Inter Milan 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Talking Points, Champions League 2018-19

Inter Milan seal at the death to complete a remarkable turnaround — Inter Milan sealed the game at the death to complete a remarkable turnaround

Inter Milan marked a memorable return to the Champions League after snatching a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur from the jaws of a defeat. A cagey first-half was followed by a relatively better second, and Christian Eriksen put the visitors ahead with a fortuitous strike that deflected into the top corner.

Spurs, who've been struggling for form recently, were sailing towards a comfortable win before Mauro Icardi threw a spanner in the works with a wonderful volley just 5 minutes from extra-time. The Nerazzurri were now buoyed and pushed for a winner and did get one when Mathias Vecino headed home in the second minute of injury-time to claim three vital points in the group of death.

So whilst the beleaguered Luciano Spaletti could catch a breather with a huge win, Mauricio Pochettino heads back to the drawing board after a third consecutive defeat in all competitions for the first time in his Tottenham tenure.

Here are all the major talking points from San Siro:

#1 Spurs already look spent

Fatigue is already setting in Tottenham's game — Tottenham players already look fatigued

Until the 3-0 drubbing of Manchester United last month, it was all rosy in the garden. But just over two weeks later, Tottenham can feel now feel the thorns. Three defeats on the trot has thrown their campaign in a tailspin, and all the premonitions of the squad being stretched due to transfer inactivity in the summer are coming true.

Spurs looked jaded from the start. Besides a few fleeting moments of promise, there was nothing to write home about. There was no urgency upfront, the pressing lacked conviction and the defence was all over the place.

A few good counters in the second half threatened to open up the game, while the solitary goal the visitors could find was also a result of a deflection. Even the arrival of Son Heung-Min, who returns after a successful Asian Games campaign with South Korea, couldn't inspire confidence.

Football can turn the tables by the blink of an eye, and Pochettino and his band of busted flushes are the unfortunate victims of it currently. Having lost the steam in the Premier League with back-to-back defeats, an opening game loss in Europe was the last thing they wanted. But that has come to pass, and it isn't surprising to see given how increasingly lacklustre Spurs have seemed in the recent days.