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Spurs defeated Marseille 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, September 7.
Spurs played in the inaugural UEFA Conference League last season, finishing third in their group following a game suspension due to Covid. Instead of being rescheduled, their visitors Rennes were awarded a 3-0 win. However, they finished in the top four in dramatic fashion, pipping arch-rivals Arsenal to UCL qualification, which sweetened the pot.
Marseille, on the other hand, finished second in Ligue 1 behind champions Paris Saint-Germain. It ensured their direct qualification for the Champions League. However, a couple of loan players have returned to their parent clubs, resulting in a comparatively weaker side this season.
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The visitors made a determined start to the game, taking the game to their hosts. They passed the ball around with confidence, spreading play across all areas of the pitch. Matteo Guendouzi and Chancel Mbembe made strong starts as they were creative and took the initiative on the ball. Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez took a risky touch early in the game and Heung-min Son nearly closed him down.
He suffered an injury midway through the half after a come-together with Harry Kane. However, it was rightly deemed a footballing incident and play carried on. Kane and Son combined for a couple of chances, the best one falling to the former. However, he could only manage an attempt that rolled a few feet wide of goal.
Spurs only kept possession of the ball for 42% of the first period and failed to register a shot on goal despite making five attempts. Marseille, on the other hand, had six shots, with one on target. Five of those were attempted from outside the box, highlighting the deep, low-block Antonio Conte deployed. Neither side troubled the scorekeeper as they went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
There was drama immediately following the restart as Chancel Mbemba committed a last-man foul which resulted in a red card. The referee had no choice as Son was clean through on goal. Tudor was forced to bring on another defender in Leonardo Balerdi to take off Gerson, who had sparkled up to that point.
Spurs continued to dominate possession and got increasingly close to scoring. They had a 20-minute patch of poor creativity, which they snapped out of thanks to Richarlison.
Ivan Perisic played a wonderful cross into the danger area, where the Brazilian nodded in with ease to make it 1-0. Richarlison made it a brace on his debut in the UCL as he scored just five minutes later to make it 2-0. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg played the assist for the second goal.
Spurs held on to secure a 2-0 win over Marseille at home. That said, let's take a detailed look at how their players fared.
Spurs Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris - 7/10
Besides one stop in the first half, Lloris did not have much work to do as Marseille failed to keep most of their shots on target. He played five accurate long balls and passed the ball with 87% accuracy.
Clement Lenglet - 6.5/10
Lenglet made a positive start but was often too physical for the referee's liking and gave away three fouls. He won two of his five duels and made two clearances and one tackle.
Cristian Romero - 7/10
Romero did well to help maintain Spurs' compact shape in and around their penalty box. He won five of his eight duels and made two tackles, one clearance and one interception.
Eric Dier - 7/10
Dier was a robust presence for Tottenham in defense. He won two of his seven duels and made four clearances. He also played two accurate long balls. Dier was also booked in the second half for persistent fouling.
Emerson Royal - 7.5/10
Emerson was lively on the right flank as he made several overlapping runs and distributed the ball well. He played one key pass and two accurate long balls. Emerson also won six of his seven duels, making four tackles in the process.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 7/10
Bentancur was Spurs' chief distributor of the ball in the middle of the park. He completed 52 passes with 93% accuracy, including two key passes and two long balls. He also won four of his nine duels.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 8/10
Hojbjerg was strong in the tackle but was forced to hold off as Marseille moved the ball around quickly with sharp passing. He provided an assist for Tottenham's second goal. He also played two key passes and won six of his nine duels.
Ivan Perisic - 7/10
Perisic looked lethargic and off-color from the start as he struggled to keep up with Marseille's brilliant passing. However, he picked his moment and provided an assist for his side's opening goal.
Richarlison - 8.5/10
Richarlison made a positive start to the game and was lucky to escape without a booking after appearing to have stepped on Guendouzi's foot. However, he scored a late brace to snatch all three points for Tottenham.
Heung-min Son - 6.5/10
Son continued his run of poor form and lack of creativity as he failed to create much in the final third. He attempted two shots, with one off target and the other blocked.
Harry Kane - 6/10
Kane had a couple of chances but could not even hit the target in the first half. He attempted a whopping six shots, with three off target and the other three blocked. It was a slow day at the office for Kane despite Spurs' win.
Substitutes
Dejan Kulusevski - 7/10
Kulusevski came on to replace Emerson just past the hour-mark and put in a decent performance.
Japhet Tanganga - 6.5/10
Tanganga came on midway through the second half and had a good game.
Ben Davies - 6.5/10
Davies was brought on for the booked Lenglet and put in a good performance in his place.
Yves Bissouma & Matt Doherty - N/A
The pair came on in the dying embers to help Spurs secure the win and did just that. However, they did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
