Tottenham Hotspur has done it once again as Antonio Conte’s Spurs left it late on a European night to secure a 2-1 away win at Olympique de Marseille to secure the top spot in Group D on the final day.
Top of the group with the last kick of the game! 💪 pic.twitter.com/fTfSZ8oxVO
— Tottenham Hotspur (@Spurs_MAS) November 1, 2022
Conte’s men once again were handily outplayed in the first half of action as they were last week against Sporting CP back in the English capital, but just like last week, Tottenham’s opposition was unable to truly make them pay before the second half arrived and Spurs upped their performance levels.
A stoppage-time header from Chancel Mbemba was no more than OM deserved for their efforts as Spurs were as hapless as ever on the road at the Orange Velodrome.
Clément Lenglet began to re-write the script on the night less than ten minutes after the restart when the French center-back headed home from an Ivan Perišić corner to level matters as Spurs had looked to finally work themselves into proceedings and on balance were just about on par with OM if not in the ascendency.
But a key chance that ironically fell to former Arsenal left-back Sead Kolašinac could have changed all that but the Bosnian international could only misdirect his header mere yards away from goal in a chance that surely goes down as the best of the bunch across 90-minutes.
Then, in stoppage time, with a draw enough to still see Spurs advance as runner-up behind Eintracht Frankfurt, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg found himself the most advanced of Conte’s contingent and he outpaced Mbemba just enough before hitting a rasping effort in off the far post to seal all three points as one of the final kicks of the ball on the night, securing top spot and sending the traveling support into bedlam.
There will be a serious concern for star man Son Heung-min who was taken off before the halftime interval after clattering with Mbemba, while the South Korean international walked off and looked dazed in the process.
Given both Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski already being on the treatment table, the loss of Son could prove a bridge too far for Spurs despite their result tonight.
Olympique de Marseille Player Ratings
GK: Pau López (6.5)
RCB: Chancel Mbemba (7.5)
CB: Eric Bailly (N/A – subbed off injured after 10-minutes)
LCB: Leonardo Balerdi (7)
RWB: Jonathan Clauss (6)
LWB: Nuno Tavares (6)
CM: Valentin Rongier (7)
CM: Jordan Veretout (7.5)
RAM: Mattéo Guendouzi (6)
LAM: Amine Harit (6.5)
CF: Alexis Sánchez (7)
Sub: Samuel Gigot (6)
Sub: Sead Kolašinac (6)
Sub: Cengiz Ünder (6.5)
Sub: Issa Kaboré (6)
Sub: Luis Suárez (6)
Tottenham Player Ratings
GK: Hugo Lloris (7) – Overall a good night for the French number one who came away as one of the best of the lot and one of the only Spurs players to perform well across both halves.
RCB: Eric Dier (6.5) – A better performance from Dier than some of his recent outings for the club but still a bit away from where he was earlier this season.
CB: Clément Lenglet (7.5) – Strong overall, and his headed equalizer certainly helps his overall match rating, which likely would not have been as high if his contributions in the goal column were nowhere to be found.
LCB: Ben Davies (6.5)- No Romero tonight meant Davies got the nod in the XI again and, while he was decent enough, he still is below the level the club needs if they are to truly challenge on all fronts.
RWB: Ivan Perišić (8) – An assist for Lenglet’s equalizer capped what was once again another very good performance from the Croatian international veteran as he proves to arguably be the club’s best signing this summer.
LWB: Ryan Sessegnon (6) – Yet another chance for the former England youth international starlet to impress for Tottenham but he failed to deliver a noteworthy performance albeit under frustrating circumstances not of his own making in the first half.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur (6.5) – Effective overall, certainly in the second 45-minutes before being removed late in the second half even if he wasn’t up to the higher standards he has set this season.
CM: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (8) – Remains one of the unsung heroes for Spurs when analyzed outside of the fanbase, but his insane engine and ability to keep fighting proved massively decisive tonight.
RAM: Lucas Moura (6) – Given the chance in attack once again due to injury issues at the club and, once again, failed to deliver. Questions will now be asked about why Bryan Gil is not getting a chance in the XI.
LAM: Son Heung-min (6) – Subbed-off at the 30-minute mark and looked dazed in the process. Tottenham and South Korea will both be waiting patiently to receive positive news while hoping to avoid any concussion concerns.
CF: Harry Kane (7) – No goal for Kane but he played his role as the match-winner as he so often does, with his assist to Højbjerg capping off a solid display for the England star.
Sub: Yves Bissouma (6.5) – Replaced Son in the first-half which saw Tottenham switch to a 3-5-2 for the remainder of the night. Solid enough but still has yet to hit the level he showed for Brighton that won him his move to Spurs in the first place.
Sub: Emerson Royal (7) – Though many cite him as meme material on social media, Royal was quite solid coming off the bench for Spurs tonight and it served as evidence regarding what he is capable of on his day.
Sub: Oliver Skipp (6) – Replaced Bentancur six minutes before stoppage so there is not too much to go by. A six seems about fair.
Sub: Bryan Gil (N/A) – Came on two minutes into stoppage time.
Social Media
The scenes in Marseille before their Champions League clash with Tottenham 🎆 pic.twitter.com/Cvr8LLgxYN
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 1, 2022
Here’s how we line-up to face @OM_Officiel 👇#UCL pic.twitter.com/ksnTWmP6NN
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 1, 2022
𝗟𝗔 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗢’ 👊🔵⚪️
Notre 𝗫𝗜 𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲́𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 pour #OMTOT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EG6cYzpqB3
— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) November 1, 2022
“We know what we have to do. The stage is set.” 🗣
Hear Pierre’s thoughts on tonight’s #UCL clash with Marseille ⤵️
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 1, 2022
❌ 3-0 vs RB Leipzig
❌ 2-0 vs Sporting Lisbon
❌ 0-0 vs Eintracht FrankfurtSpurs haven’t scored in their last three away games in the #UCL. If they fail to do so today, they will be the first English side since Manchester Utd in 04/05 to go four on the road without a goal. 😬
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 1, 2022
9 | Marseille forced into a change already – Eric Bailly’s return from injury comes to an early end and Gigot comes on in his place.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) November 1, 2022
Antonio Conte sat in the stands alongside Tottenham’s performance director Gretar Steinsson and behind Daniel Levy. That’s going to be a new experience for the Spurs chairman.
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) November 1, 2022
More injury problems for Tottenham.
Son forced off after taking a hit from Mbemba as the pair challenged in the air.
Bissouma on in his place – 3-5-2 for Spurs now.
LIVE: https://t.co/iPMTadF90U#MARTOT | #UCL pic.twitter.com/1ZupReYrsr
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) November 1, 2022
HT: Marseille 1-0 Spurs
xG: 0.65-0.04
Shots: 7-2
shots on target: 3-1
Big chances: 0-0
Touches in opp. box: 16-0
Possession: 69.4%-30.6%
Corners: 5-2Not the finest 45 Spurs are likely to play… 😅 pic.twitter.com/C9pFpmyKCd
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 1, 2022
What is Lucas Moura offering out there that Bryan Gil wouldn’t?
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) November 1, 2022
Another goal for the Gianni Vio collection. Spurs’ set piece coach might be the club’s best signing of the summer.
— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) November 1, 2022
Quelqu’un m’explique Gigot ailier droit ? #OMTOT
— Nabil Djellit (@Nabil_djellit) November 1, 2022
🌍 | Marseille 1:2 Tottenham
A dramatic final day decider ended with Spurs coming back from behind after a poor first half performance, and getting the important winning goal with the last kick of the match.
Tottenham top the group, while Marseille end up 4th!#OMTOT #UCL pic.twitter.com/aHwnxSAObM
— Sofascore (@SofascoreINT) November 1, 2022
That was one of the tensest games I can remember. Not a huge amount of quality. Spurs started very badly (again), got better second half (for the third game in a row), rode their luck (that Kolasinac header!) but they got there in the end.
— Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) November 1, 2022
In the 94th minute at 1-1, Marseille would have dropped to the Europa with Tottenham Hotspur qualifying for the #UCL knockout round. The Ligue 1 side committed all bodies forward and Spurs got the winner with the last kick of the game which means Sporting will now play Europa! pic.twitter.com/ggjWDa6KRR
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) November 1, 2022
