Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 RB Leipzig: Hits and Flops | Champions League 2019-20
Tottenham Hotspur were defeated 0-1 by RB Leipzig at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight, putting a major dent in their hopes of making the Champions League quarter-finals. It was a frustrating night all round for Jose Mourinho’s side, who were clearly struggling without a recognised striker following the latest injury to Son Heung Min.
Leipzig largely dominated the first half of the game, creating multiple chances while Spurs did little but huff and puff, but by the time the whistle blew for half-time, the German side had nothing to show for their dominance. Tottenham played a little better in the second half, but eventually fell behind when Timo Werner scored from the spot following a foul by Ben Davies on Konrad Laimer.
Mourinho’s side were able to carve out a couple of late chances, largely due to the injection of energy from substitutes Erik Lamela and Tanguy Ndombele, but were unable to find an equaliser – leaving them needing at least two goals in the return leg to get through.
Here are the hits and flops from tonight’s game.
Hit: Timo Werner
Despite Leipzig’s general dominance in this game, proper chances were hard to come by for Julian Nagelsmann’s side. Hugo Lloris made a string of strong saves in the first half in particular while Leipzig’s forwards also saw shots blocked, and so when they were awarded a second-half penalty it was crucial that the taker kept his head. After all, Lloris had saved the last penalty he’d faced – Ilkay Gundogan’s kick for Manchester City earlier this month.
Timo Werner – who has been linked with a big-money move to Liverpool in recent weeks – stepped forward to take the kick and thankfully for the Bundesliga side, the German international was apparently the coolest man in North London. He fired his shot low and hard into the right-hand corner of the goal, away from the despairing Lloris’ dive.
Overall it wasn’t the greatest performance overall from Werner, who wasted his other big chance – a shot directly at Lloris in the first half – but when it came down to it he kept his cool and scored the winner – making him a hit on the night for sure.