Mikey Moore Stars as Tottenham Defeats Hoffenheim 3-0

Mikey Moore struck twice as Tottenham eased to a 3-0 pre-season win over Hoffenheim, a night that said plenty about Roberto De Zerbi’s present – and raised a few questions about his future plans.

Richarlison set the tone with a first-half opener from an Andy Robertson cross, before Moore’s second-half brace, both laid on by Mathys Tel, wrapped up a comfortable victory in Spurs’ first home outing since they escaped relegation in May. The result keeps them unbeaten in pre-season, but the real story lay in who shone, who watched on, and who might not be around for long.

Moore and Bergvall make their point

If Mikey Moore was meant to be quietly packing his bags for Cologne, he didn’t get the memo.

The 19-year-old was on the verge of a loan to the Bundesliga club last week. That move is now on hold, and his performance here will only complicate the conversation. He tapped in Tel’s driven cross for his first, barely celebrating, as if aware that every touch is being judged against his development plan rather than the scoreboard.

His second told a different story. Another clever pass from Tel, another sharp run, but this time Moore finished with real composure and celebrated like a player who wants to be part of something at this stadium, not just pass through it.

The Spurs academy graduate still does not know where he will be playing his football this season. De Zerbi, though, suddenly has a teenager making a persuasive case to stay put.

On the opposite side of the pitch, Lucas Bergvall quietly stitched things together in midfield. Two months ago, the expectation was that he might be on his way out, with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest both interested. His future beyond deadline day is still unclear, but his head coach has been clear enough: De Zerbi wants to keep him and has spoken directly to the Swede about his concerns over game time.

Bergvall has started regularly in pre-season. At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he repaid that trust with a composed, energetic display that will only strengthen his manager’s resolve to fight off suitors.

Robertson wastes no time

Andy Robertson did not leave Liverpool to wind down his career. He left to play.

Spurs handed him that platform on the left and he seized it. The Scotland captain repeatedly drove into advanced positions, delivering the kind of whipped crosses that have defined his Premier League career. One of them was perfect: a measured ball into the box that Richarlison attacked to score the opener.

When he signed, much of the talk centred on his influence in the dressing room, the winning mentality he would import from Anfield. Against Hoffenheim, he reminded everyone that his left foot remains a serious weapon.

Destiny Udogie has yet to feature in pre-season and there are lingering concerns over the Italy international’s fitness. Robertson has stepped straight into that gap. On this evidence, he looks locked in to start at Brentford next Saturday. If he keeps this level, Udogie will have to do more than simply get fit to reclaim his place from a full-back nine years older – and currently sharper.

Kinsky stakes his claim

At the other end, Antonin Kinsky quietly underlined why he is now De Zerbi’s first-choice goalkeeper.

The 23-year-old produced a string of saves to preserve the clean sheet, standing up well when Hoffenheim finally broke through Spurs’ defensive lines. He handled crosses with authority and looked comfortable with the ball at his feet, an essential trait for a goalkeeper in this system.

Seven months ago, his error-strewn night in Madrid raised doubts about whether he was ready for this stage. This performance, and this pre-season, tell a different story. Kinsky has overtaken Guglielmo Vicario, who was absent here with Juventus circling the Italy international, and he has done it on merit.

From “horror show” to undisputed No 1 in under a year. That is the kind of turnaround that can reshape a career.

Big names missing, big decisions looming

The win came without several key figures. Micky van de Ven, James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes were among the notable absentees, a reminder that this was still a patched-together version of De Zerbi’s Spurs.

Supporters will expect at least some of those missing names to feature on Sunday, when the same opponents return for a behind-closed-doors game at the club’s training ground. That final run-out will be less about spectacle and more about selection, as De Zerbi locks in his XI for the Premier League opener.

Next Saturday, Spurs walk into Brentford, live on Sky Sports, carrying the momentum of an unbeaten pre-season, a new spine taking shape, and a handful of unresolved transfer sagas.

Moore, Bergvall, Kinsky, Robertson – all made their case under the lights. The real test comes when the points start to count.