old is lacking "self-belief".
"He's definitely down in confidence," he said. "You can see that. It's a difficult thing to get out of sometimes. You feel like the weight of the world's on your shoulders. All we can do is try and support him and keep trying to get him to a place where he feels a little bit more confident with certain things.
"He's played a great ball in for Mikey to score early and if that goes in then maybe it's an assist for him and it gives him a lift.
"But at the same time, he needs to find a way out of it. Because for us, in those positions, we need players to make an impact and I thought in a couple of moments, he really kind of lacked some self-belief that we need to try and instil in him somehow."
Maddison explains Richarlison penalty decision
Tottenham midfielder James Maddison speaking to TNT Sports:
"Initially we both wanted to take it. I'm a senior player, I was the captain today and I was going to take it.
"I had a little thought in my head and just thought Richy's come back from an injury, it can be difficult coming back, especially as a striker - I knew that last year, it took me a while to get my first goal.
"That really gives confidence. It was a split-second to let him take it and it'll do him the world of good.
"It's about leadership, I wore the armband tonight but even if I wasn't [wearing it], I'd still like to think I'd make decisions which were best for the team.
"Richy's a good penalty-taker and hopefully it gives him a big boost."
What's coming up in the Europa League?
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"I just had a feeling that it would happen," Troy Parrott tells Sky Sports. "I actually said to people when I was leaving there that I will probably see you soon." On Thursday evening, he returns to Tottenham with his new club AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.
Parrott made his Spurs debut at 17 amid much excitement about his potential. But after four different loan moves in English football's lower leagues, the Republic of Ireland international, now 22, has found himself in the Netherlands - in more ways than one.
"There is something about the air over here. I don't know, it is like a feeling. I just enjoy it. If you asked me two or three years ago where I would be now, I would have never said here. That is something that kind of excites me. I am getting to live in new places.
"It is just about experiencing new things. There are not many people that do it. So, to try something new, it is exciting for me. It is a short life that we have. And I am not even just talking football now. It is something you cannot get back. To be living that, it is nice."
On the pitch, he has already scored a winner in Europe and is the Eredivisie's second-highest scorer. "If I had to paint a picture of how the season would start, then it would probably have been this with the amount of goals that I have scored so far," says Parrott.
The transition to life at AZ has been seamless after a season on loan at Excelsior in which he scored 10 goals in a struggling side. "I had a great time here last year, so I think it was only right for me to stay in the country and keep enjoying football over here," he adds.
In truth, the Netherlands has been the making of him. "There have been seasons that I have had before where I have not enjoyed it too much." Everything from the style of play to the life away from the pitch is bringing the best out in a player of such obvious promise.
"The most important thing was to start enjoying football again without any pressure on it. Not telling myself I need to do this, I need to do that. I know the talent I have so if I am feeling good in myself and happy then that is always going to show itself on the pitch.
"But it was a big step because I did not have any idea what to expect when I first came over. Moving from Ireland to England is one thing but to move somewhere where they speak a different language, a different culture, it was always going to be a challenge."
Of course, an Irishman abroad is never truly alone, whether living in Rotterdam last season or Amsterdam this. "They are everywhere," he says of his compatriots. And besides, the AZ fans could not have made him feel more welcome, chanting his name from the outset.
"It is different to what I have experienced before but it is a special feeling, something that I really enjoy." He was even presented with an inflatable parrot after his home debut. Has that survived? He laughs. "Yeah, it is here, just flying around the kitchen."
That came before he scored four goals in a 9-1 win over Robin van Persie's Heerenveen - a moment that Parrott naturally ranks among his best in football. Since then, former Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart has said that he can become 'a really big player' - high praise.
"Encouraging comments are always nice to see," he concedes. But there is a sense that he has been here before, listening to those claims that he was destined for great things from a young age. He is done with beating himself up if he does not fulfil expectations.
"I have learned nothing good comes from that. I think I will be my own biggest critic but I will also give myself a pat on the back if I know I am doing well. For me, it is just about keeping that level head and not reading too much into a bad game or a good game."
What is obvious is that there have been more of those good games in the Eredivisie than there were previously, something Parrott credits to the brand of football but also a change of emphasis under Marinus Dijkhuisen, his manager at Excelsior last season.
"The thing that helped me the most last season was that I realised I was a striker who needed to be in the box. On a couple of the loans that I had, I tried to show my ability to come deep and link play. A lot of the time, I was too far away from the goal to score.
"I worked a lot with the coach at Excelsior on just being in the box, being there when the ball is getting crossed. I think for me that was the biggest thing, just drilling it into my own head that ultimately you're a striker and you need to be in the box to score goals."
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Parrott does still have that all-round game. As Van der Vaart noted, after playing on the counter-attack at Excelsior, he is able to show more at AZ. "That was one of the factors which played into my decision to come and sign here permanently," he explains.
"Last season, that build-up play did not come into but while this team still does counter-attack, we also really enjoy having the ball as well so I can show all parts of my game. I think we have a really good team and I want to improve on those aspects too."
And so to Tottenham. Are there any regrets?
"No, I don't think I have any regrets. I am grateful for how the club treated me, helping me to grow up as a person and a player. I can't really look back. This is the position I always wanted to be in, playing professional football. I understand that I am on my own journey.
"Those expectations are hard for any young player. I'm speaking like I am old, I'm still young now! It is just the experience I had, being out on all the loans and stuff, is more than what I should have at this age. But it is something a lot of young players go through.
"I believe for me I've learned to just put that to the side. It does more harm than it does good. Just to block all that out. I am happy now, being able to showcase what I can do week in and week out at a big team playing in Europe. It is what I wanted when I moved here."
As for what happens next, Parrott has learned not to think too far ahead. But asked if he could get back to the Premier League, a competition in which his involvement was restricted to two substitute appearances under Jose Mourinho, he still believes.
"I definitely have that self-belief. I am always going to have that confidence that I can do well. If I keep working hard, who knows what could happen? I could end up anywhere. But I am not thinking about the years ahead. I am only thinking about the next game."
That next game brings a return to Tottenham. And a goal there would be nice. "Yeah, really nice. Really, really nice."
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Tottenham are a team steeped in entertainment under Robert Vilahamn. But after keeping a clean sheet in their season opener against Crystal Palace, no team has shipped more goals than Spurs' eight.
It's a pattern that unsettles full-back Ash Neville, the club's tough-tackling defender and current longest-serving player. "When we concede we can't let it become a downhill spiral," she says, speaking exclusively to Sky Sports ahead to facing champions Chelsea this weekend - a team best known for their ruthless scoring prowess.
Spurs have enjoyed a topsy-turvy start to their second campaign under Vilahamn: the league's third-highest scorers, with the second-worst defensive record. Their most recent outing, a 3-0 defeat to Man United, presented one of those frustrating realities where a contradiction exists between performance and scoreline.
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Shaw's incredible strength in numbers revealed
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"We started so well at Man United, and it's easy to say, but the game is different if we put our early chances away," Neville says. Sounds obvious, but she's right. Spurs have really grown into their image as a front-footed team since Vilahamn's appointment in July 2023 and are all the better for it.
They overwhelmed Man United in almost every attacking metric on Sunday, registering more shots at goal, more touches in the opposition box, higher possession share and a greater number of final third passes, spending far more time in the offensive half of the pitch than their hosts managed.
The real difference ended up being Elisabeth Terland's expert finishing from two pinpoint Celin Bizet crosses - particularly dispiriting given Bizet's prior association with Spurs. But lessons are being learnt.
"Week by week, we're finding new things to work on," Neville continues. "The losses are hard to take when you feel like the performance has been ok.
"We're in the habit now of players having the bravery to speak up. The question we ask is always 'How can this be better?'
"For fans, I'm sure it's exciting, there are loads of goals and momentum turns in games. But for us, if we take the lead we have to control games. If we go behind, it's about sticking to the game plan and staying relaxed."
Staying relaxed is especially hard against Chelsea, though. Including injury time, Sonia Bompastor's well-drilled charges have spent 73.7 per cent of games in winning positions this season, the second-highest ratio behind only Man United.
Not to be deterred, Neville respects Chelsea's near-perfect start under new boss Bompastor but isn't fazed by their objective lack of weakness. If anything, it acts as an incentive.
"Chelsea have had a really bright start. They are champions of this league and the team everyone wants to beat," she says. "They have pure quality, but I go into every game wanting to beat the opponent. There is no pressure on us, it'll be about what happens on the day."
What are Chelsea's biggest threats, then? "Mayra Ramirez," Neville replies with haste. "She was unbelievable against Arsenal last weekend. They have a great frontline and Ramirez will be a tough one to stop.
"But sometimes we focus too much on the other team, our strength is what we can do, and how we can hurt teams. We work hard on our game plan, and then it's about executing it. I'm a believer in anyone can beat anyone on the day."
This more evolved, dynamic style Spurs understand better how to cope with the demands posed by the league's top sides, but, like most, have a less than favourable record against Chelsea.
Confidence can be gleaned from the fact Tottenham have won four of their last six WSL London derbies, though (albeit not against the Blues, whom they have never beat).
The renewed sense of identity is nevertheless clear and steering the Spurs ship towards improved stability as they enter a crucial run of fixtures, which includes three capital-based rivalries - Chelsea, West Ham and then Arsenal.
"Last year, being Robert's first, we just wanted to do better than the relegation battle of the season before," Neville adds. "But now we need to push. We're invested in the way Robert wants to play and his vision, so we're building in a non-pressured way. It feels positive."
Spurs' trajectory certainly feels fast-tracked, making it all the way to the FA Cup final last season, and earning a highly respectable sixth-place finish. The measure of said progress will face stern examination by Chelsea this weekend - just about the toughest test in town.
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