Tottenham Hotspur vs. Gent: Score and Reaction from 2017 Europa League Leg 2

Tottenham Hotspur were eliminated from the 2017 UEFA Europa League after a 2-2 draw with Belgian side KAA Gent at Wembley Stadium on Thursday condemned the north London club to a 3-2 aggregate defeat in the last 32.

Goals from Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama were undermined by a Harry Kane own goal and seeing Dele Alli sent off. Spurs led 2-1 late on, but Jeremy Perbet, who settled the first leg in Gent's favour, notched the key goal eight minutes from time.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino picked a strong and familiar starting XI, per the north London club's official Twitter account:

The visitors countered with a similarly loaded lineup, one featuring leading scorer Kalifa Coulibaly, per the club:

Tottenham made a fast, marauding start in front of the Wembley crowd. Their reward for a high press and rapid exchanges of passes was to go in front on 10 minutes when Eriksen opened the scoring.

The Danish playmaker has usually been defined more by creative verve than for his scoring touch. However, the former Ajax man is developing a niche in front of goal this season, according to Squawka Football:

Spurs should have been in control, but their penchant for self-destruction showed up again when Kane made a mess of trying to clear a corner, inexplicably turning into his own net.

As OptaJoe noted, an own goal is not exactly a rare blunder from Kane:

Tottenham were left rattled by their star striker's gaffe. While they still pressed, Spurs' passing became hurried and less accomplished. In particular, the final ball routinely let the hosts down as frustration began to set in among the stands.

Tottenham's nervy night got much worse when Alli was given his marching orders. The attacking midfielder lunged in at Brecht Dejaegere, catching the 25-year-old at knee height studs first.

Spurs' reduced numbers held out until the break but emerged for the second half facing the daunting prospect of needing two goals while playing with 10 men.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

However, Tottenham nearly got the goal they needed 10 minutes after the restart when the impressive Eriksen released Kane behind the Gent defence. Sadly, the England striker screwed his shot wide.

A confident Kane would normally have made light work of such a clear chance.

A frustrated Pochettino knew he needed to change things and wisely introduced Son Heung-Min for left-back Ben Davies. The South Korean attacker instantly made the difference in the final third for Tottenham, as his artful passing and perceptive movement put the 10 men on the front foot.

Son's pace, technique and industry meant Spurs were soon halfway to the result they needed. Wanyama got the second goal, but as Tom Collomosse of the London Evening Standard pointed out, Son was the catalyst:

It seemed as though Tottenham would get the result they needed, but Spurs' hearts were soon broken by familiar foe Perbet. The man who scored the winner in the first leg ghosted in to turn a shot off defensive midfielder Eric Dier and past Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

OptaJoe summed up how playing at Wembley has seen Tottenham's usually miserly defence crumble:

The latest goal conceded was the end of Spurs' European adventure after yet more struggles at Wembley.

Post-Match Reaction

Pochettino was downbeat, but expressed some pride in his players' efforts once their numbers were reduced, per Tottenham's official Twitter feed:

The Spurs boss also addressed Alli's red card, saying the midfielder felt responsible:

Meanwhile, centre-back Toby Alderweireld emphasised Tottenham's disappointment at being eliminated from European competition, according to Kristof Terreur of Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws:

There's no doubt a talented Spurs squad has underachieved in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League this season. The decision to play at Wembley has backfired, while Tottenham's big players haven't always delivered when it counted.