Sporting Lisbon 2-0 Tottenham (Paulinho 90′, Arthur 90+2′)
It took 46 minutes for an anaemic Champions League tie in Lisbon to get a splash of colour and when it did it came in flashes of green and white via the twinkle-toes of a 23-year-old from Enfield: Sporting forward Marcus Edwards.
Edwards danced away from Eric Dier, then sent him spinning into another dimension with another body swerve, pivoted away from Ivan Perisic, took Ben Davies out of the game with a one-two and then meandered around Cristian Romero as if he were a hungover Sunday league slogger. Hugo Lloris denied the one-time prize jewel in Tottenham’s academy crown a dream goal and an all-time Champions League classic.
It wasn’t the Frenchman’s only intervention of the evening. He and fellow old-timer Ivan Perisic were the only players in pale blue who performed to their usual standards.
Edwards’ first-team career at Tottenham spanned 15 minutes of a Carabao Cup tie against Gillingham and his dazzling run brought to mind Mauricio Pochettino’s comments in 2016 that he reminded him of a certain Argentine No 10. It is no secret that his moniker in the dressing room at the time was “mini Messi”.
Edwards might not have got on the scoresheet himself but he celebrated Paulinho’s 90th-minute winner with all the zeal as if he had expertly nodded it into the far corner himself. A muted celebration from a former player? Not one bit of it. “I couldn’t be happier,” admitted Tottenham’s homegrown hero that never was.
Moments later, Edwards watched on as his replacement Arthur Gomes slalomed through a couple of tired challenges to score the second, seal the win and send the Jose Alvalade into raptures. For so long it looked as though neither time would win the game, but few could argue that the hosts weren’t deserving of a second consecutive group stage victory.
That is sensational, Marcus Edwards!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 13, 2022
A move that had everything but the finish.
What a goal this would have been! #UCL pic.twitter.com/uPMnQ1a5pq
As for Spurs, it was a night to forget and one that could not be put down to weariness after Saturday’s match with Manchester City was called off. Spurs had some opportunities – many of which fell to the hardly-prolific Emerson Royal – and notably when Harry Kane missed a delicious Ivan Perisic cross by a stud’s length 20 minutes from time. Richarlison did have the ball in the net but in his eagerness to build on last week’s double against Marseille he mistimed his run and was flagged offside.
A first defeat of the campaign isn’t enough to inspire an inquest, but for the first time, an unconvincing performance was punished. Spurs’ Premier League points tally doesn’t reflect the quality of performances. The visitors’ night was summed up rather by Son Heung-min’s enduring struggles. The sorry sight of the South Korean returning head bowed to the bench after another ineffective display is becoming a regular occurrence. And a problem for Antonio Conte.
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Hugo Lloris – Made an excellent early save on the stretch to prevent a Pedro Goncalves shot from sneaking into the bottom corner and his handling was solid. Almost got into a spot of bother later on after charging miles out of his goal to attend to a pass upfield but made a trademark stop to deny Porro. Little he could do for either goal 7
Cristian Romero – It’s not often that Romero gets dribbled past but first Edwards waltzed by him and then Arthur also skipped past him for the second goal 6
Eric Dier – Back on his old stomping ground after coming through Sporting’s academy as a teenager. Had his hands full up against one-time Spurs colleague Marcus Edwards who posed the hosts’ biggest attacking threat and struggled to contain him 6
Ben Davies – Went down clutching his shin in the first-half but shrugged it off and was able to continue. Became a key player under Conte last season in part due to his underlapping runs but such adventure was absent on this occasion 6
Emerson Royal – Flashed a dangerous ball across the six-yard-box but none of Tottenham’s trio of attackers were ready to attack it. Popped up in a couple of dangerous positions to score but lacks the killer instinct in those areas that Conte craves in his wing-backs. Beaten in the air for Paulinho’s opener and far too easily for the second goal 5
That's a wonderful run and finish from Arthur Gomes!
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 13, 2022
The icing on the cake for Sporting as they see off Tottenham 2-0!#UCL pic.twitter.com/ZlJhXhHbHb
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – Slightly wasteful with his passing and not as combative as usual, failing to make a single tackle. Booked for a late challenge on Ugarte 4
Rodrigo Bentancur – Got through a fair bit of dirty work winning four tackles and making two interceptions and more accomplished in possession than his midfield partner. Booked for a tactical foul on Goncalves 5
Ivan Perisic – Picked out Richarlison with a peach of a cross after cutting inside on his right foot and then flashed another inviting ball right across the six-yard-box that just bypassed Kane. Spurs’ best outfield player on the night 7
Richarlison – Unsurprisingly kept his place after scoring twice against Marseille last week. Missed Tottenham’s first big chance with a back post header and had the ball in the net again but was well offside after mistiming his run. Offered plenty of endeavour but was ineffective in the final third 6
Son Heung-min – On current form there is no doubt that Son should be the forward to lose his starting spot but Conte is clearly hoping that by keeping him in the side the confidence and goals will soon flow. Taken off after 71 minutes and has now gone eight matches without a goal 4
Harry Kane – With Kulusevski sat on the bench the creative onus fell on Kane and he frequently dropped into pockets to play through balls into Son or Richarlison. It was sub-optimal, therefore, that his passing wasn’t quite up to usual standards 6
Subs:
Dejan Kulusevski – Quite simply has to start against Leicester on Saturday. Earned a free-kick in a dangerous area and created a chance for Richarlison within minutes of coming on and is offering so much more than Son right now 6
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