It was a near-perfect night in north London, until Spurs gave up an 83rd-minute goal to make things nervy ahead of the second leg in Norway next week.

Doom and gloom has followed Tottenham Hotspur like a pesky shadow this season, rightly or wrongly. The specific genre of despondency changes with the context – sometimes an injury crisis of epic proportions brought the mood down,

The rescue act is on for Manchester United and Tottenham. Big wins for both teams in the first legs of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday kept alive their hopes of lifting a major trophy and qualifying for the Champions League.