We’re off and running on our return to the Champions League after a narrow victory over Villarreal on Tuesday evening.
In keeping with what was a fairly scrappy match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with few chances for either side, the only goal of the game was a calamitous goalkeeping error from the visitors’ Luis Junior after just four minutes. A poor second half saw us come under a bit of pressure although we didn’t face a single shot on target throughout the game and held on for three points and a winning start on Matchday One. That was our 150th victory in competitive European football, in what was our 273rd match, while it also marked our 21st consecutive home game in Europe without defeat.
In his first-ever Champions League game, Head Coach Thomas Frank made two changes to the side from the weekend's excellent win at West Ham, Rodrigo Bentancur and Richarlison in for Joao Palhinha and Mathys Tel. Four players were making their Champions League debut – Guglielmo Vicario, Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven – with Destiny Udogie joining them when he came off the bench late on. Our Spanish opponents were captained by former Spur Juan Foyth with Manor Solomon – on loan from us – on the bench.
We’d already gone close when Xavi Simons fired just over the bar from 25 yards out after a neat lay-off from van de Ven, while we took the lead in the fourth minute in bizarre circumstances. Bergvall whipped in a cross from the right aiming for Richarlison which goalkeeper Luis Junior gathered comfortably low down, only to then lose his grip on the ball and watch as it dribbled across the line.
Villarreal responded with former Arsenal man Nicolas Pepe seeing an effort deflect wide in the 12th minute, while Rodrigo Bentancur had the same at the other end after good work from Mohammed Kudus. Pepe was involved again in the 24th minute, teeing up Tajon Buchanan with a great chance but the Canadian international was well wide with his finish. We were getting into some good positions and one of those saw Pape Matar Sarr’s 20-yard drive force a sprawling save out of Luis Junior. We also had two VAR checks for penalties, one for a foul on Richarlison and one for handball, but neither were given and we went in with a slender lead at the break.
The early stages of the second period saw the visitors with a couple of chances, Foyth glancing a header wide from a corner before Cristian Romero misplaced a pass which ended with Pepe sliding just wide of the far post. In truth, much of the intensity drifted from the game as the second half wore on, both teams struggling to make anything happen with defences on top, although we did have a sight of goal in the 72nd minute with Richarlison almost on the end of a deep Kudus cross.
Randal Kolo Muani came on for his Spurs debut with 13 minutes – becoming Legacy Number 899 in the process – and was quickly into the action, receiving a booking almost immediately before setting up fellow substitute Joao Palhinha, only for his effort to fly over the bar. There was a concerning moment in the 84th minute when Georges Mikautadze got clear of our defence and went tumbling under a challenge from van de Ven, right on the edge of the area. The Dutch defender was given a yellow card and, from the resulting free-kick, Pepe fizzed a left-foot drive just wide – the last chance of the game as we held out for the win.