Dele Alli spared Tottenham's blushes in front of a sparse Wembley crowd by scoring the winner against Barnsley and sending his side into the Carabao Cup fourth round.
After some indifferent recent displays, Mauricio Pochettino started Alli to help him regain momentum and the plan worked perfectly, with the 21-year-old proving the difference in a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
Alli celebrated by cupping his ears, perhaps as a repost to recent criticism of his performances or, more humorously, in recognition of an audience that numbered only 23,926 at the national stadium.
In fact, Tottenham played in front of only 26,244 against Gillingham at White Hart Lane this time last season but the swathes of empty red seats created an atmosphere more akin to a youth team game than the third round of a domestic cup competition.
Tottenham Hotspur
