Spurs' time-out from domestic woes just perfect as dismal Dortmund prove to be obliging opponents

Out you come : Picture by @capitalfootball

Champions League MD7

Tottenham Hotspur (2) 2 Romero 14, Solanke 37

Borussia Dortmund (0) 0 Svensson s/o 25

So now we know what Spurs need to do - get themselves into the Bundesliga somehow.

Thomas Frank's men were unrecognisable from the rabble seen at the weekend - and in most matches on their home patch in the league this season.

For once it was a case of Dr Dortmund to the rescue rather than Dr Tottenham as Spurs breezed past a feeble Borussia - finalists as recently as two years ago - with two first half goals, and the visitors reduced to 10 fairly early on.

With many a media critic believing Frank is a dead man walking after the collective show of derision that headed his way from home fans following the loss to West Ham a few days ago, it remains to be seen whether this is just a stay of execution or the start of some kind of revival. Either way, it came as a huge relief to home fans starved of wins in N17 over the past year.

This was a fourth successive home win in the Champions League's league stage and the chances of direct progress into the knock-out stages without recourse to a play-off looks sound.

Can it really be already seven years since that magnificent march all the way to a Champions League final, though? The visit of Dortmund was a reminder that it is.

When the clubs last met in the competition it was in March 2019, when Spurs cruised to a 4-0 aggregate win on their way to that Madrid final. Harry Kane scored the winner in Germany, while Heung-Min Son, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente were on target in a 3-0 win at Wembley - the move to the new stadium yet to be completed. Innocent days.

Spurs still have a top eight finish to tilt for - the reward for that being one less eliminator ahead of the final knockout stages. They sat 11th in the league table with a point to make up on that top bracket. With one more game to come in this phase - away to an Eintracht Frankfurt side that had one only once in the opening six rounds - optimism should remain high.

Dortmund in 10th place boasted an identical record of won three, drawn two, lost one ahead of the contest and although trailing Bayern Munich by some distance in the Bundesliga, have only lost once in 18 fixtures to lie in second place. Sadly for them, they failed to live up to their billing.

Spurs, and Frank, badly needed it to go well from the start and they began positively, getting bodies in the box and taking on retreating yellow-shirted defenders. And when Wilson Odobert retrieved his own mishit to square into the danger zone, Cristian Romero was on hand to sidefoot home.

Then, just to compound the feeling that for once all was going Tottenham's way, Dortmund were reduced to 10 men on 25 minutes when Daniel Svensson caught Odobert on the shin with a follow though as he stretched for the ball. The decision - prompted by VAR, looked harsh but Spurs are grateful for anything right now.

The good news kept coming, with Dominic Solanke bagging his first since his return from injury - scuffing in another Odobert cross, with his miscue having just enough on it to creep in off a post and over the line.

Comfort zone.

The Germans rallied after the interval - looking much more like the seasoned Europeans they are and although they could not find the goal they needed to make a comeback possible, they showed enough spirit to quell the home side's ardour a little.

Xavi Simons was impressive and almost scored with a near-post piledriver that keeper Gregor Kobel got behind to turn aside. Romero flashed a header just wide, while sub Randal Kolo Muani should have finished off a one v one and Pedro Porro had a late chance.

But the general lack of drama will have probably pleased the boss more than anything. He got the largely uneventful half that was sorely needed, even if fans would have liked to see their side make more hay while the sun, at long last, metaphorically shone on them.

Spurs: (4-2-3-1) Vicario - Porro, Romero, Danso, Udogie - Gray, Bergvall (Byfield 62) - Odobert, Simons, Spence - Solanke (Kolo Munani 70)

Dortmund: (3-4-2-1) Kobel - Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini - Yan Couto (Beier76), Bellingham, Nmecha (Chukwuemeka 65), Svensson - Adeyemi (Silva 65), Brandt (Ryerson h/t)- Guirassy (Can h/t)

Attendance: 52,713