Spurs fell to a shock defeat over two legs at the hands of KAA Gent, who arrived at Wembley as massive underdogs despite taking a 1-0 lead in the first leg in Belgium.
Mauricio Pochettino looked for a fast start to the game, and he got exactly that. Christian Eriksen took full advantage of a little bit of good fortune before sliding the ball into the back of the net after just ten minutes.
However, Gent were back on level terms just ten minutes later, and back ahead of aggregate more importantly. Eric Dier failed to win the back post header, and it was Harry Kane of all people who headed into the back of his own net to level the game up as Gent grabbed a crucial away goal.
Things went from bad to worse for Mauricio Pochettino’s side when Dele Alli was rightly given his marching orders for a horribly high tackle. It was a moment of madness from the Englishman. Far from his finest moment in a Spurs shirt.
Spurs continued to dominate the ball however, and took the lead on the night once again as the ball broke to Victor Wanyama just inside the box, and the Kenyan produced a fine finish to make it 2-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.
The Lilywhites continued to press for a winner, but it was Gent who found a shock second goal. Eric Dier’s offside trap went horribly wrong, and it was Dier who failed to clear the ball, allowing Jeremy Perbet to prod home and send the Gent fans into pandemonium at Wembley. Spurs failed to muster up anything in terms of a comeback as the curse of Wembley continues.
Eric Dier had one of the worst games of his career. The England international lost the back post header for the first goal, and failed to clear his lines for the second Gent goal. It was a car-crash performance from Dier, and Spurs fans were far from pleased on Twitter.
Dier has had a woeful season, unless he’s happy being a sub dunno if he should be at the club anymore tbh
— Kene (@thfcKene) 23 February 2017
Wouldn’t surprise me if Dier wanted out of Spurs. Being played at CB is slowly wrecking his career.
— Spurs Chap (@spurstweeter) 23 February 2017
It’s sad to say but Eric Dier is the weak link in our team now, making simple mistakes that are costing us goals nearly every game atm #THFC
— Howler96 (@Howler96) 23 February 2017
When things aren’t going their way, both Alli and Dier show their immaturity. Need to find a big match mentality
— Dominic Mawdsley (@dominicmawdsley) 23 February 2017
The brutality of the truth is that Eric Dier has got nowhere near the heights he hit last season. #COYS #THFC
— Nick Davison (@nick_davison10) 23 February 2017
Dier really is the weak link whenever he plays at the back, and son without doubt the most frustrating in the squad. Woeful.
— Matt (@ItsMattFu) 23 February 2017