Tottenham vs. Fiorentina: Winners and Losers from Europa League
Tottenham have beaten Fiorentina and are through to the Europa League round of 16.
That sentence should have been written 12 months ago, but Spurs contrived to produce disastrous performances against an eminently beatable side.
No such abdications this year.
Once again, Mauricio Pochettino's side demonstrated the progress that has been made over the last year.
Spurs scored early through Ryan Mason, but the tie was on a knife-edge until Erik Lamela's second-half goal stayed the nerves around White Hart Lane.
Even then, Tottenham pressed on and found a third goal.
Insatiable, aggressive and intelligent, Spurs are so many things they weren't last season.
The 3-0 result in no way flattered them, and none of the teams remaining in the tournament will fancy them on this evidence.
Winner: Ryan Mason
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Seven days ago, Ryan Mason's boot deflected in Fiorentina's equaliser in the 1-1 first leg draw.
It must have been a galling moment for the local lad, named captain for the first time.
The second leg gave him a chance to make amends and he snatched it with both hands.
Dele Alli spotted Mason making a typical forward run and played him in.
From a difficult wide angle, Mason opened his body and pushed his shot beyond the reach of Ciprian Tatarusanu in the Fiorentina goal.
Mason is rarely rewarded despite constantly making those self-sacrificing runs into space. It was a goal that every Spurs fan will have particularly enjoyed.
He almost added a sensational second in the closing minutes but was denied by a full-stretch Tatarusanu.
Beyond his goal, Mason proved his fitness is fully restored and made his point to manager Mauricio Pochettino that he is a genuine option to replace Mousa Dembele if the Belgian's groin injury does not abate.
After a significant period out with injury himself, Mason is one of the biggest winners on a great night for Tottenham.
Loser: Paulo Sousa
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In the first leg, Paulo Sousa set his team up to try to outpass Tottenham's midfield. When that tactic failed, he sacrificed width in order to flood the midfield and arguably outdueled Mauricio Pochettino on the night.
On this occasion, Sousa attempted to fortify his midfield with the likes of Milan Badelj and Matias Vecino.
Pochettino, perhaps anticipating this move, played Erik Lamela wide on the left and his midfield was able to control the game.
Fiorentina's star playmaker Borja Valero was isolated as Spurs hounded his supporting players into repeated errors.
Sousa eventually attempted to rectify his error but the tie was already lost.
Winner: Dele Alli
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Dele Alli has enjoyed a phenomenal debut season and he shows no signs of slowing down.
In this fixture, Alli was among Tottenham's brightest attacking players.
He fizzed about the midfield line, constantly searching for weaknesses in Fiorentina's defence.
With Nacer Chadli dropping into the channels, Alli was even there to push forward as an auxiliary striker.
The one-touch assist for Ryan Mason's opener was purely a result of his willingness to beat the Fiorentina defender to the ball.
The technique he showed to play Chadli through early in the second half—bringing the ball down with one foot and then playing the bass with his other before he even touched the ground—was remarkable.
As ever with Alli, it was not just his attacking contribution that marked him out.
He was tireless in defence, leading the press and forcing the opposition to abandon their considered build-up in favour of long passes over the top.
Alli was magnificent and embodied everything his team did so well.
The yellow card for simulation was hard to explain, and Alli will be sorely missed in the next round.
Loser: Heung-Min Son
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Heung-Min Son has made three starts in the last 10 days and was rightly rotated out for this match.
Erik Lamela, Son's rival for a starting berth, returned from illness and gave a sensational performance.
Lamela scored Spurs' vital second goal and was a constant threat.
He played Nacer Chadli through brilliantly, although the Belgian was marginally offside, and played his hybrid attacking role with the confidence of a player who'd never been away.
Son will not be overlooked merely because of Lamela's attacking qualities. They are broadly comparable in that area.
Instead, it is Lamela's other qualities that could see Son relegated to the substitutes' bench again.
Lamela is the snapping terrier of Tottenham's midfield line.
He plays a vital role in Mauricio Pochettino's pressing system, and his absence has been noticeable.
Lamela has proven his fitness, and that could see Son miss out on the hugely significant Premier League fixtures on the horizon.
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