Tottenham Hotspur beat APOEL Nicosia 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Fernando Llorente of Tottenham Hotspur scores against APOEL Nicosia
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told Football.London that he thinks Fernando Llorente will be even more of an asset after scoring his first goal for the club.
Spurs took on APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and were hoping to end their group stage campaign on a high – especially having struggled in the Premier League of late.
Having already secured their passage into the knockout stages of the Champions League, manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to rest a number of players, offering fringe talents a chance to impress.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Spanish striker Fernando Llorente (C) celebrates after scoring against APOEL Nicosia
It was summer signing Fernando Llorente who got the ball rolling for Spurs, spinning a defender from Serge Aurier’s cross before sliding the ball home for 1-0.
Llorente teed up Son Heung-min for the second, and winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou rounded off a 3-0 win with a deflected strike in the second half.
Tottenham head through to the knockout stages having dropped just two points in six games, and Pochettino will be particularly pleased with the goal from striker Llorente.
The Spaniard had failed to find the net in 16 appearances for Spurs since an August move from Swansea City, but finally broke his duck on Wednesday night.
After the final whistle, manager Pochettino told Football.London that Llorente was ‘so happy’ with his goal, and added that he thinks the 32-year-old striker can become more of an asset for Spurs with a new-found confidence.
“It was so important. He waited a lot to score again,” said Pochettino. “The striker needs to feel the net. You know how they feel if they don’t score. He’s so happy now. Always he’s a player who is helping us and now I think with more confidence and belief he will help even more,” he added.
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