Tottenham deliver in style but late twist sours victory

Right then, how tricky is this artificial pitch?

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

What kind of ice storm could Bodo/Glimt summon for the arrival of Tottenham next week? Because the underdogs from the edge of the Arctic Circle are going to need as hostile an environment as possible if they are to turn this Europa League semi-final around.

On Thursday Spurs made full use of their home advantage: a resounding 3-1 win – only dampened by a late deflected strike by Bodo’s stand-in captain Ulrik Saltnes – has Tottenham with one foot in the final and brought a smile to the face of Ange Postecoglou.

It could be Manchester United vs Tottenham in Bilbao on 21 May, assuming the teams positioned 14th and 16th in the Premier League don’t make a mess of their first-leg advantage. But, based on Tottenham’s return to form in Europe and discounting their Premier League struggles, it is going to be a long way back for the Norwegian champions. They at least started the recovery when Saltnes rolled through a couple of Tottenham challenges and fired past Gianluigi Vicario with 10 minutes remaining.

If there were some late nerves, there will be much more should Bodo strike early on when they return to their home ground. “The goal is really important,” said Bodo’s manager Kjetil Knutsen. “When Tottenham conceded, they lost energy and it gave us energy. I think we can take the energy from this game into the next game and it’s totally different for us to play at home. We have an opportunity here. We’re not the favourites but we will go for it.”