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Tottenham returned to the Champions League with a 1-0 win against Villarreal on Tuesday evening and here are our Spurs player ratings from the lacklustre encounter.
Spurs head coach Thomas Frank made two changes from the side that beat West Ham with Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison both coming in to start with Joao Palhinha and Mathys Tel dropping out of the starting line-up.
The game was just four minutes old when Tottenham took the lead thanks to a remarkable gaffe from Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior. Lucas Bergvall fried in a low cross that was too close to the keeper who dived down but spilled it out of his hands, across his body and into the net.
In an otherwise uneventful first half, Spurs had a couple of half-hearted penalty appeals rejected by the referee and quick VAR checks for a challenge on Richarlison and then a handball claim.
Tottenham were poor in the second half and it was the visitors who went close on a couple of occasions through former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe. The loudest noise during the game inside a quiet Tottenham Hotspur Stadium came with the boos for the introduction of another former Gunner in midfielder Thomas Partey.
Spurs held on despite some nervy moments in the final moments to kick off their Champions League return with a narrow victory which featured just one shot on target.
Here are our Tottenham player ratings after the game:
Guglielmo Vicario
Had little to do throughout the game with Villarreal failing to get any shots on target. 6
Pedro Porro
One of Spurs' better players on the night and if others had shown his energy then it might have been a better encounter. 7
Cristian Romero
Not much got past the captain with some strong moments in possession. 7
Micky van de Ven
Made some good interceptions but was fortunate to get only a yellow card for a foul as Mikautadze was running through towards the Spurs box. 6
Djed Spence
Not one of his best games and he struggled with Pepe more than he has other most other wingers. Didn't get into many good positions either as he had to remain disciplined behind Xavi. 5
Pape Matar Sarr
Had a low shot saved by the keeper on the half hour mark and it was the only shot on target by either side all game. Struggled to make much of an impact in the game from that point on. 5
Rodrigo Bentancur
Went from plenty of calm, composed moments in the first half to some really sloppy ones in the second period as he tired. 6
Lucas Bergvall
It was his low cross that Luiz Junior spilled into his own net. Showed plenty of energy and endeavour amid his quieter and older team-mates. 7
Mohammed Kudus
Plenty of good moments in his dribbling but with little to no quality at the end of it until a late cross in the second half. 6
Richarlison
Struggled to get involved in the first half before a potential penalty after 35 minutes. Got precious little service into him before coming off late on. 5
Xavi Simons
Fizzed an early shot not far over the crossbar. Had some moments where he looked like he might spark to life but playing him on the left just didn't get him involved enough. Perhaps lucky to escape a second yellow card not long after the hour mark. 6
Subs
Destiny Udogie
Didn't offer much more than Spence did after coming on. 5
Joao Palhinha
Sent a shot over and made some good tackles. 6
Brennan Johnson
Came on the final 10 minutes but didn't contribute much. N/A
Randal Kolo Muani
Made his debut but picked up a yellow card and could have picked up a second with a tougher referee. Did knock down a ball for Palhinha to fire over. N/A
Kevin Danso
Came on in the final moments to help Spurs keep the clean sheet. N/A
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