Tottenham beat Villarreal 1-0 in the Champions League as debutant Xavi Simons delivered a subdued display and narrowly avoided a red card.
Tottenham Hotspur returned to the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Villarreal but summer signing Xavi Simons endured a frustrating home debut. Spurs took an early lead in the fourth minute when Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior mishandled Lucas Bergvall’s cross into his own net. Despite second-half pressure from the visitors, Tottenham’s defence, led by Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur, held firm.
Simons, 21, started on the left wing but failed to shine and was “lucky not to have been sent off, having brought down Pepe on the counter when already booked,” according to The Standard journalist Matt Verri, who rated him 5/10. The Dutch international registered two shots off target, completed two of four dribbles and made 25 of 33 passes before being replaced by Brennan Johnson in the 77th minute.
Manager Thomas Frank acknowledged the new left-side partnership needs work, saying, “It’s their second game together… there’s something in that definitely.”