PSG overpower Spurs in seven-goal UCL thriller

Tottenham Hotspur went down to their first Champions League defeat this season despite leading twice against holders Paris St-Germain in a thriller at Parc des Princes.

For the first hour, Thomas Frank’s side delivered a vast improvement on the limp display that drew so much criticism after the north London derby defeat by Arsenal, but it was ultimately not enough to keep PSG at bay.

Richarlison gave Spurs a deserved lead when he headed home from close range after 35 minutes, but PSG crucially drew level seconds before the interval when Vitinha’s superb right-foot strike flew high past keeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Randal Kolo Muani restored Spurs’ lead five minutes after the break with a scrambled finish against his parent club, but it was the signal for PSG to deliver an irresistible spell of the sort that accounted for Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in last season’s competition with three goals in 12 minutes.

Vitinha produced another special moment, this time with his left foot, to equalise once more, then Spurs were on the ropes when Pape Matar Sarr lost possession for Fabian Ruiz to put PSG ahead for the first time just before the hour.

Willian Pacho took advantage of more confusion in the Spurs defence to add PSG’s fourth, before Kolo Muani gave the visitors hope with an emphatic finish after 72 minutes.

PSG swiftly snuffed out any hopes of a comeback when Vitinha completed his hat-trick from the spot four minutes later after Cristian Romero’s handball.

The holders were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when substitute Lucas Hernandez was sent off for a blatant elbow on Xavi Simons.

Thomas Frank went into this tough assignment against the Champions League holders with his methods under serious scrutiny after the timid, conservative manner of Spurs’ defeat against Arsenal in the north London derby.

And yet Frank, and indeed his team, responded positively, as he ditched the five-man defence that drew so much criticism in favour of an orthodox back four afforded protection by Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur.

For an hour, Spurs matched PSG, leading twice, with one of the crucial moments their failure to protect a lead until half-time when they switched off, allowing Vitinha to equalise in spectacular fashion seconds before the break.

Even then, Randal Kolo Muani put them back in front before PSG hit the sort of roll that has done for better teams than Spurs in the Champions League.

Frank’s team selection looked like it had one eye on Saturday night’s home game against Fulham, which they will now go into with only three wins in 12 matches.

Joao Palhinha, Mohammed Kudus, Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert were on the bench, along with Xavi Simons, but for so long, there was much to encourage Frank.

Spurs were positive, adopting a man-for-man strategy out of possession, showing more attacking intent in the opening stages than they did in the entire match against Arsenal.

The attitude was good, but defensive carelessness, summed up when Pape Matar Sarr was robbed in possession before Fabian Ruiz put PSG in front for the first time, proved their undoing.

Spurs have now dropped to 16th in the Champions League table, making victory against Slavia Prague on the next match day vital.

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