Tottenham suffered a torrid night in Europe on Tuesday as ex-Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry scored four times in a 7-2 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Here the PA news agency takes a look at where that stacks up against their biggest defeats.
Intertoto woe
Tuesday’s defeat saw Tottenham become the first English side to concede seven goals in any European competition since… Tottenham lost 8-0 to Cologne in the Intertoto Cup in 1995. Spurs had no intention of even competing in the Intertoto Cup until receiving a letter from UEFA telling them would be banned from Europe if they did not. With star players like Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton and Nicky Barmby already committed to the Umbro Cup, a side was thrown together mixing youngsters with a few journeymen – Alan Pardew being one of those brought in on a short-term deal. Manager Gerry Francis did not even attend the game, in which Germany’s Bruno Labbadia scored a hat-trick. It remains the club’s record defeat.
Liverpool leagues apart
Spurs’ record league defeat was a 7-0 thrashing at Liverpool in 1978, capped by what Bob Paisley said was the greatest goal Anfield had ever seen. Tottenham were 3-0 down within half an hour thanks to a Kenny Dalglish brace and a strike from Ray Kennedy. Substitute David Johnson added two more goals early in the second half before Phil Neal’s penalty made it six. But the best was saved until last as Tottenham were ripped apart by some wonderful one-touch football, the ball swept forward for Steve Heighway to cross and the arriving Terry McDermott to power a header beyond Barry Daines.
Newcastle in the 90s
Tottenham suffered two huge defeats at St James’ Park in quick succession in the late 1990s. Kevin Keegan’s once swashbuckling side were on a rotten run when Tottenham pitched up in December 1996, without a win in two months, but rediscovered their groove in style against Spurs. With McDermott watching on from his position as Newcastle assistant, Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand and Robert Lee each scored braces while Philippe Albert also got on the scoresheet before Allan Nielsen scored a consolation late on. Remarkably, Keegan walked away from Newcastle just 10 days later. Not that it helped Tottenham, who returned three years later to face Bobby Robson’s side in the FA Cup and let in six. A Newcastle injury crisis barely showed as Gary Speed, Nikos Dabizas, Duncan Ferguson and Kieron Dyer found the net before Shearer’s late brace, with only David Ginola replying for Spurs.
The misery of six
Spurs are no strangers to a 6-0 defeat. It is their record home league defeat, having gone down by the margin twice in their history – first when Sunderland were the visitors in December 1914, and then more painfully against rivals Arsenal in March 1935. More recently they lost 6-0 at Sheffield United in 1993 and then 6-0 to Manchester City in 2013.
