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Second-half goals from Carlos Vinicius and Giovani Lo Celso gave Tottenham Hotspur a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Europa League.
The north London side had welcomed fans inside their stadium for the first time since March in Sunday's derby victory over Arsenal, and it was more of the same here as 2,000 fans thronged the Tottenham Stadium to see their team cruise into the next round.
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While the score-line might suggest otherwise, it was far from a straightforward victory for Spurs, as the visitors came into the game safe in the knowledge that a draw would be enough for them to secure top spot.
The Belgians had a two-point advantage over their hosts heading into this matchday, and their 1-0 first leg victory gave them the superior head-to-head record.
This heavily impacted Ivan Leko's gameplan, and he set his side up in a compact structure that was designed not to lose the game rather than win.
He was helped by the fact that Mourinho stuck his guns by naming his second-team for the Europa League, and the hosts huffed and puffed in vain.
It was not for a lack of effort though, as Tottenham Hotspur tried their utmost to breach the Antwerp backline. However, the visitors remained resolute in sticking to their gameplan.
This saw both sides go into the break level but Jose Mourinho promptly changed things at the break, substituting Sergio Reguilon for Steven Bergwijn to switch back to a 4-3-3 system, having utilized a 3-4-3 formation in the first 45 minutes.
The change in system worked almost instantly as it took just 12 minutes for the home side to break the deadlock after the restart.
Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale lined up over a free-kick from 30 yards out, and his precisely-struck shot could only be punched onto the crossbar by the Antwerp goalkeeper, allowing Carlos Vinicius to tap it into an empty net.
This proved to be both men's last contributions in the game as they were replaced by Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane just moments later.
The added firepower on the field gave the hosts the impetus to stamp their authority on the game, and they created a host of chances in quick succession.
Son forced Alireza Beiranvand into two good saves in the space of three minutes, while Harry Kane should have scored when he glanced an unmarked header wide from a Lo Celso corner.
Tottenham Hotspur got the goal that their added pressure deserved when Kane played Lo Celso in for the Argentine to score with a smart left-footed finish.
The rest of the game was one-sided traffic as the hosts entered cruise control ahead of their weekend clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Here, we shall be having a rundown of five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Tottenham Hotspur secure top spot in Group J
Tottenham Hotspur's 3-3 draw away to Austrian side LASK Linz, as well as Royal Antwerp's 3-1 home win over Ludogreats Razgrad, ensured that both sides secured qualification with one game to spare.
However, there was still the matter of deciding group winners to settle, and it was on this backdrop that this winner-takes-all fixture was played.
When the draws were made, Jose Mourinho insisted that Royal Antwerp were his side's biggest competitors, and this proved to be the case, with their matchday 2 victory giving them the advantage.
The Tottenham Hotspur manager was eager to win the group in order to avoid other group winners like Roma, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, and Napoli.
It is for this reason that he made a raft of changes near the hour-mark to secure the result, and his substitutions made the desired impact to guarantee that Tottenham Hotspur topped their group.
This should ostensibly see them get a more favourable draw in the Round of 32, and all attention can now turn to the Premier League.
#4 Royal Antwerp's tactics backfire
Royal Antwerp came into this clash with a clear gameplan to frustrate Tottenham Hotspur, and this much was evident in the way the visitors' lined up.
For the entirety of the first half, the Belgians had most of their players behind the ball, and this restricted Tottenham Hotspur's creativity and ensured that the hosts did not fashion too many clear-cut chances.
Antwerp themselves were not as interested in scoring as they were in protecting their goal, with just one shot off target fired across the entire 90 minutes.
By contrast, Tottenham Hotspur had 20 shots in the game, with half of those forcing the goalkeeper into a save. However, for almost an hour, it looked like their efforts would be in vain.
Vinicius was on hand to tap home the easiest goal he would score in his career, and the introduction of Tottenham Hotspur's big-hitters on the hour mark ensured that Royal Antwerp left the England capital empty-handed.
#3 Carlos Vinicius proves mettle once again on the continent for Tottenham Hotspur
Carlos Vinicius had a standout campaign in the 2019-20 season that saw him finish as top scorer in the Portugal Primeira Liga with Benfica.
This prompted a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur but considering the form and talent of Harry Kane, the Brazilian was always going to have to settle for a spot as a back-up option
This has largely been the case, with the 25-year-old having mostly been used in the Europa League, with just one appearance coming in the Premier League.
He has, however, made the most of his opportunities on the continent, and his opener against Antwerp meant that he has been involved in six goals for Tottenham Hotspur in Europe's second-tier competition.
His return of three goals and three assists from just five Europa League games shows that he could be counted upon as a useful backup option in case one of Harry Kane or Heung-Son Min are unavailable.
#2 Dele Alli left cooling heels on the bench for Tottenham Hotspur
It seems like a long time ago when Dele Alli seemingly had the world at his feet, having been named PFA Young Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.
It was expected that he would build on that to morph into one of the greatest midfielders in the world but that has largely not been the case.
While his talent may not be in doubt, questions have been asked of his attitude, with a clip of Jose Mourinho pointedly calling him 'lazy in training' during the Amazon Prime documentary laying bare the general label by which he is held behind the scenes.
Earlier in the campaign, the 24-year-old was seemingly on his way out of Tottenham Hotspur after a reported bust-up with his manager on the training ground but nothing concrete came out of such rumours.
He has, however, since been demoted from his previous position of influence and is no longer one of the key players for Tottenham Hotspur under the Portuguese gaffer.
The former Leyton Orient man's only Premier League start this season came on the opening day defeat to Everton, where he was tellingly hauled off at half-time, and his only other appearance came in a 21-minute cameo against Manchester United.
Most tellingly, Alli has not been included in any of the last seven Premier League squads for Tottenham Hotspur, and despite making use of all five of his allocated substitutes, the Spurs manager did not deem it fit to send the England international on.
It might still be too early to tell but Jose Mourinho is not one for mind games when it comes to player selections, and the writing is on the wall that Dele Alli might not have a future at Tottenham Hotspur under him.
#1 Harry Kane continues record-breaking start to the campaign
Harry Kane has undoubtedly been one of the most dominant strikers in the world over the last five years, and his performance makes a huge folly of those who labelled him a one-season wonder.
While his goalscoring prowess might not be in doubt, Jose Mourinho has unlocked a hitherto unappreciated part of the England striker's game by bringing to the fore his playmaking ability.
These days, it is not an uncommon sight to see the Tottenham Hotspur Number 10 dropping deep to influence proceedings, where his excellent diagonal switch-of-play and penetrative passing helps unlock opposition defences.
He still has that killer touch in front of goal, and the net result is that Harry Kane is currently playing the best football of his career under Jose Mourinho.
Having missed a gilt-edged chance from an open header soon after stepping off the bench against Antwerp, the 27-year-old soon made amends by playing in Giovani Lo Celso with a killer through-ball, which the Argentine international promptly dispatched.
Remarkably, this was Harry Kane's 13th assist this season from just 18 matches in all competitions. This is more than any one else has managed in Europe's top five leagues, with his nearest challenger being Kevin de Bruyne on 10.
His total of 14 goals in all competitions also means that he has been involved in a remarkable 27 goals in just 18 games. At this rate, it would take some stopping to keep Tottenham Hotspur from achieving their season objectives.
