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Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-0 to Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, September 13.
Sporting came into this game having won their opening fixture of the competition comfortably. They beat defending Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in Germany. Ruben Amorim's men have scored nine goals without reply in their last three games as they looked determined to earn a result at home.
Spurs entered this contest having secured a late victory over Marseille in their last game. However, due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, their game against Manchester City was postponed this past weekend. Antonio Conte fielded his strongest XI as he looked to make it two wins from two games.
The visitors started the game on the front foot as the superior quality of their players shone through. They created most of the early chances of the game but were not as clinical in front of goal as they would have liked. Tottenham attempted five shots out of which just two were on target in the first half.
Sporting soon started playing a confident brand of football as their fans sang in loud choruses to get behind them. Marcus Edwards had their best chances as he blazed a shot over the crossbar. Just before halftime, he was handed another chance, but Hugo Lloris made a smart save to deny him.
Richarlison and Harry Kane had decent chances, with the former having the best of the half for Tottenham. However, they were caught offside multiple times as neither side managed to get on the scoreboard. Despite several opportunities, the teams went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
Sporting came out for the second period with greater determination and drive as they looked to knock Tottenham back. They played with a bit more patience and aggression when needed, trying to thwart Spurs' advances. Francisco Trincao looked threatening on the right flank as he used his pace and trickery to get past the visitors' defenders.
An extra physical dimension was added to the game as both Tottenham and Sporting players put their bodies on the line. Several hard tackles flew in from either side as the referee did well not to brandish too many bookings. Both Amorim and Conte made a few changes as they looked to freshen things up on the pitch. However, only the former reaped the benefits.
Substitute Paulinho scored the winner late in the game for the hosts, following a corner routine. Pedro Goncalves provided the assist with a perfect delivery as they hosts led after 90 minutes. They scored again, this time through another substitute, Arthur Gomes. It sealed the win for the hosts.
That said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.
#5. Hit - Emerson Royal
Emerson had a tough first few weeks when he joined Tottenham from FC Barcelona last summer for a fee of £26.8 million. However, since Conte's arrival, he has been a key player in the way they set-up.
Emerson made darting runs down the right flank, carrying the ball forward to create chances. He had two great chances to score early in the second period but was just short of the mark. Despite being booked, he was one of Tottenham's best players in this game.
#4. Flop - Heung-min Son
Son put in another underwhelming performance compared to what we've seen from him in the last couple of seasons. He has made eight appearances across competitions so far this season. However, Son has only managed one assist so far. His attacking contributions have taken a massive hit in recent times.
Heung-min Son failed to register an attempt on goal tonight, let alone one on target. He also failed to deliver a single accurate cross or long ball, limiting Tottenham's chances of progressing down the left flank.
#3. Hit - Antonio Adan
Sporting's goalkeeper has played an important role in their sparkling run of form so far this month. Adan kept three clean sheets prior to the game and made it four by the time the full-time whistle was sounded.
He made five saves during the game, all of which were from shots taken inside the box. He also punched the ball clear once and made two high claims. He also played nine accurate long balls.
#2. Flop - Tottenham's defense
Despite making a strong start to the game, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies and Eric Dier had a tumultuous time against Sporting's pacey forwards. The midfielders in front of them made the job slightly harder as three of the four players received yellow cards.
Hugo Lloris, too, made some great stops in the first half but his confidence was visibly lower in the second period. Sporting were allowed to make inroads towards Tottenham's goal way too easily as they scored two late goals to snatch victory.
#1. Hit - Ruben Amorim's game management
There are a few better feelings for the manager than when they bring a player on and they score in the game. For Amorim, however, the feeling was compounded as two of his substitutes came on and won the game for Sporting.
Paulinho scored what seemed to be the winner in the 90th minute as he was assisted by Pedro Goncalves. The goalscorer then turned into a provider as he provided an assist for Arthur Gomes, who finished emphatically to make it 2-0 in the 93rd minute.
His timing for each of Sporting's four substitutes was spot on and it helped them take the game out of Tottenham's reach.
