Tottenham player ratings from 1-2 UCL win over Marseille

Tottenham Hotspur did not play a great ninety minutes on Tuesday against Marseille, but Spurs were good enough, often enough, to steal the win and the Group. 

It was very much a first half to forget for Tottenham, with the two most noteworthy events being the injury to Heung-min Son and then an injury-time goal, which left Spurs again asking more questions than providing answers. Fortunately, some wonderful individual efforts helped cobble together enough chances for Tottenham to score twice and steal the road win. Here are our player ratings from the big victory in France.

Tottenham Forward Ratings

Tottenham had three forward to start the game on paper, but in reality, Spurs spent much of the first half – before Son’s injury – sitting defensively in a 5-4-1 formation, with Harry Kane as the only true striker. After Son came off and an additional midfielder came on, Spurs morphed into more of a 5-3-2 formation, which helped apply more pressure and limit Marseille passing lanes.

Heung-min Son – 6

Sonny looked like he would be up for the battle on Tuesday, but his day was cut short. Less than 30 minutes into the match, Son’s face smashed into Chancel Mbemba’s shoulder, and after several minutes, the South Korean was replaced. We can only hope that Son will be okay sooner than later.

Harry Kane – 8

Harry Kane had a rough game physically as he rarely found himself without at least one, if not two, white shirts right on top of him. However, Kane came through when the team needed him most. His hold-up play was massive, including when he drew the foul that led to the game-tying goal. Then, as time expired, Kane collected the ball and played in Hojbjerg for the game-winner. It was not a pretty night for Kane, and his legs will likely show it, but he likely doesn’t care after winning the group.

Lucas Moura – 6.5

Lucas Moura was again the starter almost by default, with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison still out. Bryan Gil, who we have advocated for, only appeared late as Spurs tried to run down the clock in injury time. Moura worked hard and, like Kane, was under immense pressure all evening. Perhaps his best chance was early in the second half, but his shot/cross found no one. Lucas did have a deft touch to set up Hojbjerg, who then hit the woodwork as Spurs looked for a winner.