Wolfsberger AC 1-4 Tottenham: Spurs sweep aside Austrian outfit with comfortable win in first leg

Jose Mourinho’s main aim, he insisted ahead of kick-off, was simply to return to London with a first-leg win.

He got a bit more than that as Tottenham eventually secured a victory big enough to put one foot in the last 16, though not without a second-half scare which threatened to undo some impressive work from his side in the opening period.

Spurs were heading for a perfect night after racing into a 3-0 lead at the break against Austrian’s Wolfsberger following a 45 minutes in which three of the players who came into the game with question marks over them all justified their selections in further welcome news for Mourinho.

Gareth Bale (left) and Son Heung-min (right) starred in Tottenham’s comfortable 4-1 win

The South Korean superstar stooped low to head in Bale’s cross after 13 minutes

The Welshman then turned on the style to score a brilliant second for Tottenham

Gareth Bale, making a rare start, scored one and set up another for Son Heung-min.

Dele Alli, making just his second start of the year, also had some eye-catching moments as he continues his bid to kick-start his Spurs career while under-fire captain Hugo Lloris played his part too, with one exceptional save in particular.

Lucas Moura added a sensational solo third goal and Mourinho – without Harry Kane who asked to be left out as a precaution after recent injury and able to withdraw Son at the break – would have liked very much what he saw.

At that point it seemed only a matter of how big a first-leg advantage Spurs would rack up.

Though their sloppy second half was underlined by Mourinho having to summon Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele from the bench to help get them over the line before Carlos Vinicius’s late fourth restored the three-goal cushion, one that should make next week’s second leg a formality.

Mourinho said: ‘I’m pleased with the result – 4-1 away from home that gives you good space for any possible mistake you can make in the second half.

‘I like the first half when we had that intensity, quality then, in the second half, a mistake in possession gave Wolfsberger that bit of confidence and self-esteem to fight but our changes gave us fresh legs, new intensity and we had so many chances to score one more goal that gives a result that is very good. 

After chopping inside onto his left, Bale smashed in Spurs’ second before the half-hour mark

Lucas then scored arguably the goal of the game after he dribbled past five defenders to score

The Brazilian celebrates with his fellow goalscorers in a superb first half showing for Spurs

‘We had the result, we had the team performance and for the team to win and perform is only possible when the team and players do their jobs so I believe they [Bale and Alli] were positive like the team.’

This was Wolfsberger’s first ever European knockout tie and they were the lowest ranked side left in the competition.

But Mourinho’s pre-match rallying cry about the seriousness required from his players had been clearly heard.

They started with real purpose and their superior quality and finishing quickly shone through.

But, Spurs conceded a penalty after the break following a sloppy touch from Moussa Sissoko 

Michael Liendl calmly dispatched the spot-kick, sending Hugo Lloris the wrong way

The goal gave Wolfsberger the confidence to push on and came close to getting a second

Son had already threatened twice before he adjusted his body well to divert Bale’s cross into the net with a stooping header.

‘Last year he won the Puskas Award so to come to the Puskas Arena and score a goal was a really special feeling for him,’ Mourinho said.

Bale then added to his assist with a moment of individual brilliance, latching onto Matt Doherty’s pass, chopping back onto his left foot and almost sending Jonathan Scherzer sliding off the pitch in the process, and hitting the ball with such force it was in Alexander Kofler’s net before he could react.

Bale was later withdrawn just after the hour with, Mourinho confirming, Sunday’s trip to West Ham in mind.

He certainly enhanced his claims for what would be just a third Premier League start of the season.

However, Spurs’ three-goal cushion was restored by Carlos Vinicius with just a few minutes left

The Brazilian substitute prodded in a flicked-on Erik Lamela header to make it 4-1 in Budapest

And had Bale impacted games in the way he did this one more often during the campaign there would not have been quite as many questions about why he has not played as much since returning from Real Madrid.

Two minutes later Lloris produced his most important contribution, a stunning reaction save to tip Dario Vizinger’s header onto the bar, before Moura left four Wolfsberger players trailing with a brilliant slaloming run before beating Kofler too.

Spurs’s confidence was summed up when a back-flick from Alli, who had earlier almost netted after a cheeky nutmeg by the byline, set up another Bale attempt.

But they were punished for overplaying when Moussa Sissoko fouled Christopher Wernitznig in the box and Wolfsberger captain Michael Liendl converted from the spot to give the Austrians a glimmer of encouragement.

There was almost more when Wernitznig side-footed a thumping effort against the bar but Hojbjerg and Ndombele helped settle Spurs.

And from the Dane’s cross, Vinicius volleyed in another sub Erik Lamela’s header to, surely, all but ensure Spurs’s place in the next round.

Relive the action as it happened with Sportsmail….