Tottenham Hotspur wonderkid Mikey Moore broke an English football record held by Jimmy Greaves in the Lilywhites' academy-inspired 3-0 Europa League triumph over Elfsborg.
Ange Postecoglou's men endured over an hour of frustration at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only for three Hotspur Way products to steal the show and propel their side into the last 16.
Dane Scarlett kicked off the late goals show with a deft header, before Damola Ajayi and Moore both converted low efforts to ensure that Spurs eventually ran out convincing winners.
In Moore's case, the teenager's strike was a particularly momentous one, as the 2007-born youngster became the youngest-ever Englishman to score a goal in a major European competition.
Moore broke the record set by none other than Spurs legend Greaves back in 1957; the latter was 17 years and 245 days when he opened his European account compared to Moore's 17 years and 172 days.
Moore hits new zenith in embryonic career
A SPECIAL individual goal from Mikey Moore seals the victory for Spurs ✨
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 30, 2025
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/Mcf9QEdiYf
Moore is already no stranger to ripping up the history books during his rapid rise to stardom, having also become the youngest male player to ever feature for Spurs when he made his debut in May 2024.
The 17-year-old broke the record held by fellow Thursday night scorer Scarlett in that 2-0 loss to Manchester City, and the England Under-19 international has now made 15 senior appearances for the club in all tournaments.
Moore also has two assists on his record to go alongside his maiden Tottenham goal this evening, as Tottenham finished fourth in the league phase table to guarantee a spot in the last 16.
The Lilywhites will take on one of Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, FC Midtylland or Galatasaray for the right to advance to the quarter-finals, but their triumph on Thursday came at a cost yet again.
Early in the second half, Romanian centre-back Radu Dragusin jarred his knee after an attempted clearance, and despite briefly attempting to carry on, he eventually had to trudge off the field.
Postecoglou concerned about new Dragusin injury
© Imago
Speaking to reporters in his post-game press conference, Postecoglou had no immediate positive update to share on Dragusin's condition and is fearful that the defender has done some serious damage.
"Unfortunately Radu's hurt his knee now. I don't have any further information but it didn't look good as he was coming off so we'll just have to wait and see but it's disappointing," Postecoglou said, as quoted by football.london.
On a brighter note, Micky van de Ven made his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in December, and Postecoglou confirmed that the decision to take him off at half time was pre-planned.
"Micky got through it fine, it was always going to be 45 and he felt fine," the Australian added. "He's a quality player. You could see already he's got a presence out there. With the injured guys, we've got quite a few that are long-termers, and they just want to help so they're coming in with really positive energy which helps the other boys."
Tottenham now turn their attention back to Premier League matters with a trip to London rivals Brentford on Sunday afternoon, as Postecoglou's men hope to improve on their pitiful 15th-placed standing in the top-flight table.
Ben Knapton
