Tottenham remain perfect as Richarlison scores penalty in AZ Alkmaar win

Tottenham earned a hard-fought UEFA Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar through a Richarlison penalty, as Mikey Moore lit up north London with a dazzling second-half display.

Moore switched wings at half-time as Timo Werner was withdrawn and the 17-year-old proceeded to torture the AZ defence, though it was a foul on Lucas Bergvall that won the match-winning spot-kick.

Richarlison had a spat with James Maddison over who would take the penalty but oozed confidence as he dispatched it straight down the middle, as Tottenham enjoyed a purple patch in the third quarter.

Both sides deserved more goals but Ange Postecoglou’s side controlled the final stages of the game to continue their perfect start to the competition. The win puts Tottenham second in the league phase, level on points with Lazio after three games.

Tottenham are two goals behind on the Italians but only have themselves blame after missing string of opportunities at the start of both halves, starting with Moore after just five minutes.

Poor decision-making denied them on several occasions, with Bergvall spurning another early chance attempting to make one pass too many on the edge of the penalty area, while sometimes Postecoglou just needed one of his charges to gamble on a run into the six-yard box.

Moore flashed a teasing ball across the face of goal that just required Brennan Johnson to be on the same wavelength, and a similar chance in stoppage time through the returning Wilson Odobert saw another penalty shout waved away.

AZ more than played their part too, especially after losing star man Ruben van Bommell after just 12 minutes. It may have been a blessing in disguise as Ernest Poku switched to the left wing and was far and away Maarten Martens’ best attacking threat for the rest of the game against Archie Gray but he just couldn’t fashion a goalscoring opportunity.

Perhaps their best opportunity came with 15 minutes to go when former Hotspur Troy Parrott set up Mayckel Lahdo with a one-on-one opportunity, but stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster made himself big enough to deny the Swede.

As a result, AZ fall to 24th in the Europa League, in the last play-off place.

Tottenham started the game very much like a heavily rotated team, as the attacking players showed why they’ve largely been held in reserve by Postecoglou who made nine changes to the side who beat West Ham at the weekend.

Werner was the biggest culprit, producing exceptionally poor finishes from two one-on-one opportunities in the first half before he was hooked at half-time for Johnson.

However, the German wasn’t at fault for Moore missing a golden opportunity to open his account for the senior side early on, as he failed to get enough contact on Werner’s cross to direct the ball the right side of the post and Alexandre Penetra excelled at mopping up trouble all evening.

And AZ arguably ended the second-half stronger, with Parrott always a threat at picking the ball off as his former club played out from defence and Poku enjoying plenty of space in the Tottenham half but unable to link up with his teammates and fashion a clear chance.

The hosts exited the tunnel as a team transformed in the second half, though. Mikey Moore emerged with the confidence of Cristiano Ronaldo and got the better of right-back Seiya Maikuma time after time before cutting into the penalty area and thriving on the chaos he’d instilled in the AZ defence.

The penalty came as Tottenham went more direct,drawing a clumsy challenge from Maxim Dekker and captain Maddison initially took the ball off Richarlison before handing it back to the Brazilian on his return from injury.

And though AZ did have opportunities in the closing minutes of the game – most notably through Lahdo – Tottenham were the more threatening team for the remainder of the second half especially after David Moler Wolfe’s late red card.

The ultimate sign of Moore’s second-half supremacy was the substitution of the wretched Maikuma just 21 minutes after the teenager switched flanks to attack the Japanese full-back.

With Son Heung-Min missing this game with a niggle and potentially out for Sunday’s trip to Selhurst Park too, Moore could’ve only produced a better audition to start on the wing if he’d had a goal contribution – all the post-game chatter was about the sensational teenager.

Tottenham: Forster 7, Gray 7, Dragusin 7, Davies 6, Udogie 6, Bentancur 7, Maddison 7, Bergvall 6, Moore 8, Richarlison 7, Werner 4.

Subs: Johnson 7, Solanke 6, Kulusevski 7, Odobert 7.

AZ: Owusu-Oduro 7, Maikuma 3, Penetra 7, Dekker 6, Wolfe 5, Clasie 6, Mijnans 5, Belic 5, Poku 8, Parrott 7, Van Bommell 5.

Subs: Kasius 6, Koopmeiners 6, Lahdo 6, Kwakman 5, Meerdink 6.

15’ – FINALLY LIFE IN AZ: Ernest Poku has switched wings in that change and sparked an AZ chance at last! The visitors work it across the box to Kasius who swings in a brilliant cross that’s begging to be hit. They’re lining up for it: Parrott, Belic, Poku… but no one can get the touch to take an unlikely lead.

47’ – MOORE IS SPARKLING: THAT’S a way to announce yourself on your first home start! It’s sensational by Moore who turns this way and that up the left then finds new boy Brennan Johnson – on for Timo Werner – with a sumptuous pass from the outside of his boot. However, the shot deflects off the heel of David Moller Wolfe to safety.

51’ – PENALTY! It’s really been coming! VAR will look as Maddison and Richarlison square up over who will take it, Dekker chopped Bergvall as AZ were all at sea from a long ball.

53’ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-0 AZ ALKMAAR (RICHARLISON): That’s such a bold choice after fighting your captain over the spot-kick! Richarlison stutter-steps, then prods the penalty straight down the centre of the goal, where Owusu-Oduro had just vacated.

75’ – MASSIVE CHANCE: How has this game still only got one goal? Parrott puts Lahdo through on goal after Ben Davies is caught out, and the substitute drills it low and hard. But Forster reads it well and puts his whole body behind the ball, retaining the slender lead.

87’ – TWO IN TWO: It’s a second red card in as many games for David Moller Woffe! Sent off after just 10 minutes at the weekend against PSV, he receives a second yellow for catching Johnson after he’d passed the ball.