Pat Sheehan, The Sun:
The quality of Tottenham's crosses let Leverkusen off the hook time and again.They should have been on easy street long before England keeper Paul Robinson bailed them out.
He had earlier denied Carsten Ramelow an equaliser, saving well with his legs.
Spurs let themselves down in front of goal.
Dimitar Berbatov might have had a hat-trick and Keane could not find his final touch.
Darren Lewis, Daily Mirror: Dimitar Berbatov's goal was the highlight of a disappointing first-half at the BayArena.
But twice in the opening eight minutes Berbatov wasted possession with the Bayer defence all over the place.
And so it went on as you began to suspect that he could have really destroyed the club he moved from in the summer if he didn't have so much love for it.
Spurs could have been made to rue all those missed opportunities. German international midfielder Paul Freier came on and from his right-sided berth, made a series of incisions into the heart of the Tottenham defence which had Martin Jol's men in trouble.
Seven minutes after half-time, Paul Robinson did magnificently to keep one out.
Suddenly the game had opened out into an entertaining affair of cut and thrust. How Berbatov failed to connect with Robbie Keane's centre only he will know.
It was to Tottenham's credit that they raised their game to repel Leverkusen's renewed threat.
Tom Dart, The Times: This match backed Dimitar Berbatov's judgment that he moved from Germany to England to further his career.
Tottenham Hotspur dazzled, though this was nearly a tale of underachievement.
Robbie Keane and Berbatov, among others, were wasteful as well as unlucky.
In the event there was no need to conjure any flair. After a grey first half, the match was far more colourful.
Leverkusen were haphazard at the back but threatened going forward. Paul Robinson made a couple of smart saves and Bernd Schneider hit a post for Leverkusen.
Martin Smith, Daily Telegraph: It was far from a vintage European night for Spurs, but they did enough.
This was a patchy display from Spurs while Leverkusen had a much better second half than the first. Paul Robinson had to make important saves from Paul Freier and Andrei Voronin and was beaten for pace by Bernd Schneider's 25-yard drive that came back off the post.
Tom Huddlestone, a 68th-minute substitute, should have spotted Keane unmarked instead of shooting straight at Jorg Butt right at the end. It did not matter in the final reckoning.
Matt Scott, The Guardian: Dimitar Berbatov was not alone in indulging his caprices, Aaron Lennon was a prime culprit. With Gonzalo Castro marking tightly, Lennon's runs were frequently cut off at source. Infuriatingly for his team-mates, that did not deter the England international and he persisted on dribbling every time he received the ball.
Tottenham deserved their lead but only inasmuch as Bayer had been even more inefficient than the visitors.
The lack of quality in the final ball robbed Robbie Keane, Berbatov and Stefan Kiessling of chances. Indeed Berbatov's selfishness in refusing to recognise the runs of Keane seemed almost calculated.
Bayer, though, came back and Paul Robinson was on hand to save Andrej Voronin's rising shot.
Jason Burt, The Independent: Robbie Keane was wasteful but it aided Spurs' cause that they were able to include both Steed Malbranque and Aaron Lennon to add balance to their midfield. It also aided their cause that Leverkusen were so poor. They were a shadow of the side that reached the Champions' League final four years ago - with Dimitar Berbatov in their ranks. It was not until after the interval that they roused themselves.
Berbatov deserved star billing.