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Gareth Bale and Dele Alli may well think they are better than a runaround on a Thursday tea-time – but they best get used to sitting in reserve at weekends after both were hooked and humiliated in this humbling defeat.
Alli is barely a Premier League substitute these days and he lasted only 45 minutes before Jose Mourinho made the Europa League’s first-ever quadruple change during a half-time interval.
‘I would’ve liked to make 11,’ he later sniped, but with good reason.
Lior Refaelov (right) walked away as the matchwinner for Royal Antwerp as his first-half strike was enough to beat Tottenham
The Antwerp striker evaded his marker on the counter-attack and fired low and hard past a helpless Hugo Lloris in goal
Refaelov’s (right) strike ensured Antwerp top their Europa League group with maximum points from their opening two games
It proved to be a difficult and frustrating evening for Gareth Bale as he was hooked before the hour after offering little impact
Jose Mourinho was left bemused by his team in the opening 45 minutes and he made four alterations at the half-time break
Bale laboured through until 58 minutes before Mourinho swapped him for Harry Kane.
There are mitigating factors for the Real Madrid loanee, of course, but form is fast becoming a bigger concern than fitness.
Mourinho, on the eve of this game, had praised Bale’s attitude after he ‘travelled to Burnley to sit on the bench for 90 minutes’. Well, he travelled to Belgium here and didn’t do too much more than he did at Turf Moor on Monday night.
But it is the obvious regression of Alli that should be of chief concern. Or will it?
Mourinho, when asked specifically about the player afterwards, appeared to use the midfielder’s performance as justification for his recent omission.
‘You always ask why this player is not playing,’ he said.
‘Maybe now, for a few weeks, you won’t ask me that because you have the answer.’
Bale and Alli were part of nine changes from the 1-0 win at Burnley. Mourinho called the selection a ‘risk’ beforehand and there was certainly no reward, only a deserved defeat.
The loss will matter not in the context of qualification from their group, but it does tell Mourinho that, what looks a deep squad on paper, is perhaps a little shallow on grass.
‘I always think players deserve an opportunity,’ he said of his selection.
‘It is their opportunity to take the chance with both hands and be in the condition to ask for more. After tonight, my choices are going to be very easy.
Sergio Reguilon (middle) got the nod to start and found himself kept busy by Antwerp’s wide players throughout the evening
Tottenham’s much-changed side for this Europa League tie saw Steven Bergwijn starting in one of the attacking positions
Giovani Lo Celso (right) was one of those in Mourinho’s ire as he was sacrificed at the break after a difficult night in Belgium
Bergwijn (right) was another who failed to take his opportunity to stake a strong claim to get regular minutes in this side
Spurs are only two points off top in their pursuit of the Premier League title, a prize won by only one of those on show at the Bosuilstadion. And that was Antwerp’s Ritchie De Laet. The former Leicester defender looked a cut above, too, certainly by the manner in which he shackled striker Carlos Vinicius.
Even given a yard start the 25-year-old Benfica loanee could not escape a player six years his senior. It was symptomatic of the visiting lethargy.
And Ben Davies was soon caught dozing in the seconds before Antwerp’s goal on 29 minutes.
The defender wanted too long to pick a pass – probably because there weren’t many available to him – and former Norwich striker Dieumerci Mbokani muscled him off the ball.
He charged into the penalty area before lifting a delightful pass to strike partner Lior Refaelov, and his finish was emphatic.
Much has been made of Dele Alli’s bit-part role but his stock dropped off after a dismal 45 minutes that saw him withdrawn
Son Heung-min (right) was introduced but the man of the moment for Spurs was unable to drag them back into the match
Harry Kane was the final roll of the dice by Mourinho but even he proved to be shackled by the disciplined Antwerp defence
Was it a foul on Davies by Mbokani? Spurs were asking the question. But with no VAR in this competition the goal was safe, and not even the nitpickers from Stockley Park would have had cause to chalk this off. The only thing foul about it was the defending.
The concession should have been a wake-up call but Spurs slept through the alarm and it took Mourinho’s four half-time changes to snap his side from their slumber. Even then, though, the improvement was minimal.
They should have been two down before the hour only for Mbokani to balloon over from barely three yards out.
At the other end not even Kane could inspire an effort worthy of note. Mourinho – spotted scribbling furiously in the first half – made plenty. They’re unlikely to make comfortable reading for the likes of Bale and Alli.
RECAP with Sportsmail’s DAN RIPLEY as he provided live Europa League coverage of Antwerp vs Spurs including score, lineups and updates.
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