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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.

• Arteta warns Nwaneri over taking next Arsenal step after EFL Cup display

  Mikel Arteta showered praise on Ethan Nwaneri after scoring a brace for Arsenal against Bolton Wanderers but cautioned him over making a start in the Premier League. 

  Nwaneri struck either side of half-time in a game that saw the Gunners' youngsters star at the Emirates to help them advance to the fourth round of the EFL Cup. 

  Jack Porter (16), Josh Nichols (18) and Myles Lewis-Skelly (18) also made their full debuts, while fellow teenagers Maldini Kacurri (18) and Ismeal Kabia (18) came off the bench to play their part. 

  Goals from Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling - who scored his first Arsenal goal on his first start for the club - and Kai Havertz also contributed to the comfortable triumph. 

  Arteta's side will face Preston North End in the next round, the stage they reached last season before being beaten 3-1 by West Ham at the London Stadium. 

  But the Arsenal head coach was quick to laud his young players, particularly Nwaneri, who became the youngest player to appear in the Premier League against Brentford in 2022 at the age of 15 years and 181 days old. 

  Now 17, Nwaneri has made four first-team appearances for the Gunners, with Arteta explaining that the teenager has surpassed his early expectations. 

  "On the second one I was really happy for him because he scored. I'm very happy because I know the reaction of his teammates if he wouldn't," Arteta said. 

  "So, I think overall, again, I think he was really good. I think it was a really strong performance for him. I think it really feels part of us.

  "You can tell that he's playing with that confidence, that belief and the understanding of what he needs to do on the pitch.

  “To start in the Premier League is another step. In his journey with the first team, he is always ahead of what everybody expected and I expected too.

  "He deserves that, and he is part of us, so he will have the minutes. So, very impressed."

  But it was also a positive night for one of Arsenal's senior players, with Sterling opening his account for his new club on his first start for the Gunners. 

  Sterling contributed an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.85 to Arsenal's 3.03 total, with his three shots on target more than anyone for the hosts. 

  With Arsenal's next assignment a home game against Leicester in the Premier League, Arteta believes Sterling is making the right steps in pushing for a first league start. 

  "Yeah, it was very good. I think he's getting better and better. I think physically you can tell that he's making steps," Arteta continued. 

  "The moment the game opened up a little bit, you know what he can do, how he can deliver. He was involved in a few goals, so a very positive night for him."