Tottenham 2 Roma 2: Hummels’ late equalizer prevents Spurs from winning in a completely open Europa League duel – The Briefing

Tottenham conceded an equalizer in stoppage time and dropped two points against Roma on Thursday evening.

The first half was a delicious Europa League mix of excitement and defensive chaos as both teams showed ingenuity up front and gaps at the back. Spurs took an early lead after Son Heung-min converted a VAR-advised penalty, but Roma – encouraged by the excellent Paulo Dybala – equalized through Evan N’Dicka and then had Stephan El Shaarawy’s attempt ruled out for offside.

Brennan Johnson then put the home team back in the lead with a typical finish after good work from Dejan Kulusevski – one of eight shots on goal that Ange Postecoglou’s team had in the first 45 minutes.

After the break it continued in a similar way. Roma looked dangerous, but were repeatedly thwarted by Spurs’ defensive line and the offside flag, while the home team repeatedly looked dangerous on the counterattack. But it was the visitors who finally scored again – Mats Hummels scored from close range in the second phase of a corner.

Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jay Harris and Liam Tharme describe the key moments of the game.

Another reminder of Spurs’ counter-attacking abilities

We all know how Tottenham like to play: dominate the ball in the opposition half, try to find overloads and wear down the opponent with their movements until they finally find a way through the game. Many Spurs games end with them facing a low block and trying to find a way through them.

But the past week has shown us that Spurs can be deadly when given the opportunity to move forward on the counterattack. That was why they enjoyed their success against Manchester City so much, using the running prowess of Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke and finally Timo Werner to attack the space City had left behind their defence.

(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

That was also the story against Roma. Spurs’ second goal was a beautiful counter-attack, with Pape Matar Sarr playing a perfect ball over the line for Kulusevski to run onto. Kulusevski burst down the left, his left-footed cross hit just right and Johnson was there to sweep the ball into the net. It was a great example of how dangerous Spurs can be when given the chance to attack like that.

However, sometimes it almost seems as if they lack practice. At the start of the second half, Spurs had a five-on-three scenario but still failed to score as Hummels covered Kulusevski and managed to tackle him just in time. In the end it cost them.

Jack Pitt Brooke

Going into this game all the attention was on Forster after Tottenham first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario broke his right ankle in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Manchester City and underwent surgery on Monday. It is important that Forster replicates Vicario’s bravery in possession. Postecoglou joked: “I don’t need my goalkeepers to be (Michel) Platini or (Paolo) Maldini, but it’s about making really simple passes and it’s more about the attitude.”

Forster made a few passes in the first half, including a chip towards Dominic Solanke, that you wouldn’t describe as easy, but he improved throughout. He produced a fantastic game-breaking pass at the start of the second half and showed no signs of panic despite two Roma strikers chasing him. Curiously, Roma let the ball past Forster four times, but three of those goals were ruled out for offside. There was nothing Forster could do to stop El Shaarawy’s crisp volley, but he should have done better with Artem Dovbyk’s finish.

(Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Forster’s finest moment came in the 17th minute. Zeki Celik played a sweet pass into space for Dybala. It was a tight angle for the Argentina international and he tried to deftly poke the ball over Forster with the outside of his boot. Forster parried Dybala’s shot and, crucially, saved it.

He then made a great save to deny Gianluca Mancini’s volley in stoppage time, but Roma equalized from the resulting corner.

Jay Harris

So close for Tottenham’s defensive line

As a makeshift central defender pair, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin more than held their own. Tottenham, as always, played within margins – Roma had three goals disallowed for offside, including two in as many second-half minutes. Tottenham were offside nine times, the most of any team in a Europa League game this season (after Qarabag was offside six times against Tottenham in September).

Claudio Ranieri’s team was lined up with a 3-4-3 full-back system with two number 10 players behind a striker, with a clear focus: shooting over the goal early and crossing. Dragusin in particular was dominant in defending his penalty area (four free throws), and when Dovbyk Davies escaped once and got past Forster with a touch of the ball after a cross from Celik, the flag went up.

Roma’s two goals came from set pieces. The first was a long free-kick that N’Dicka headed unnoticed, and the late equalizer came with a fizzing pass across goal in the second phase of a corner – after Forster had brilliantly parried a half-volley. There is still a lot of work to be done on the in-game management for Postecoglou.

(Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Liam Tharme

Why we shouldn’t be too hard on Spurs

Tottenham missed so many chances here that they could have easily won. But at the same time, Roma themselves missed a lot – and had three goals disallowed – and they will fly home regretting not winning. It was a game of this kind: open, dramatic, characterized by a mixture of good and bad qualities from both teams.

It’s easy enough to find gaps in Spurs’ performance, not least the long period midway through the first half when they shut down, and the long period midway through the second, and then of course the end of the game when you received the equalizer. Each time they passed the ball, conceded chances and were ultimately punished in stoppage time.

There were some issues with the game management and the lack of efficiency in both boxes, but perhaps we shouldn’t be too harsh. Spurs went into this game without their best goalkeeper or two first-choice centre-backs. Richarlison and Wilson Odobert both have long-term injuries. Destiny Udogie was rested and remained on the bench. Spurs’ schedule is so busy for the rest of the year – consecutive Thursday/Sunday games – that they will find it difficult to play their best football for 90 minutes twice a week. It may well be that there will be more games like this.

Jack Pitt Brooke

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

After the game, Postecoglou said: “Yes, it is frustrating. We should have killed it much sooner. With the chances we had, we should have done it in the first half. When the score is 2-1, you keep your opponent in the game, so they throw men forward. It’s disappointing that we couldn’t finish the game, but we’re still in a good position.”

On the strength of the squad, the Spurs manager said: “It is what it is. We’ve been in this situation for quite a while. In terms of squad strength, we are pretty thin at the moment. We had four children on the bench. I still think we had enough of the game and enough clear chances to win the game.”

Commenting on Forster’s performance, Postecoglou said he had confidence in the 36-year-old. “I don’t think he lacks confidence. He’s an experienced guy,” he said. “It helped that he had already played this year. He played his part tonight and it’s just disappointing that we couldn’t use the football we played to get the three points. It’s always good for him to at least make a couple of big saves for us tonight and get him back in the group.

What’s next for Tottenham?

Sunday December 1st: Fulham (Home), Premier League, 1:30pm UK, 8:30am ET

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(Top photo: Getty Images)