Mauricio Pochettino hails hat-trick hero Erik Lamela

Now out on loan at Sunderland, the 22-year-old is getting more time on the pitch since the appointment of Sam Allardyce at the Stadium of Light, which could well be invaluable before he returns to White Hart Lane in the summer.

Onomah’s performance on the night aroused massive praise from Spurs fans on social media as his Ghanaian mother watched the game from the stands.

It took him just 37 minutes to tear woeful Monaco apart and, while Lamela was clinical, the French were clueless.

Lamela has not always been the first name on the teamsheet at Spurs but he loves the Europa League and his treble took him to six goals in five games in the competition.

Spurs have already sealed their place in the last 32 and now sit three points clear at the top of Group J but they still need a point to guarantee first place ahead of Anderlecht and with it, an easier draw in the knockout stages.

Bentaleb picked up a foot injury while playing for Algeria in November, while Chadli injured an ankle in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool on October 17.

“It is hard to explain why we are better away from home, but the team will continue to develop”. It was an important victory because we achieved it with a lot of young players, which corresponds to the club’s project of developing youngsters.

Tom Carroll also scored for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, as it stretched its unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches with a third successive home win in Europe. They’ll have to push men forward at some stage, and that could play right into Tottenham’s hands.

This team is full of talent but the lack of wins will be concerning and they will want to turn that around.

“I feel very happy and very proud that we showed today we have a strong squad”, said Pochettino.

“We’ll make sure we’re ready for the game and hopefully we can win and top the group”. It was the opposite way last season against Fiorentina.

“Yes, it’s a special moment for me and for the team”, he said on SpursTV.