Tottenham proved themselves capable of coping without Harry Kane as they sailed into the last 16 of the Europa League with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina.
Ryan Mason gave Spurs the lead with a composed finish in the first half and Erik Lamela made it two before a Gonzalo Rodriguez own goal completed a 4-1 victory on aggregate.
The only blemish on another excellent night for Mauricio Pochettino's men saw Dele Alli pick up his third yellow card of the competition, which means the 19-year-old is banned for the first leg of the next round.
Kane was left out of a Spurs matchday squad for the first time this season as he recovers from a broken nose but Pochettino showed the seriousness with which he continues to treat this most exhausting of competitions by fielding all of his other key players including Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier and Alli.
The cost of his commitment may be better gauged on Sunday, when his side resume their title charge at home to Swansea, or even later next month, with the two quarter-final legs coming in the middle of a six-week period that includes league matches against West Ham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
One blessing at least may be that the opponents immediately following the two European ties will be the less daunting Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
For now though, this was an important victory, not least to recover momentum following last weekend's shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace, a defeat which brought to an end Tottenham's eight-match unbeaten run and set nerves jangling amongst the Spurs faithful.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments