Late surge not enough for Tottenham, who lose 1-0 to RB Leipzig

First half

We’ve seen the story line that transpired in the first half many times before under Jose Mourinho. RB Leipzig dominated in every facet, almost scoring within a few minutes of the start. The away side hit the post and had a barrage of quality chances early. Hugo Lloris was an extremely busy man, saving Spurs bacon numerous times.

Tottenham sat back, seemingly content to chase the ball. Crisp, creative and fluid, Leipzig played with an electric tempo that Spurs found difficult to cope with. Crucially, though, Leipzig weren’t able to find the opening goal before the interval.

Relying too heavily on the counter, especially without their top two offensive threats, Tottenham had a single chance to speak of. Steven Bergwijn forced a strong hand from Péter Gulácsi on a swift move, but the home side failed to trouble Leipzig’s keeper nearly enough.

Leipzig looked threatening every time they gained control, their movement and two-touch passing causing fits for Tottenham. Spurs allowed the German side to pick out passes in the final third, an entirely unsustainable form of Russian roulette.

Unfortunately Spurs couldn’t take advantage of RB Leipzig’s weakened back line. The German side will be looking forward to their first team centre backs returning for the second leg in a few weeks.