Europa League - Benfica survive late scare to progress at Spurs’ expense
Benfica's Ezequiel Garay celebrates his goal against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham's hopes of winning a trophy are over for another season yet they will return from Portugal with renewed optimism after Nacer Chadli's brace ended a three-match losing streak in a compelling Europa League clash at Benfica.
An impressive 3,000 fans made the trip to Lisbon more in hope than expectation after the Portuguese giants inflicted a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of their last-16 tie - Spurs' largest ever European loss at White Hart Lane.
Their task was made all the more difficult by the absence of 11 first-teamers, but they did not wilt under the pressure and Tim Sherwood's side secured a morale-boosting 2-2 draw in a fascinating end to the match.
The manner of performance and display will have pleased the under-fire boss, especially given the fact Spurs' uphill struggle became even steeper when Ezequiel Garay powered home a first-half header.
It looked to have effectively ended the tie in which there were no repeat of the fireworks between Sherwood and Benfica counterpart Jorge Jesus, only for summer signing Chadli to turn the match on its head.
The Belgium forward netted a quickfire brace which was followed up by Aaron Lennon, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Harry Kane efforts, as well as a strong penalty claim before Lima tucked away a spot-kick for the hosts in stoppage-time.
Will this improved performance be enough to save Sherwood? Tim Sherwood elected to sit in the stands during the clash – either keen to avoid a repeat bust-up with Benfica coach Jorge Jesus or whisper demands into the ear of Daniel Levy who was perched just in-front. The much improved performance served as a reminder that Sherwood can lead this Tottenham team. The dilemma for Levy now is whether to stick or twist.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Eduardo Salvio (Benfica): Created the opener for the hosts and caused the Tottenham backline all sorts of problems.
PLAYER RATINGS
Benfica: Oblak 6, Maxi 6, Lusiao 7, Garay 7, Siqueira 7, Gomes 6, Amorim 6, Salvio 8, Sulejmani 7, Djuricic 6, Cardozo 6. Subs: Perez 5, Lima 6, Rodrigo, Markovic 5.
Tottenham: Friedel 6; Naughton 6, Fryers 7, Sandro 7, Rose 6; Lennon 7, Bentaleb 7, Chadli 7, Sigurdsson 6, Townsend 6; Soldado 5. Subs: Eriksen 6, Kane 5.