Anzhi Makhachkala 0-2 Tottenham | Europa League Group K match report
The Tottenham manager, André Villas-Boas, lauded Jermain Defoe after he moved within a goal of Martin Chivers's club record European haul in the win against Anzhi Makhachkala – but the performance may not be good enough to stop him returning to the bench this weekend.
The 30-year-old's first-half strike helped Tottenham to a 2-0 win in the Europa League and moved him one goal behind Chivers's long-standing record of 24. Defoe is fifth in the club's all-time scoring list and Thursday night's goal in Russia was his seventh in four starts this season.
His scoring form, though, has so far not been enough to persuade Villas-Boas to start him in the Premier League. The summer signing Roberto Soldado has been preferred as a lone striker and appears set to replace Defoe in Sunday's return to league action against West Ham.
"We have to judge recovery and the fact that JD was involved today and Soldado wasn't," Villas-Boas said. "We have been extremely happy with the performances of both. It is a question of deciding what is best for the team."
Villas-Boas added: "I think through what we did in the first half we deserved the result. We lost a little bit of control in the second half, but even so we were defensively sound."