PSV 2-2 Tottenham: Hugo Lloris red card sparks ANOTHER Spurs collapse to leave hopes of Champions League progression hanging by a thread
- Hugo Lloris was sent off before Tottenham surrendered a 2-1 lead to draw with PSV in the Champions League
- Tottenham fell behind when Hirving Lozano punished an error by former Ajax defender Toby Alderweireld
- Davinson Sanchez hit back but his goal was wrongly disallowed for a controversial offside against Harry Kane
- Spurs did equalise before half time though thanks to a deflected shot by Brazilian winger Lucas Moura
- Kane completed the turnaround shortly after the interval by heading home a cross from Christian Eriksen
- Lloris was sent off for denying Lozano a clear scoring opportunity and Luuk de Jong punished 10-man Spurs
There have been 67 teams with a single point after three games of the Champions League group stage. Seven have progressed to the last 16. These are Tottenham’s numbers now. They have roughly a one in ten shot of making the knockouts. How it came to this, who knows?
Lads, it’s Tottenham, as Sir Alex Ferguson famously said. Lads, it’s carnage. They have a way of making things difficult: particularly in Europe this season.
So Toby Alderwiereld gave a goal away when his team-mates were in complete control of the game after 30 minutes and, cruising once more with 11 minutes remaining, Hugo Lloris got sent off. This follows on from a match against Inter Milan when Tottenham turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 deficit in the closing minutes. And yes, Group B is tricky. But not this tricky for heaven’s sake. Tottenham are so much better than this. They’re not Barcelona, obviously. But they were comfortable here, just as they were in charge against Inter, and twice they brought PSV Eindhoven back into the game.
Another moment of Champions League recklessness from Hugo Lloris (right) cost Spurs dearly against PSV on Wednesday
Spurs led 2-1 when goalkeeper Lloris was shown a straight red card for a foul which denied PSV a clear scoring opportunity
But PSV No 9 Luuk de Jong stung Spurs with a late leveller to leave the Londoners with just one point from three matches
Harry Kane (left) and Lucas Moura had earlier scored for Tottenham as they came from behind only to concede late on
England star Kane ended his four-game goal drought for club and country but Tottenham’s hopes of progress seem dead
Tottenham had fallen behind when PSV’s Hirving Lozano punished an error by former Ajax ace Toby Alderweireld (left)
Alderweireld, who was booed due to his Ajax links, looked dejected after seeing his error punished on the half-hour mark
Spurs appeared to have levelled thanks to another former Ajax defender but Davinson Sanchez (right) saw his goal disallowed
Spurs did manage to equalise before half time though courtesy of a goal by Brazilian winger Lucas Moura after 39 minutes
Kane put Spurs 2-1 up on 55 minutes when his downward header bounced into the net to complete a turnaround in Holland
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE
PSV (4-3-3): Zoet 6; Dumfries 6, Schwaab 6, Viergever 6, Angelino 6; Rosario 7, Pereiro 6.5 (Gakpo 83), Hendrix 6.5; Lozano 7, De Jong 7, Malen 6
Subs not used: Roon, Isimat-Mirin, Behich, Gakpo, Sainsbury, Ramselaar, Gutierrez.
Goals: Lozano 29, De Jong 87
Bookings: Angelino, Dumfries
Manager: Mark van Bommel
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris 5; Trippier 7, Alderweireld 5, Sanchez 6, Davies 5.5; Dembele 7 (Winks 74, 6), Dier 6; Moura 6.5 (Lamela 64, 5), Eriksen 7, Son 6 (Vorm 81); Kane 8
Subs: Wanyama, Sissoko, Llorente, Aurier
Goals: Moura 39, Kane 55
Bookings: Dembele
Sent off: Lloris
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Ref: Slavko Vincic
Tottenham’s first goal came from an intricate passing move which concluded with No 27 Lucas Moura firing home from 12 yards out
Eric Dier covered a lot of ground in midfield, as his heat map shows
For more stats and maps check out Sportsmail’s brilliant Match Zone by clicking here.
Alderweireld’s mistake was woeful, but Tottenham had recovered from that. They equalised before half-time, took the lead on 54 minutes and Christian Eriksen was running the match from midfield. It seemed more a matter of what they would settle for: would they push on for three, try to get four, try to correct the goal difference margins that can get a little skewed when Barcelona are around? Instead, it all went Spursy. From a position of great security, they somehow located a panic button. And Lloris – a World Cup winning captain, no less – was the biggest culprit of all.
He’s been erratic this season at the best of times, but looked to be back on track having turned in arguably his finest performance of the season against West Ham on Saturday, making a series of outstanding saves. Yet here was another brainstorm, haring off his line to thwart PSV’s Mexican forward Hirving Lozano, when there were two defenders in pursuit. Lozano knocked the ball past, Lloris took him out, referee Slavko Vincic from Slovenia had little alternative but to award a free-kick and show a red card.
No face-saving double jeopardy rules here. Denied a penalty, or a scoring opportunity, PSV had no advantage unless Lloris paid a price. Vincic averages a red card every four games, but here he had little choice. Michel Vorm came on and instantly saved Luuk de Jong’s free-kick low at his far post, but the damage was done. Somehow, PSV Eindhoven were back in the game – minutes later they were level and Tottenham’s odds were drifting.
Davison Sanchez headed a dead ball clear and Pablo Rosario scuffed a shot from the edge of the area. It was tame but de Jong got a touch on it, a flick that deceived Vorm. Once again in Europe this season, Tottenham gave up victory in the closing minutes, away. At least they didn’t lose, as happened in Milan – but given the way the group is poised this was little better.
So it all went Luuk de Jong, yet the visitors should have been comfortable. There is a reason Eriksen swapped Ajax, one of the great names of European football, for Tottenham five years ago – and it was because of nights like this.
Nights when the Dutch champions and this year’s runaway leaders – five points clear already after nine games – are all but swatted aside for long spells by a team not currently in the Premier League’s top four. There is only so far a world class talent can go in the Dutch game and as Eriksen controlled the midfield, and Tottenham looked to be easing past PSV on their own turf, it became plain why so many of Mauricio Pochettino’s players came to London via the Eredivisie.
Tottenham posed for their pre-match photograph, with South Korean forward Son Heung-min holding an ‘Equal Game’ sign
Lozano held the ‘Equal Game’ sign in PSV’s team photo while Jorrit Hendrix was in possession of an matchday pennant
Mousa Dembele (No 19), seen holding off Luuk de Jong, started in midfield for Spurs — his second European outing this term
Dembele complained to Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic after being penalised for a foul during the first half in Eindhoven
The referee and Dembele rowed again moments later when a yellow card was shown the the midfielder for persistent fouling
Harry Kane (second left) had an early sight of goal but his shot was not struck well enough to open the scoring for Tottenham
England captain Kane had another chance for Spurs at 0-0 and he hit the PSV woodwork with a header following a corner kick
Dutch football is skilful, technical, and there were moments when PSV worried Tottenham. But just like Manchester United’s win over Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final, the Premier League team were in their comfort zone. Athletically stronger and more ambitious, once Tottenham had made good Alderwiereld’s horrid error, their eventual victory looked certain. Eriksen, playing his first game since September 22, simply took charge. He, of course, featured more than once in the 19 pass move that set up the equaliser, but his contribution to the second was exceptional.
A neat interchange of passes with Hueng-Min Son ended with Eriksen delivering the perfect far post ball for Harry Kane, who headed it down into the turf, past goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet. At that point, Tottenham looked capable of reaching a more emphatic scoreline. Instead, the Europa League beckons without a dramatic dash for the finishing line. This, after all, was what Pochettino described as a must-win game. And he is not a man much given to drama.
No matter their superiority in Dutch domestic football, PSV are one of those clubs that a team with serious European ambitions should be beating. They hadn’t won in any of their last ten Champions League fixtures coming into this game, and only twice in their last 15 matches against English opposition.
But Tottenham are prone to self-destruct and, on 30 minutes, Alderweireld did. The pass from Sanchez was simple enough, but Alderweireld dawdled too long on the ball, allowing Lozano – a pest, if not always an honest one – to pounce and catch him in possession. Lozano sped on goal with Alderweireld in pursuit. He got there, too, but luck deserted him. Instead of saving his embarrassment, his tackle coincided with Lozano’s shot, sending it looping over Lloris and into the goal.
Spurs were punished at the other end when Mexico international Lozano scored the opening goal of the game on 30 minutes
Lozano capitalised on an error by centre back Alderweireld who gave the ball away and then deflected a shot into his own net
Alderweireld’s deflection saw the ball loop over keeper and captain Lloris as Lozano scored his ninth goal of the season
Defender Alderweireld sat on the pitch and looked dejected as Lloris retrieved the ball from the net while Eric Dier looked on
Colombian Sanchez looked stunned after putting the ball in the net only to see his effort disallowed controversially for offside
Tottenham were denied an equaliser as Kane was penalised for offside, although it is questionable whether he was interfering
Kane was behind the PSV goalkeeper and stood in the opposite side of the goal to where Sanchez’s low shot was placed
Kane argued with referee Vincic but the goal remained ruled out, leaving visitors Spurs with a lot of work to do in Eindhoven
True, Tottenham’s equaliser was also a deflection, but at least the move was lovely. A full 19 passes culminating with Erikssen finding Kieran Trippier who hit the most perfect cut back – first time, obviously – into the path of Lucas Moura. His shot seemed goalbound anyway but, for good measure, clipped Daniel Schwaab, who had turned his back slightly, and left goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet no chance.
On the balance of play, it was what Tottenham deserved. They had already had a goal disallowed in controversial circumstances, Harry Kane considered to be interfering after Sanchez had poked in a loose ball following a header by Alderwiereld. He certainly looked to be interfering, but so do a lot of players whose position is ignored by the match officials.
In essence, Tottenham controlled the game, but PSV were dangerous in possession and gave regular reminders of their counter-attacking threat. Gaston Pereiro lulled the visitors into a false sense of security with a comically poor free-kick, then almost scored with his next one, curling it just wide of Lloris’s near post. Then, shortly before half-time, the Uruguyan displayed some fast and clever footwork, before striking a shot against the bar.
Tottenham’s best work came, as it often has, from Trippier’s crosses and dead balls. His assist for the equaliser was his 20th for the club, and he could have had more. In the 17th minute, his corner was not cleared successfully and Kane’s shot on the turn was deflected over. From the resulting corner, a Kane header clipped the angle of the bar. It looked merely a matter of time. With Tottenham, however, it’s never that simple.
But an equaliser arrived moments later and Lucas pointed to the sky after notching his fifth goal since joining Spurs from PSG
Lucas fired home via a deflection to give Spurs a much deserved goal after they had dominated for large spells in the first half
Lucas was congratulated by team-mate Son as they pair exchanged a double high-five on the pitch at the Philips Stadion
Tottenham went ahead 10 minutes into the second half when Kane’s header bounced up off the pitch and into the top corner
Kane wheeled away from the scene to celebrate as PSV’s defenders looked on with disappointment etched onto their faces
No 10 Kane acknowledged Tottenham’s away support by pointing towards the travelling fans at Eindhoven’s Philips Stadium
Tottenham goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris left the field little over 10 minutes before the final whistle after being sent off
Keeper Lloris offered some words of encouragement to No 13 Michel Vorm who replaced him in goal for the closing stages
But Dutchman Vorm was beaten as Spurs conceded late on for the third consecutive Champions League match this season
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