Erik Lamela has scored a first-half hat-trick to power Tottenham Hotspur to a 3-0 half-time lead over Monaco in their final Europa League Group J match at White Hart Lane.
With Spurs already through to the last 16 Mauricio Pochettino made seven changes to his starting XI, but his heavily-rotated side made the perfect start as Ben Davies crossed for Lamela to slot home in just the second minute of the game to give the hosts the lead.
The visitors looked shell-shocked to find themselves behind so early on, and the high intensity and pressure from Spurs' forward line was causing the French side all sorts of problems in the opening stages.
Tom Carroll, handed a start in central midfield, was looking to get on the ball at every opportunity and started a sweeping move which resulted in full debutant Josh Onomah laying the ball off to Son Heung-min, but the attacker's shot from distance was too high to trouble Danijel Subasic.
Just a minute after that attempt, however, Spurs and Lamela doubled their tally courtesy of an error from the Monaco goalkeeper, who allowed the Argentine winger's low effort to squirm under him and into the net to leave the French side's qualification hopes in tatters.
Son came close with a spectacular effort and Tom Carroll curled wide from the edge of the box as a rampant Spurs threatened to increase the damage, before Monaco had their first spell of attacking pressure.
After Wallace's poor touch had let him down when well placed in the box, Tiemoue Bakayoko's shot was deflected wide as the French side briefly threatened to get back into the match, but the game seemed all but over eight minutes before the break.
Clinton N'Jie won the ball in his own half and when possession was worked to Son, the forward turned and played in Lamela who kept his cool to slot past Subasic and complete his hat-trick before half time.
Spurs should have added a fourth when Son perhaps chose the wrong pass, and with the only blot on the hosts' copybook a knock to Eric Dier which saw the midfielder taken off, the whistle rounded off an almost perfect half for Pochettino's side.
Tom Nightingale
