Richarlison on spot to sink AZ and keep up Tottenham’s perfect start
This was a long way from Tottenham’s most cohesive performance of the season but perhaps Ange Postecoglou can file away this narrow win over AZ Alkmaar as one of those nights when the result mattered most.
There were chances for AZ at various stages, only for poor finishing to let the Dutch side down, and it is likely that Postecoglou will not have liked some of what he watched from Spurs. Some of the understudies did not do themselves justice, not least Timo Werner, and a draw would not have flattered the visitors. Even so, Spurs still did enough to maintain their perfect record in the Europa League and it was positive to see Richarlison, with a penalty early in the second half, move them closer towards securing a place in the knockout phase by scoring for the first time since May.
