Wembley woe for Tottenham

Tottenham 1 Monaco 2: Tottenham’s Champions League debut at Wembley turned into a damp squib as they lost to Monaco in their opening game in Group E but it was not the stadium but their own inefficiencies which cost them dear and cast doubt over their ambitions in the tournament.

This was Tottenham’s first Champions League tie at Wembley and it’s a venue that Mauricio Pochettino’s men need to get used to quickly – they will also play Premier League games here next season as the club’s new stadium alongside White Hart Lane is completed. But it wasn’t a happy start as a technically-gifted Monaco side, inspired by Bernardo Silva, clinched a 2-1 victory.

There was always a concern in the Spurs ranks the Wembley factor, although welcome in terms of building support for the future (there were 85,011 packed inside which amounts to Tottenham’s record home crowd), could complicate matters in the short term.