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Spurs edged past Villarreal with a 1-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night, ensuring their Champions League campaign began on the right note.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned from Tottenham 1-0 Villarreal:

Three points on the board for Tottenham

It might not have been the prettiest of ties for Tottenham Hotspur in their opening Champions League fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it was enough to get the job done.

A 1-0 win, with Villarreal’s goalkeeper arguably Spurs’ standout player, is not scintillating football, but that would matter little to Frank and his squad.

The Champions League is unforgiving, and it rarely rewards style without substance, so if Tottenham are to progress deep into this competition, then they will need to master the art of winning ugly, which at times requires defending a slender lead and grinding out results, exactly as they did here.

Last season, 11 points proved enough for a play-off spot while 16 secured an automatic place in the knockouts, and with three points now on the board, Tottenham have made the ideal start.

Tottenham looked flat after a bright start

While it was important to open with a win, there will be concerns that Frank will want to iron out quickly.

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Tottenham began the contest full of energy, pressing high and moving the ball with purpose, and the early own goal inside five minutes provided the perfect cushion to settle any nerves.

However, after the half-hour mark, the intensity dropped dramatically, with careless passing and sloppy touches allowing Villarreal back into the game.

Cristian Romero gave the ball away multiple times early in the second half, inviting pressure that could have been costly, while Mohammed Kudus lacked precision with his final ball, and Richarlison struggled to hold up play, with his involvement in build-up phases breaking down too often.

Against stronger, more clinical opposition, Tottenham may not have been so fortunate, and this flat spell is something Frank must quickly address.

Pape Matar Sarr starts at number 10 as Simons plays wide

There was plenty of anticipation about where Xavi Simons might be deployed, with many expecting him to line up centrally in the number ten role, perhaps with Brennan Johnson operating from the left.

Instead, Frank once again opted to start Simons wide on the left, leaving Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall with the creative duties through the middle.

It leaves the question of whether Simons has truly been brought in to play as a ten, or if Frank is simply waiting for the right moment to unleash him centrally, and for now, it seems patience will be required.

The Dutchman produced a much sharper display today than in his Premier League debut at West Ham United, showing glimpses of his quality, though he did ride his luck with a reckless second-half challenge that could easily have brought him a second yellow card. Baby steps for now, but progress is clear.

Randal Kolo Muani makes his Tottenham debut

Frank hinted before the tie that Randal Kolo Muani was close to full match sharpness, but a starting berth never looked likely.

Richarlison led the line for most of the evening before Muani was introduced late on, marking his first appearance in a Tottenham shirt.

His involvement was minimal, with a yellow card the main contribution, but with his debut now out of the way, greater involvement will surely follow in the coming weeks.

Stunning tifo celebrates Tottenham tradition

Nights like this are exactly what Tottenham fans have been craving: Champions League football back under the lights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a two-year absence.

Supporters made sure to mark the occasion with a striking tifo unveiled before kick-off, paying homage to the club’s old badge, a fitting nod to tradition as Spurs embarked on another European adventure.

Thanks must once again go to THST Flags for organising the display, just as they did for the Europa League semi-final last season.

That said, there were still pockets of empty seats across the stadium, likely a consequence of ticket prices that remain a major barrier for many supporters.

If Spurs are to make their home ground an intimidating European fortress, then ensuring the stands are packed out will be vital, yet the club’s pricing policy is currently making that far from straightforward.

The full-time whistle has gone at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UEFA Champions League tie between Tottenham and Villarreal, and the player ratings are in.

Tottenham Hotspur player ratings vs Villarreal

Guglielmo Vicario – Registered his fourth clean sheet of the season in all competitions, as Tottenham did enough to keep Villarreal at bay despite their few sniffs at goal. 6.

Pedro Porro – Still a conservative display from Porro in the second half, with the full-back picking his moments to overlap Kudus. Looked assured at the back and was rarely caught out of position. 7.

Cristian Romero – Not exactly a flawless display from the Tottenham captain, who had a few shaky moments. His passing in the second half was far from crisp, too often finding men in yellow rather than his teammates, which handed Villarreal a few openings. 6.5.

Micky Van de Ven – Villarreal came out quickly after the break and got in behind a few times, but van de Ven was there on several occasions with crucial tackles and clearances. He read the game well, consistently being in the right place at the right time to make key interceptions. 8.

Djed Spence – Again caught out of position a few times due to his role as the more attacking full-back. However, he could not shoulder most of the blame, as poor passing from teammates often left him exposed. 7.

Rodrigo Bentancur – Aside from a few loose passes, it was a complete display from Bentancur. He held his own in midfield, stayed positive with his play, looked for forward passes, and carried the ball well. 8.5.

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Lucas Bergvall – A relentless display from the Swede, who was simply everywhere. Kept pressing tirelessly while also looking to join the attack. 8.

Pape Matar Sarr – Far less effective in the second half, offering little going forward. Had only a few touches as well, before Frank opted to substitute him. 6.

Xavi Simons – Looks to be forming a promising partnership with Spence down the left, with the pair combining well when the full-back overlapped. Was fortunate not to be sent off after a reckless tackle on Pepe, with the referee deciding against showing him a second yellow. 6.

Richarlison – The forward did not see much of the ball and had to drop deep to be involved in the build-up, but he was often let down by his passing. 5.5.

Mohammed Kudus – Once more crisp with his dribbling, but the final ball was lacking and could have been much better when he got into dangerous positions. 6.

Subsitutes

Destiny Udogie – The Italian continued his cameos from the bench, once more replacing Spence. Looked to inject energy down the left with his continuous running. 6.

Joao Palhinha – The Portuguese replaced Sarr and slotted in as the pivot midfielder. Managed to put in a few tackles during his short spell on the pitch. 6.

Randal Kolo Muani – Came on for Richarlison in the final 13 minutes to make his Tottenham debut in front of the home crowd. His first action, however, was to pick up a booking. N/A.

Brennan Johnson – Replaced Simons and slotted in on the left wing. N/A.

The half-time whistle has blown between Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal in Thomas Frank’s first Champions League tie as Spurs boss, and the player ratings are in.

Tottenham Hotspur lead Villarreal at the break in their opening UEFA Champions League tie, with an own goal separating the two sides.

We’ve rated every Tottenham player from 1 to 10 based on their first-half performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham half-time player ratings vs Villarreal

Guglielmo Vicario – Has not been tested much in this tie so far, as the majority of Villarreal’s shots have been put wide. 6.

Pedro Porro – The Spanish international looks to have been handed a more conservative role in this tie, with Thomas Frank instead preferring Porro to do most of his creative work from deep. He has not been threatened much on his wing. 7.

Cristian Romero – The Argentine has had little to do defensively all game, with Villarreal offering little threat in attack. He did have a nervy moment when he misjudged the bounce of a long ball, which allowed the Spaniards to get a shot away, but it was wide. 7.

Micky Van de Ven – The Dutchman has had a quiet evening, and he has not had to use his recovery pace, with his main focus being to help in the build-up with his passing. 7.

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Djed Spence – Spence once more continues to be preferred over Udogie, and he looks like the full-back with the licence to be more adventurous. His positioning high up has led to Villarreal having a few chances, with Pepe coming close in the opening 15 minutes. 6.

Rodrigo Bentancur – Bentancur is the one holding the fort in midfield with Palhinha dropped to the bench. The Uruguayan has done so expertly, shielding the back four, keeping things ticking with his passing, while also bombing forward when necessary. A good all-round display. 8.

Lucas Bergvall – It was the perfect start for Bergvall, whose cross led to Tottenham’s opening goal after the Villarreal goalkeeper made a mess of his delivery into the box, scoring an own goal in the process. As usual, Bergvall continues to justify his selection, with his relentless pressing a hallmark of his first-half performance. 8.

Pape Matar Sarr – The Senegalese international is deeper than Bergvall in this Frank setup, but he still has the licence to go forward. He has made some good runs from deep when Porro has looked to go long. He had an effort from range saved when he shot from outside the box. 7.

Xavi Simons – Once more, the Dutchman has been deployed off the left and looked lively throughout the opening forty-five. He let fly when the ball popped up to him on the edge of the box, though he could not keep it down, and later went close after combining neatly with Bergvall and Kudus. He has not been afraid to drop deep to create from those areas, but his evening was slightly marred by a first-half booking. 7.

Richarlison – The Brazilian forward has not had a real sniff at goal so far, and it is not entirely his fault, with his teammates yet to provide him with genuine goalscoring opportunities. He did, however, pick up a needless first-half booking, and while he finally managed a shot late in the half, his effort was deflected wide. 6.

Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Champions League campaign this evening with a home fixture against Villarreal.

Tottenham’s Europa League final win against Manchester United secured their return to European football’s most prestigious club competition for the first time since the 2022/23 season.

Tottenham’s most recent Champions League campaign ended with a disappointing 1-0 aggregate defeat to Milan in the round of 16 while Antonio Conte was in charge.

The North Londoners have enjoyed a respectable start to life under boss Thomas Frank with three wins from their opening four Premier League matches.

What is the Tottenham team vs Villarreal?

Dominic Solanke was missing from training on Friday as he continues to recover from his ankle injury, while summer signing Kota Takai still also remains sidelined having yet to make his Tottenham debut.

Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison all once again miss out as they continue their comeback from their respective injury issues, while Radu Dragusin took part in some of the session but is still not ready to return from his ACL injury.

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Mathys Tel was not included in Tottenham’s Champions League squad and is ineligible for selection until at least the knockout stage.

This is the Tottenham team that takes to the field in North London to take on Villarreal this evening:

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Sarr, Bergvall; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons.

Subs: Kinsky, Austin, Danso, João Palhinha, Udogie, Gray, Johnson, Odobert, Davies, Kolo Muani, Scarlett, Byfield

Villarreal XI: Luiz Júnior; Mouriño, Foyth, Veiga, Sergi Cardona; Pépé, Gueye, Comesaña, Buchanan; Ayoze Pérez, Mikautadze

Spurs need to begin their Champions League campaign with a win

Tottenham fans were pleased with the Champions League draw when it was made last month and Thomas Frank’s side have to win their home matches to put themselves in the best place for qualification.

With a trip to Bodo/Glimt to follow next, Tottenham have a great opportunity to go into the trip to Monaco next month with two wins out of two.

For those wondering how to watch the game in the UK, Tottenham vs Villarreal will be broadcast live for free on Amazon Prime.

Not every Tottenham Hotspur loanee is having much success, but there is one player who is making the most of his time away from North London.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in form after putting West Ham to the sword, but many Spurs players who are on loan elsewhere are not having such a great time.

Luka Vuskovic was part of the Hamburg defence that conceded five goals against Bayern Munich, while Ashley Phillips and Jamie Donley played no part in Stoke City’s victory over Birmingham City.

Mikey Moore was hooked at half-time as Rangers lost 2-0 at home to Hearts and while Alfie Dorrington kept a clean sheet, it was not enough to get Aberdeen out of last place in the Scottish Premiership.

Will Lankshear is thriving away from Tottenham Hotspur

Some Tottenham players may be struggling to prosper elsewhere, but this is certainly not the case for Will Lankshear. The striker scored against Leicester City on Saturday, helping Oxford United to a 2-2 draw against one of the Championship’s best teams.

Lankshear was the player to open the scoring in the ninth minute, and this was the second consecutive match where he got himself on the scoresheet. He now has three Championship goals to his name this season in five appearances.

Oxford are in the relegation zone with just two points, but both these have been achieved in their past two matches. This shows the club are making progress and with Lankshear banging in the goals, their supporters will be hopeful they can move up the table.

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Lankshear has already improved on his last loan spell away from Spurs

Lankshear found the back of the net in the Europa League last season and he also scored against Reading in pre-season. However, he was unable to find the net in a short-term loan spell at West Brom from January until the summer.

Despite this, Lankshear has now found his mojo in the Championship and already looks comfortable in the Oxford squad.

If Tottenham do not look to sign Randal Kolo Muani on a permanent deal, the 20-year-old could have a part to play in North London next year.

A niche stat has emerged about Pedro Porro’s Premier League career, one that underlines just how rare it is to see Tottenham involved in a goalless draw.

Tottenham Hotspur have had a solid start to the new Premier League season, with Thomas Frank’s men securing three wins from their opening four fixtures.

The Lilywhites currently sit third in the Premier League table, with only Arsenal and Liverpool ahead of them after the opening rounds.

It has been an impressive effort from the squad as a whole, with Spurs keeping three clean sheets, conceding just once and scoring eight goals across the campaign so far.

Pedro Porro stat revealed as Tottenham right back continues run

Pedro Porro has been an ever-present for Tottenham this season, often deployed at right back, and while there have been struggles when faced with tricky wingers who have managed to dribble past Porro on occasions, he has still maintained his position as the club’s first-choice option since signing from Sporting CP.

TNT Sports has now highlighted an unusual statistic involving the Spanish full-back. According to the outlet, Pedro Porro has never been involved in a goalless draw in his 87 Premier League appearances for Tottenham.

That figure is the second-longest start to a Premier League career without a 0-0 draw, with Manchester United’s Mikael Silvestre holding the record at 134 matches.

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Tottenham rarely involved in 0-0 draws

Tottenham have undergone several changes since Pedro Porro arrived, with the defender playing under Antonio Conte, Ange Postecoglou and now Thomas Frank.

Porro has held the right back role throughout much of his time at the club, particularly during Postecoglou’s tenure, when the Australian often utilised the full back in an inverted role to affect play from deeper positions.

It might appear unusual given Tottenham’s inconsistency over recent seasons, but this stat only reinforces the point that Spurs are rarely involved in stalemates.

Alan Shearer has named a Spurs defender and midfielder in his Premier League Team of the Week, with the Newcastle United legend being very impressed with one Tottenham man’s finish in the club’s 3-0 win over West Ham.

Unsurprisingly, many pundits’ Team of the Week has a few Tottenham Hotspur representatives on the back of the Lilywhites’ impressive 3-0 win at the London Stadium.

It is not a venue that Spurs have had good results at of late, but not only did they manage to register a comfortable win, but Thomas Frank’s men also kept their third clean sheet in four league matches.

Troy Deeney named Pape Sarr and Cristian Romero in his Team of the Week, but Shearer has gone with two different Spurs players in his eleven.

Alan Shearer praises Micky van de Ven and Lucas Bergvall

Like Deeny, Shearer also went with one Tottenham midfielder and a defender, but in the Newcastle legend’s case, it was Van de Ven and Bergvall.

The 55-year-old was impressed with some of the tackles that Van de Ven made, while he also lavished praise on the technique of Bergvall’s looping header after being picked out by Romero.

Shearer wrote about Van de Ven on the Premier League website: “Made three or four good tackles in the first half and capped an imposing Tottenham Hotspur display by scoring their third goal.”

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He said of Bergvall: “Showed unbelievable technique with a header to put Spurs 2-0 up and then set up Van de Ven for their third to seal a derby win at West Ham.”

Shearer impressed with Thomas Frank’s start at Spurs

Shearer named Tottenham boss Thomas Frank as his pick for Manager of the Week after he guided Spurs to their first win at the London Stadium in six years.

The pundit admitted that the Lilywhites look a transformed outfit from the one that struggled under Ange Postecoglou last term.

He said: “Spurs look a totally different side to the one that lost 22 times last season. Three clean sheets and three wins in their first four matches are an impressive start for head coach Frank.”

Bad news has emerged regarding one on-loan Tottenham starlet, who could potentially be ruled out for a significant period after coming off injured on Sunday.

Alejo Veliz admitted that he wanted to return to Rosario Central after two difficult years in Europe, and Spurs granted the striker his wish, sending him back to the club they signed him from in 2023.

Some Tottenham fans were bewildered by Tottenham’s decision to loan Veliz back to Argentina, with many feeling that he would have been better served being loaned out to a European side.

However, the 21-year-old would certainly be delighted with his decision as he has been playing regularly for his boyhood side since his return.

Fears that Tottenham’s Alejo Veliz has suffered a dislocation

The on-loan Tottenham Hotspur striker has played 551 minutes from seven games for Rosario Central this season, managing a goal, but his latest outing did not go well.

Veliz came off with an injury in the 42nd minute of Rosario’s 1-1 draw against Boca Juniors, and there are fears that the issue may be serious.

This is according to the information provided by La Capital, who say that the striker left through a different door than the other players and was the last to leave the stadium on Sunday.

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He is expected to undergo scans to find out the extent of the damage, but the outlet says that ‘everything suggests dislocation of the right collarbone’.

Rosario Central manager admits Veliz injury concern

La Capital say that Rosario are remaining hopeful that the centre-forward’s setback is not a serious one.

However, Spurs fans will not take too much confidence from the admission of the club’s manager, Ariel Holan, who admitted after the game that he is ‘sad’ for Veliz.

Holan is quoted as saying in the report after the 1-1 draw with Boca: “I’m a little sad about Alejo. He has a blow on his collarbone. We need to run tests and see what’s wrong.”

Pape Sarr is quickly becoming one of Ally McCoist’s favourite players, and another pundit thinks Tottenham are Champions League outsiders.

Several Tottenham Hotspur stars have found a new lease of life since Thomas Frank arrived at the club.

Perhaps the best example is Pape Matar Sarr, who is quickly becoming one of Spurs’ most important players under the Danish coach.

Thomas Frank has admitted he has been very impressed with Sarr, and it is not hard to understand why, given the energy and versatility that the 23-year-old possesses.

Tottenham are Champions League dark horses and Pape Sarr is popular

In TNT Sports’ preview of the Champions League, host Darren Fletcher suggested that Tottenham are one of the dark horses for the whole tournament.

The conversation quickly turned to Sarr, with Fletcher and Joe Cole both joking about how much McCoist likes Sarr and the way he talks about the Spurs midfielder.

The Scottish pundit admitted that he absolutely loves watching the Senegal international. Watch the video below:

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Sarr is thriving in the freedom offered by Thomas Frank’s system

The injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have worked out well for Sarr, who has thrived as the number ten.

It is important in the modern game for a ten to be very good at pressing, which is perhaps why Thomas Frank wanted to sign Morgan Gibbs-White.

While Sarr might not have Gibbs-White’s creativity on the ball, the Tottenham man’s energy and his work off the ball are second to none, which is why it is not going to be easy for anyone to displace him from Frank’s starting eleven.

The youngster’s versatility makes him an invaluable squad player for the Lilywhites, and it is looking like this might be Sarr’s breakout season.

One Spurs star finds a place in WhoScored’s Premier League Team of the Week, but it is not the one that many Tottenham fans would have guessed.

While Tottenham Hotspur’s clash at the London Stadium started as a typically high-octane, end-to-end London derby, the Lilywhites came into their own in the second half.

They put three past the Hammers without response, aided by Tomas Soucek’s sending off on 54 minutes, with the score finely poised at 1-0 in that time.

It was the third win in four league matches at the start of the Thomas Frank era for Spurs, and even more impressively, their third clean sheet of the season.

Tottenham defender makes WhoScored’s Team of the Week

There were several outstanding performances from back to front for Spurs, not least two of the goalscorers: Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall, whose energy West Ham could not cope with.

However, it is Tottenham’s other goalscorer, Micky van de Ven, who is the only representative in WhoScored’s Team of the Week.

The data analysis platform has given Van de Ven a match rating of 8.08 out of 10, which is the highest of any defender across matchweek four.

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Another Tottenham defender is unlucky to miss out

It is hard to fathom why Cristian Romero did not make WhoScored’s final cut, as the Argentine did not put a foot wrong against West Ham.

Not only was he dominant in duals and marshalled the backline impressively, but his passing from the back was outstanding.

His assist for Bergvall’s goal will arguably go down as one of the best passes of the season, as it showed excellent vision and execution.