Tottenham kicked off their Champions League campaign away from home at Inter Milan on Tuesday night.
For Spurs, it was the start of their third consecutive Champions League group stage campaign, while Inter were making a long-awaited return to Europe’s elite competition after a six-year absence.
After a quiet first half where Tottenham looked very nervous on the ball and Inter unable to capitalise, the game sparked to life at the start of the second when Christian Eriksen had an effort deflected home after 53 minutes.
Spurs then seemed to be managing the game perfectly, keeping the ball and forcing Inter out to press them while exploiting the space that inevitably left and, in truth, they should have extended their lead.
That game management, however, was swept away in one incredible moment when Mauro Icardi turned up 85 minutes late for the game and struck home a thunderous volley to level the scores.
The game then turned into an end-to-end free-for-all with both sides trying to snatch the win before Mattias Vecino snatched all three points for Nerazzurri in the dying moments of stoppage time.
Here are the player ratings from Tuesday’s game as Inter condemned Pochettino to a third consecutive defeat for the first time as Tottenham manager.
Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic – 7 – Made a couple of good saves and kept himself big to force Harry Kane out of play in the first half when the World Cup Golden Boot winner really should have done better. Was unlucky to see Christian Eriksen’s rebound deflected past him after saving the Dane’s initial effort.
(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Milan Skriniar – 6 – Hard-working and full of running from right-back. Like many players here, it was Skriniar’s final ball was missing.
Stefan de Vrij – 7 – Solid and didn’t try anything stupid at the back. Managed to keep Harry Kane a peripheral figure for most of the game. Also came up with a vital assist for Inter’s winning goal.
Miranda – 5 – A very similar performance to his centre-back partner, de Vrij. Kept Harry Kane quiet and was his usual, dependable self throughout. Very unlucky to deflect Christian Eriksen’s goal into the back of the Inter net.
Kwadwo Asamoah – 8 – Looked very dynamic going forward throughout the game from left-back. Was a very good attacking outlet for Inter and didn’t shy away from his defensive duties. Wonderful vision to pick out Mauro Icardi for his stunning volley.
Matias Vecino – 6 – Moved the ball well enough in the Inter midfield and had his moment with the most dramatic of winners deep into stoppage time to give Inter the triumphant return to Champions League football that they craved so much.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7 – Often the glue of the Inter side tonight, Brozovic always made himself available to receive the ball from deep, while constantly having an eye for a killer pass behind the Tottenham defence.
Radja Nainggolan – 6 – Even if Nainggolan has a quiet game, it is only quiet by his own standards. He was his usual, terrier-like self, harassing Spurs players in possession and being robust in the tackle. Didn’t quite have the effect we know he can on the ball.
(Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Ivan Perisic – 6 – The likes of Eric Dier and Harry Kane were probably dreading coming up against their World Cup scourge once again tonight. However, despite showing flashes of brilliance, he didn’t quite have that game-changing performance that Perisic enjoyed throughout Russia 2018 and was subbed shortly after the hour mark.
Matteo Politano – 6 – Politano’s first ever Champions League game wasn’t one that will live long in the memory for most. Worked hard but didn’t have any decisiveness in his play. Could have done a lot more in pressing a nervous Ben Davies into a mistake. One second-half effort that went miles high and wide was the sum of his performance.
Mauro Icardi – 6 – The entire stadium had forgotten Icardi was even on the pitch until he was picked out on the edge of the box with a wonderful ball from Kwawdo Asamoah. His volley from that ball was stunning and a reminder that you just cannot switch off with a player of his quality on the pitch – even if he did absolutely nothing else in the game.
Substitutions
Antonio Candreva (64 minutes for Ivan Perisic) – 6 – Initially struggled to have a telling impact on the game after replacing Ivan Perisic but, as Inter’s late charge gained momentum, so did Candreva.
Keita Balde (72 minutes for Matteo Politano) – 6 – Was hardly the instigator of Inter’s late comeback but offered Inter a different dimension when he came on.
Borja Valero (89 minutes for Radja Nainggolen) – 6 – Must have really enjoyed his watching brief for Inter’s winning goal, didn’t really have time to do much but celebrate Vecino’s header.
Tottenham Hotspur
Michel Vorm – 6 – Commanded his box much better than against Liverpool at the weekend, even if he was still giving Mauricio Pochettino kittens on the ball. Was reliable in shot-stopping when called upon and could do nothing about either Inter goal.
Serge Aurier – 8 – Covered his less-convincing defensive counterparts very well and often got Spurs driving forward with his powerful runs. Could have had an assist if Erik Lamela had put his shooting boots on.
(Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Davinson Sanchez – 5 – The better of the two Spurs centre-backs, although that isn’t much of a compliment. Had as many shaky moments as he had solid ones.
Jan Vertonghen – 4 – Looked an uncharacteristic bag of nerves for Tottenham and consistently give the ball away in terrible areas. Often landed teammates in trouble with risky passes too.
Ben Davies – 4 – Vertonghen’s nerves must have been infectious as it definitely rubbed off on Ben Davies too. The Welsh international was wasteful and sloppy in possession and really struggled when put under pressure around his own box.
Eric Dier – 5 – Eric Dier is really struggling for form at the moment and it showed again against Inter. Was just as wasteful with the ball as the majority of his teammates and was generally outplayed by the Inter midfield.
Mousa Dembele – 6 – As solid and industrious as ever in the Tottenham midfield. Didn’t create a great deal but was much more assured with the ball than those behind him.
Christian Eriksen – 8 – Tottenham’s main creative force all night and got his reward on 53 minutes when, after having his first shot saved, his rebound was deflected in by Miranda.
(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Erik Lamela – 6 – A very quiet first half but grew into the game a lot more during a frantic start to the second. Missed three decent chances to score in the second half and could have had Spurs well out of sight.
Heung-Min Son – 6 – Was one of Spurs’ more threatening players in the first half but burned out quickly in the second. Looked tired after his Asian Games exploits.
Harry Kane – 5 – Had one real chance in the first half but ran the ball out of play trying to take it past Handanovic when he really should have chipped it home. Other than that, it was another absent performance from Spurs’ talisman.
The post Every player rated as an Inter comeback condemns Spurs to third consecutive defeat appeared first on Squawka News.
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