Vitesse 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 talking points as Spurs fall to a late defeat | UEFA Europa Conference League 2021-22

A second-string Tottenham Hotspur side were beaten 1-0 by Vitesse in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Maximilian Wittek scored the winner in the 78th minute with a superb volley, condemning the visitors to a surprise defeat.

Nuno Santos made wholesale changes to his XI, keeping out many first-team stars and giving fringe players a chance owing to their congested fixture schedule. The first-team stars didn't even feature on the bench as Nuno rested them for Spurs' Premier League clash against West Ham.

However, the plot backfired, with the youngsters failing to impress.

Vitesse were the better side on the night all throughout and, following several near-misses, found a breakthrough late in the second-half.

Eli Dasa played a superb cross in for Wittek to volley home the winner as the Dutch side caused a huge upset.

The defeat condemned Tottenham Hotspur to third in Group G of the competition and their path to the knockout stages has become tougher.

Here are the five big talking points from the match:

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#5 Spurs colt fail to impress

Tottenham Hotspur's second-string side were a big disappointment

Given their congested fixture list, Nuno Santos probably thought this was a good opportunity to give some of his first-team stars a rest. Hence he played fringe players.

But the plot backfired spectacularly, with Tottenham Hotspur having a stinker in Arnhem. They had more possession but struggled to conjure anything meaningful with it.

In fact, Bryan Gil's ferocious strike that came off the crossbar was as close as they came to scoring all night.

Defensively, too, the side looked wobbly on the break, struggling to get back to recover. They were exposed horribly on the flanks, where they were guilty of leaving too much of a gap.

This was an opportunity for players like Dele Alli, Bryan Gil, Steven Bergwijn and Harry Winks to impress and possibly stake a claim to a starting XI spot. But alas, they came up short, big time.

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#4 Vitesse defended resolutely

Vitesse fought valiantly

Part of why Tottenham Hotspur struggled mightily to score was the defensive resolve shown by Vitesse. They marked them superbly and closed down the channels.

Every time someone in a blue shirt got on the ball, a Vitesse player would immediately press him out of it, or at least put him under pressure. This would eventually force the Spurs man to pass sideways or backwards.

Alli, playing the number 10 role, was a total non-factor. Far from creating anything special, Vitesse nullified his threat superbly, whilst also keeping the otherwise dangerous Bergwijn in check.

#3 Alli's time at Spurs is up

Alli should leave Tottenham Hotspur for greener pastures

Speaking of Alli, he's got no future at Tottenham Hotspur. His atrocious performance tonight further reaffirmed that theory.

The 25-year-old ran around like a headless chicken, struggling to get a shot away. He desperately lacked the ability and attitude that marked him out as a future star, not long ago.

Jose Mourinho's arrival spelt the start of his precipitous decline and even now Alli remains miserable and lackluster. He's almost like a spent force.

Even in previous matches this season, Alli has failed to impress, be it in the Premier League or the UECL.

But age is still on his side, and a change of scene might reignite the star in him.

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#2 Vitesse didn't have their shooting boots on

With more cutting edge, Vitesse could've easily score two or three more against Tottenham Hotspur

Vitesse, despite the victory, weren't exactly dominant. They sure created quite a few chances but lacked the cutting edge to finish them off.

The Vites struggled to get out of third gear in the first-half and would've been displeased not to have taken advantage of Tottenham's second-string side.

They eventually found the winner but that was one of only four shots on target out of 15 attempts, indicating how wayward their efforts were on the night.

Against better sides, it may not be enough. Vitesse must find their shooting boots.

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#1 Tottenham's progression hopes in hot water

Tottenham Hotspur have to deliver in their last three games

Tottenham Hotspur are now third in Group G of the Europa Conference League with four points from three games. Vitesse, after tonight's victory, have moved above them in second while Rennes are clear at the top.

With three more games still to go, including two on home soil, all's not lost yet for Spurs. But their chances of progressing into the knockout stages have grown far more thorny.

Given how their campaign has turned out so far, there's no guarantee that Nuno Santos' side will be able to turn this around. Remember, even with a strong first XI, they could only draw to Rennes in the first match.

Tough days ahead for the London outfit.