Despite leading the game on two occasions, Tottenham conceded five goals in their latest dramatic 5-3 loss to PSG in the Champions League.
Coming off a disastrous 4-1 north London derby defeat at Arsenal, where Spurs somehow produced just 0.07 xG, it really could only go uphill. There’s simply no way to top that derby performance in terms of how bad it was, and thankfully, this one was marginally better.
Thomas Frank made 5 changes from the weekend, finally starting the midfield trio fans have been shouting for. Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Matar Sarr all started, while Kevin Danso, Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha were rested.
First half: PSG 1-1 Tottenham
There was a bit of debate about the shape with four midfielders named in the line-up. Rodrigo Bentancur was the fourth, and the question was whether Gray would drop into a back 3 or operate as the deepest midfielder. Once the game settled, it looked like a 4-4-2 diamond with both Gray and Bentancur in midfield.
As expected, PSG saw more of the ball, but Spurs pressed high and with good energy. The first warning came when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia curled one just wide. A bigger chance followed soon after when Vitinha clipped a lovely ball over the top for Warren Zaire-Emery, whose heavy first touch gave Guglielmo Vicario the chance to punch clear.
Spurs’ pressing eventually paid off when Bergvall worked neatly down the left and slipped it inside to Gray, who whipped a cross towards the back post. Randal Kolo Muani cushioned a header across goal, leaving Richarlison the simple job of nodding in from close range.
Taking that lead into half-time would have done Thomas Frank’s side a world of good, but they let PSG back into it right before the break. Vitinha was left completely free on the edge of the box and, with all the time he wanted, let the ball run across his body before hammering a strike in off the underside of the bar to make it 1-1 at half-time.
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Second half: PSG 4-2 Tottenham
PSG made 1 change at the break and tweaked their shape, even swapping their wingers, but it didn’t help them in the opening minutes, as 4 minutes after the restart, Spurs were ahead again. Archie Gray was denied his first goal for Tottenham when his strike was headed off the line by Willian Pacho, but Kolo Muani reacted quickest and volleyed in the rebound for his first Tottenham goal.
That lead lasted all of 3 minutes. Almost every Spurs defender was dragged towards Kvaratskhelia, who slipped a tidy ball inside for Vitinha. Once again left unmarked, he dribbled into the box, shifted onto his left and curled home PSG’s equaliser.
Barely five minutes later, Tottenham handed PSG the lead for the first time. A deep Pape Sarr received the ball under pressure, was robbed by Lucas Hernandez, and the loose ball fell to Neves. The Portuguese midfielder backheeled it through for Fabian Ruiz, who steered it into the bottom corner.
After the hour mark, PSG doubled their lead from a corner. Tottenham failed to clear, the ball dropped to Pacho at close range, and he finished past Vicario from inside the six-yard area.
Just when PSG looked like they’d wrapped it up, Kolo Muani pulled one back against his parent club. Bentancur won the ball high up the pitch after dispossessing Vitinha, and it bounced into Kolo Muani’s path, who finished beyond Chevalier to make it 4-3.
But unlike Spurs, PSG rarely bottle a two-goal cushion, and they quickly restored it. Cristian Romero slid in to block a Vitinha shot, but the ball struck his raised arm, and the referee pointed to the spot. Vitinha stepped up and converted to seal his first career hat-trick.
PSG went down to ten men in stoppage time when Lucas Hernandez was shown a straight red for elbowing Xavi Simons in the face, but there was nowhere near enough time left for a comeback.
FT: PSG 5-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Spurs Web man of the match: Randal Kolo Muani
What’s next for Spurs?
There were more positives than negatives, which is not something we’ve been able to say often lately. One of the biggest was Kolo Muani getting off the mark with a brace and an assist, linking up nicely with Richarlison throughout the night.
Even more encouraging was the midfield pairing of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray. Both were coming back from injury and thrown straight into a Champions League tie against the reigning holders, yet they handled it superbly. Their movement and link-up play helped Spurs create chances, and they’ll play a big role for Frank in the coming weeks.
The negatives are obvious. All five goals were avoidable. Spurs failed to close down Vitinha for both of his first strikes, switched off entirely for PSG’s third, and didn’t clear their lines for the fourth. These are basics, and Tottenham simply have to tighten up.
They now return home after three weeks on the road to host Fulham in the Premier League.