Tottenham vs Inter Milan: Christian Eriksen scores from the bench to give Spurs Champions League lifeline
Tottenham 1-0 Inter Milan: Spurs had to win to stay in the competition and scored the vital goal in the 80th minute
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Your support makes all the difference.Tottenham Hotspur now know a win in Barcelona is enough to finally get through this Champions League group, because Mauricio Pochettino knew that the introduction of the brilliant Christian Eriksen was enough to win this match against Inter Milan. All of Europe now knows full well what he can do.
The playmaker was brought off the bench on 69 minutes to score the crucial goal that secured an essential 1-0 win and sent Spurs ahead of the Italians in this group on head-to-head away goals. It’s that narrow, that close. That’s the difference Eriksen makes. This is also precisely why Pochettino manages his fitness like this and left him on the bench to start, because of the need to have him at his best when required.
It may also ensure that, far from leaving everything in this group just that damaging bit too late, Spurs might well devastatingly time it just right.
Whether Eriksen’s introduction here comes to symbolise that remains to be seen. They still have to match whatever Inter do against PSV Eindhoven in Camp Nou – getting a draw if the Italians also get a draw – but that is against a Barca now already certain of a top spot in a difficult domestic campaign, and just when Spurs seem to typically be coming to form themselves.
Pochettino’s side certainly couldn’t have been accused of starting this slowly, or tepidly, as has been the case for too much of this campaign – and the reason they needed to begin this with a bang.
They were tearing at Inter and causing problems… but it was all a bit too loose and frenzied rather than forensic. It was missing Eriksen, who still is not 100% fit.
Lucas Moura should have had a penalty early on after Matteo Politano bundled him over in the box but, beyond that, most of Spurs’ attacks before the late surge were long shots. Erik Lamela had one effort deflected wide, Moura drilled a shot of his own at Samir Handanovic, and Harry Winks curled one supreme shot off the bar.
Against this, Inter looked fairly supine, and it was impossible not to wonder how exactly it was they beat Spurs in the opening game. Some of that is down to the fact that Pochettino’s side start campaigns slowly, and some of it was down to a remaining naivety in the Champions League that was on display here and saw them dismissed by Juventus last season.
There’s just that lack of properly gritty canniness. Because, as unconvincing as Inter were, the Italians were still being gifted opportunities on the break. It was only some last-gasp Spurs desperation, rather than their usual core solidity, that saved them.
Toby Alderweireld willingly took a booking when Mauro Icardi was about to chase through on goal, forcing the striker to the ground with a snide pull, before Serge Aurier just about got his toe to the ball when substitute Borja Valero seemed set to lash it into the corner of Hugo Lloris’ net.
The goalkeeper had earlier been somewhat fortunate when he struggled with a Winks’ back-pass, but did do well to beat away a Perisic strike on 76 minutes.
Spurs could really have done with that extra bit of pose to go with their power, so it was only a matter of time until Eriksen came in.
That time came in the 69th minute, and the badly-needed Spurs goal almost did too.
Eriksen’s first touch was to take a dangerous-placed 40-yard free-kick, but he did more than that. With a supremely driven delivery, he played a perfect ball onto the head of Jan Vertonghen just six yards out, only for the centre-half to get nothing like that quality of touch on it. His effort trickled wide. Inter had been let off.
But they had been warned, Eriksen had been getting into the mood.
Finally, Spurs had that propitious combination of power and poise, and that was what of course brought the opening goal on 80 minutes. Moussa Sissoko first surged into the box to suddenly open up so much inviting space, before then squaring for Dele Alli. The fear was momentarily that the attacker would rush a shot in the way Spurs had been doing for most of the night, but something had changed. The attack had changed and with Eriksen charging in, Dele Alli held it up just long enough to then flick it through for Eriksen to provide another perfect touch.
They might well have timed this perfectly, but they at least know perfectly well what they have to do.
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