Tottenham fought back from another early setback in the Champions League to secure a superb 1-1 draw against Barcelona at the Camp Nou and book their place in the round of 16.
A horrible error from 21-year-old full-back Kyle Walker-Peters allowed Ousmane Dembele to score a seventh-minute opener as Spurs fell behind inside 10 minutes for the third time in Group B. However, the north Londoners responded magnificently and fully deserved substitute Lucas Moura’s 85th-minute equaliser.
With Inter Milan only managing a 1-1 draw at home against bottom side PSV Eindhoven themselves, that was enough to secure Tottenham’s progress to the knockout stages.
Spurs have shown they belong among Europe’s elite. Barca may have omitted Lionel Messi from their starting lineup but he was still on the pitch for the final 27 minutes, during which time Tottenham looked the likelier scorers and eventually levelled.
Impressively, Mauricio Pochettino’s side had 51 percent of the possession at the Camp Nou, plus 17 shots to their hosts’ 14 and more than twice as many efforts on target. Indeed, they very nearly inflicted Barcelona’s first home defeat in the Champions League since September 2013, with Danny Rose getting in on goal at the end but shooting over.
Pochettino’s decision to throw Walker-Peters in at the deep end backfired. But otherwise his tactics worked and his substitutes made an impact. He deserves immense credit for overseeing such a brave, confident performance in such a difficult arena.
GK Hugo Lloris, 7 — While Barcelona hit the post twice, he wasn’t actually particularly busy, a testament to Spurs’ display.
DF Kyle Walker-Peters, 5 — Had a nightmare start, quite literally. The youngster would have been dreading just this kind of costly, individual error, and he was also booked early on. But he partly made amends with a goal-saving block in the second half before being substituted.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 8 — The Belgian was upfield for an attacking set piece when Barca got their goal. Otherwise the hosts barely got behind him.
DF Jan Vertonghen, 8 — Also utterly reliable at the back. It will be a big blow if, or when, his partnership with Alderweireld is broken up.
DF Danny Rose, 7 — Repeatedly threatened down the left. His final ball was just a little inconsistent. He delivered an enticing low cross just in front of Son Heung-Min and chipped a cross to an unmarked Christian Eriksen, but also played a low pass behind everyone from a good position and blazed over the bar at the end.
Overall, he is showing encouraging signs of returning to his best form.
MF Harry Winks, 8 — Helped to ensure Spurs had their fair share of possession, and it would be harsh to criticise his defending for the early goal as he threw himself in front of a shot that didn’t come.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 8 — Protected Walker-Peters well after the early setback, when he had no chance of getting back, and covered most of the right flank by himself for much of the second half. While he butchered one chance when bursting in behind the defence, he created a big chance for Lucas with a pinpoint cross.
MF Cristian Eriksen, 9 — The Dane was at the heart of the visitors’ passing moves, pulling the strings. He sent Son through on goal in the first half and tested Jasper Cillessen a couple of times.
MF Dele Alli, 8 — Sharp throughout. His quick one-touch passes helped Spurs to play their way through Barca and he worked hard defensively too.
FW Harry Kane, 9 — Did everything but score. His hold-up play was effective, especially when he teed up Eriksen on the edge of the box, and he set up the equaliser with a low cross for Lucas before showing great vision to free Rose with a reverse pass. He should probably have had a penalty too after being pushed when through on goal.
FW Son Heung-Min, 7 — Lively and troubled Barca with his pace but his finishing let him down this time. He missed a first-half one-on-one and scuffed a couple of other efforts.
Substitutes
MF Erik Lamela, 7 — Caused problems around the edge of the box after entering the fray just after the hour mark, keeping the pressure on the hosts.
MF Lucas Moura, N/R — After having a header saved on the goal line and going close seconds later with a curling effort, the Brazilian scored the all-important equaliser.
FW Fernando Llorente, N/R — Appeared late on to lend his experience and aerial presence.
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