In a mixed night of fortunes for the British clubs competing in last night's Europa League group matches, Everton completed a comfortable victory over German side Wolfsburg, whilst both Spurs and Celtic had to settle for draws.
Celtic were twice ahead against their Austrian opponents Red Bull Salzburg, but a combination of great goals from their hosts and poor execution from Celtic when they had dangerous situations, ensured that they returned home with just a point for their efforts after an interesting 2-2 draw. The second equaliser in particular was a spectacular effort from a free kick just outside the box by Jonathan Soriano, which left keeper Craig Gordon grasping thin air as the ball hit the back of the net, tough luck for the keeper who made some fine saves on the night.
Earlier, debutant Mubarak Wakaso and Scott Brown had scored for the Scottish side, either side of a goal by the Brazilian Alan for the home side.
Playing away from home, Tottenham had an early chance for Harry Kane against Partizan Belgrade which struck the woodwork in their Group C opener. Other than that it was a tepid affair with little action and few chances, which almost predictably ended up scoreless for both sides on the night. Spurs had decided to keep a number of players at home, including full back Danny Rose who suffered the brunt of some unsavoury incidents when on duty for the England under 21s in Serbia a few years back, so they would have been not too displeased to come away with the draw.
Everton fared much better in their Group H tie at home, scoring twice in the first half against Wolfsburg and effectively sealing the match as a result. The opener was a deflected effort from Scottish international Gary Naismith which was credited as an own goal by Wolfsburg defender Ricardo Rodriguez. The second resulted from a stinging effort from Kevin Mirallas from the left that the keeper could only parry away, Leighton Baines instinctively following up to square across the area for Seamus Coleman to head into the unguarded net.
They added a third from the penalty spot through Baines in the second half after Aiden McGeady had been fouled and Mirallas completed the rout just before the end to cement the victory. A late goal from the hapless Rodriguez at the Everton end this time provided little more than a consolation for the German side, as the Toffees ran out 4-1 winners on the night.
