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• Postecoglou impressed by Tottenham resilience after early red card

  Ange Postecoglou was impressed by his side's resilience after they responded to an early red card by beating Qarabag 3-0 in their Europa League opener.

  Spurs were dealt a blow as kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes due to travel disruptions in North London, and once the game started, Radu Dragusin was given his marching orders just seven minutes in for a last-ditch tackle, receiving Spurs' earliest-ever European red card.

  However, goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke turned the tide, even as Qarabag missed a penalty and had a late goal disallowed.

  Postecoglou was underwhelmed by Spurs' slow start to the game but could not fault their performance after going down to 10 men.

  "[The red card was] not ideal," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "I wasn't happy as I felt we started really sloppy. We talked about starting with a high tempo, and it was almost like the delay got to us.

  "We were passive in our passing and when that happens, someone switches off.

  "The reaction after that was good, but I'm not happy with the start.

  "Brennan's [goal] was great. With 10 men, we still pressed, which is what we wanted to do.

  "[Johnson] has some confidence in him, which is great - we need him! We knew if we win [the ball], Brennan and Sonny [Son] would have the space."

  Solanke scored for the second consecutive game for Spurs and was one of the key players as he had two shots, both of which were on target, accumulated 0.99 expected goals and had four touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the team.

  Postecoglou was particularly pleased with how he led the line, especially as he continues to recover from an early-season injury.

  "He has been great for us, Dom. He went through that long drought of two games without a goal!" Postecoglou added.

  "He has been fantastic for us, not just goals, but his link-up plays. He is a typical striker.

  "He is still working his way back to full fitness."

  Solanke himself, though, was just pleased to kick off their European campaign and secure a third-straight win in all competitions.

  "Very happy to get the win, the boys fought hard," he told TNT Sports.

  "Going down to 10 men it could have been a difficult game, but we all stuck to the game plan, and it shows the spirit of the team."

• Tottenham 3-0 Qarabag: Postecoglou's side win Europa League opener despite early red card

  Ten-man Tottenham recovered from an early setback to start their Europa League campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Qarabag.

  Despite Radu Dragusin's early red card, goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke helped Ange Postecoglou's side to a third straight win in all competitions.

  Just seven minutes had elapsed when the hosts were reduced to 10 men as last-man Dragusin dragged down Juninho after he was caught in possession.

  However, Spurs responded brilliantly to take the lead just five minutes later, with Solanke stealing possession and feeding Johnson, who applied a neat first-time finish.

  The hosts survived a scare before the break when Juninho steered wide from Elvin Cafarquliyev's cross but doubled their advantage seven minutes after the restart when Mateusz Kochalski helped a corner into the path of Sarr, who instinctively volleyed home.

  Qarabag squandered a great opportunity to halve the deficit just before the hour mark when Toral Bayramov's penalty hit the crossbar after Yves Bissouma tripped Cafarquliyev.

  Tottenham capitalised in the 68th minute as Kochalski parried Son's shot into Solanke's path and he put the game beyond the visitors, who were denied a consolation later on when Juninho's header was disallowed for offside.

  Data Debrief: Spurs soar despite Dragusin's historic early bath

  It had the potential to be a difficult night for Tottenham when Dragusin was shown a straight red card - Spurs' earliest in a major European match.

  The defender also became the first Tottenham player to be sent off on his European debut.

  Spurs recovered to take control of the contest, though they survived a scare when Bayramov hit the bar with Qarabag's first missed penalty in the Europa League after six consecutive successful kicks.

• Napoli 5-0 Palermo: Five-star hosts cruise into Coppa Italia last 16

  Cyril Ngonge scored twice in an electrifying performance, as Napoli breezed into the Coppa Italia last 16 with a crushing 5-0 win over Serie B Palermo on Thursday.

  Ngonge struck first in the seventh minute with a left-footed drive that bounced in front of Salvatore Sirigu before squirming under his body into the net, leaving the goalkeeper shaking his head in disbelief.

  Sirigu was at fault again five minutes later when Ngonge lashed another left-footer from a difficult angle, the ball flying across the face of the goal before nestling in the side netting to make it 2-0.

  Palermo gave the hosts a scare as Matteo Brunori struck the post 29 minutes in, but Napoli were too big, too strong and too quick for their second-tier visitors, with Juan Jesus nodding home from a corner to make it 3-0 just before the break.

  The visitors' hopes of a comeback were shattered when they were reduced to 10 men just before the hour mark. Aljosa Vasic was given a straight red card for dangerous play after catching Billy Gilmour in the face.

  David Neres slotted home the fourth in the 70th minute, pressing to help win the ball back before coolly knocking into the net.

  Scott McTominay then came off the bench to score with his first touch, rifling home a pass from fellow substitute Romelu Lukaku seven minutes later to complete the rout.

  Data Debrief: A perfect performance

  Conte's first game in charge was in the first round of this competition, and the Partenopei edged their way through with a penalty shootout win over Modena.

  It was a totally different performance this time around though. They had 16 shots, seven of which were on target, accumulating just 1.55 expected goals. 

  Ngonge's part was perhaps the most impressive - he scored with both of his shots, with those chances equalling just 0.09 xG, though he just could not snatch a hat-trick in the second half to round off a brilliant game.