Tottenham will have to match their comeback in last season’s iconic Champions League semi-final victory over Ajax after going down 1-0 to RB Leipzig in the first leg of this year’s last-16.
Just as against the Dutch side, Spurs were largely unable to compete a fiercely energetic and progressive side at home and the Germans deserved to take a narrow lead home for next month's second leg, despite good chances for Giovani Lo Celso and Lucas Moura in the second half.
The good news for Spurs is that they have been here before and can draw inspiration for the remarkable run to Madrid. The bad news is that this season they looked even less equipped for to stage a miracle comeback.
Mourinho goes defensive
Without injured pair Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, Jose Mourinho abandoned attempts to play on the front foot.
Having complained he had “no strikers” before the game, Mourinho actually started two, with Dele Alli and Lucas Moura leading the line in a traditional 4-4-2. But the pair spent most of the first half isolated, with Spurs set-up in a low-block and facing attack after Leipzig attack.
The visitors, meanwhile, pressed ferociously and looked to play the ball on the ground at all times. It felt like a clash of styles – old vs new, Mourinho vs Nagelsmann – but Spurs did improved after Steven Bergwijn swapped with Dele towards the end of the first half.
And if it was not for Ben Davies’ clumsy foul, they would have got away with it and kept a precious clean sheet.
As it is, they have it all to do and they will surely have to be more adventurous in Germany to have any chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Dele’s frustrating evening
The injuries to Kane and Son have left Dele as the leading man and the 23-year-old should see their absence as an opportunity to become Tottenham’s new talisman.
Starting in a front two before being moved to the left wing, Dele struggled to make any sort of impact on the game and he cut an increasingly frustrated figure as the match passed him by, flinging his hands into the air in exasperation on more than one occasion.
It was little surprise when he was replaced just after the hour and he could not hide his frustration on the bench, flinging a water bottle and then his boot to the ground.
The worry for Dele is that rather than using the absence of his teammates as an opportunity to shine, his form will nosedive without their service.
Lloris and Lo Celso the stars
There was little doubt about Tottenham’s two best players: Giovani Lo Celso and Hugo Lloris. The goalkeeper kept his side in the game with a string of fine saves and was unfortunate not to get a hand to Tim Wener's well-struck penalty.
Lo Celso, meanwhile, continued to show what an impressive acquisition he is for Spurs with another dynamic performance in the heart of midfield. The Argentine drove the hosts forward, creating opportunities whenever possible and he came closest to grabbing an equaliser with a free-kick that Leipzig goalkeeper Pete Gulasci turned onto the post.
It was a below-par night for most players in white but Lloris and Lo Celso can hold their heads high.
Rusty Ben Davies
On the eve of Ben Davies’ return from injury against Aston Villa, Mourinho suggested he would be unable to play two or three matches in a row after such a lengthy absence.
So it was something of a surprise to see Davies starting again – ahead of Japhet Tanganga – after coming through 90 minutes at Villa Park in his first appearance since November 23.
The Welshman’s stock rose in his absence, with Mourinho repeatedly talking-up his importance to the team, but here he was the guilty man, catching Konrad Laimer for the penalty-kick.
It was a little unfortunate but betrayed his lack of sharpness, which Mourinho had predicted. The manager was as culpable as the Welshman for that.
