Brennan Johnson scored his fifth goal in five games as Tottenham won 2-1 at Hungarian side Ferencvaros to earn their second Europa League victory.
Johnson came off the bench in the second half to continue his red-hot streak although Spurs’ latest triumph in Europe, with a much-changed team from their 3-0 win at Manchester United that featured first starts for youngsters Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear, wasn’t straightforward.
Pape Sarr gave Ange Postecoglou’s youthful side the lead against the run of play in the 23rd minute with a close-range finish that fell kindly to him in the box after two ricochets. The hosts had seen Barnabas Varga’s header ruled out for a tight offside and forced Guglielmo Vicario into a spectacular reaction save.
Pedro Porro hit the foot of the left post before the break and in the second half 19-year-old striker Lankshear volleyed inches over at a corner. Timo Werner continued Spurs’ wastefulness in front of goal, hitting the side-netting after trying to round the goalkeeper.
However, Johnson injected quality and confidence to the final third. His powerful, first-time shot that was heading for the top-left corner struck the crossbar and moments later he slotted home in off the left post with four minutes to play.
The hosts, to their credit, pushed Spurs until the end with Varga finally getting his goal and beating Vicario with a smart finish from a low cross in the 90th minute.