Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night became the first English team in 55 years to beat Ferencvaros in Hungary and win 2-1 in the Europa League.

Goals from Pape Matar Sarr and Brennan Johnson mean Spurs have won their last five games in all competitions, including their first two in the league stage of the Europa League. However, Ange Postecoglou’s much-changed team still came under a lot of pressure in Budapest.

Guglielmo Vicario made excellent saves at crucial moments, while Barnabas Varga had a goal disallowed for a narrow offside call when the game was still goalless.

Still, the visitors found a way to prevail, with academy stars Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear impressing in their first competitive starts.

Jay Harris analyzes the most important talking points coming out of Hungary.

Have the eight changes to the starting eleven paid off?

Postecoglou made seven changes to the team that dismantled Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, naming four teenagers in the starting XI in European competition for the first time since February 2009.

Given the heavy rain and the exuberant mood of the home fans, it was no surprise that this young team initially struggled to find their feet. Pedro Porro and Yves Bissouma, two of the more experienced members of the group, both left the ball cheaply on the edge of their own penalty area as Ferencvaros started aggressively.

Spurs defied a wild atmosphere (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP)

They were lucky that Varga’s header was ruled out for offside, while Vicario was forced into a close-range save by the striker a few minutes later. Sarr’s goal at least gave Tottenham a little more confidence. Ben Davies had a great chance to score from a corner while Porro hit the post. “I thought they handled it really, really well,” Postecoglou said.

But when those opportunities were spurned and the hosts threatened a second-half surge, the Tottenham manager eventually deployed his experienced players, including James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke and Johnson, with the game too open to convert to comfort yourself. Johnson’s confident left-footed shot sealed the win – even if Vargas’ late attempt made things awkward.

Johnson has scored in his last five games in all competitions. It was a challenging evening but Spurs will have learned a lot.

Johnson saves his team’s second goal (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)

Did Mikey Moore impress in his first start?

This was the moment Tottenham’s fanbase have been waiting for since Moore became the youngest player to represent them in the Premier League when he came on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in May. Moore finally had the chance to show everyone what he was capable of right from the start – and he didn’t disappoint.

The 17-year-old winger’s first engagement was to win a free kick and the Ferencvaros defense couldn’t contain him throughout – Eldar Civic eventually found him and was booked for a foul. The England U17 international is confident when attacking his opponents and played a major role in Sarr’s goal.

Moore moved in from the right wing and burst past a few players before attempting to throw the ball into space for Lankshear. The ball bounced around the penalty area before falling kindly to Sarr, who scored an easy finish from just a few yards out.

The outstanding Moore shoots under pressure from Mohammad Abu Fani (David Balogh/Getty Images)

Moore should have had an assist in the second half when he played a brilliant ball for Timo Werner on the counterattack. Werner found himself one-on-one with Denes Dibusz and pushed the ball past him, but the angle was too narrow and it hit the side netting.

“I thought he was outstanding,” Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference. “It’s great for a 17-year-old to play 90 minutes in a European away game. He handled it simply brilliantly; I kind of knew he would do that and I think having an experience like that will help him develop as a footballer.

“He will grow and develop and I didn’t feel like I had to take him off. He still looked strong at the end and still contributed.

“His ability to just deal with pressure, keep the ball in really tight areas and make really good, clear decisions for such a small kid… it’s not easy out there when defenders fly in and he scores within the first 30 seconds achieved, but he drives.” He has so much growth and wants to learn.

“I couldn’t be happier with him and I’m really pleased that he’s part of our football club.”

The wait was worth it.

What is Archie Gray’s best position?

Archie Gray, making his second appearance at this level, started at left centre-back, although he prefers to play in central midfield or as a right-back. He had plenty of space to cover as Davies pushed forward to join the attacks and was exposed to Barnabas Varga’s disallowed goal.

Gray followed Varga into Ferencvaros’ half, but the striker flicked the ball over his head for Adama Traore to chase. Civic then sent a cross to the back post for Varga to head past Vicario, but the striker was a few centimeters offside in advance.

Gray switched with Davies at half-time and moved to the left side of defense. He was exceptionally good on the ball and once ran the length of the pitch before being tackled on the edge of the penalty area.

Gray started in central defense but then moved to left-back (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP)

After an hour it looked like he was trapped by the corner flag, but he produced a brilliant back-heel strike that sparked a Spurs counter-attack. It was his pass that led Johnson to hit the crossbar with 11 minutes left. “I thought Archie was brilliant today,” Postecoglou said. “We asked him to play two different positions and he just adapts and gets by.”

The 18-year-old’s talent grows with every appearance and it’s exciting to imagine what he could be capable of if given the chance to play in his favorite position.

After being sacrificed for Destiny Udogie following Radu Dragusin’s red card in last week’s 3-0 win over Qarabag, Lucas Bergvall was given a second chance to impress. The 18-year-old looked silky smooth when he came off the bench in the Premier League, but this threatened to be a better opportunity to find out how he fits into this team.

Bergvall was tasked with being the playmaker, with Sarr and Bissouma alongside him in midfield. He showed some deft moves but struggled to make any significant impact.

Bergvall struggled to make an impression (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)

Towards the end of the first half, Porro fired a pass into the feet of Bergvall, but he deflected it because he assumed Moore was running from behind. But Moore hadn’t moved and the ball went out of bounds. Porro complained while Bergvall tried to explain himself. That incident, and an unfortunate slip in the second half that led to a Ferencvaros counterattack, summed up his evening.

Bergvall will have many more chances to impress and it is easy to forget that he is still a young and inexperienced player.

What’s next for Tottenham?

Sunday, October 6th: Brighton (A), Premier League, 4:30 p.m. UK, 11:30 a.m. ET

A difficult trip to the south coast where Spurs were beaten 4-2 last December. But they will head to the Amex Stadium on the back of five straight wins in all competitions.

Recommended reading

(Top photo: David Balogh/Getty Images)