Tottenham came into the second leg of the Europa League semifinals against Bodo Glimt with a 3-1 lead on aggregate, and they delivered a more than professional display on the road, cruising to a comfortable 2-0 victory to punch their tickets to the Europa League Final emphatically where Premier League rivals Manchester United await them.
The opening goal was the result of a smart header from center back Cristian Romero into the path of high-priced striker Dominic Solanke, who couldn't help but score the goal with the entire net begging and the man himself essentially standing right in front of it.
Solanke was the best player on the pitch for Tottenham, but that's not just because of the important goal he scored, which is just the latest of several clutch ones the England international has provided for Spurs in his first season in North London.
No, this performance was about the all-around quality of his game, especially on the ball in his hold-up, which was precisely why Tottenham splurged 65 million pounds to nab him from Bournemouth last summer.
The 27-year-old completed three dribbles and drew two fouls, and he even defended when called upon. Solanke put in the hard work in an away fixture that called for exactly that kind of performance from the striker, and his movement off the ball was solid. Perhaps with a better team around him, Solanke will have a big second year - a new manager would surely help, too.
Conversely, another expensive forward frustrated Tottenham fans again. Brennan Johnson actually has more Premier League goals than Solanke this season and is Spurs leading scorer in 2024/25 with 11 in the league. His movement off the ball and instincts are great, but when he's not having a good game and scoring goals, he's not helping the team, which is not ideal for a winger.
Johnson, who set Tottenham back 50 million pounds as a signing from Nottingham Forest in 2023, was hooked off by Ange Postecoglou in the 67 minute. The young Welsh international contributed literally nothing to the cause, and Tottenham were miles better all-around when Johnson was off the pitch.
An albatross to the attack, Johnson took up space and did not provide anything going either way. He did not record a single dribble completed, foul drawn, key pass, or even shot in a goose egg of an attacking disasterclass. Johnson even had a yellow card to boot.
There is still time for Johnson to develop into a solid all-around winger for Tottenham, but when he's showing this little, especially in important games, it's hard not to be discouraged. For the most part, everyone on Tottenham contributed to this thorough victory at Bodo Glimt, but Johnson stood out the most for the wrong reasons on Thursday night in Norway.