Facing the abyss, Tottenham find the winning formula

JOB DONE: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur after scoring their team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League group D match between Olympique Marseille and Tottenham Hotspur at Orange Velodrome on November 01, 2022 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Comeback kings Tottenham defied the odds again by turning this match around to avoid an early ignominious European exit and ultimately topping their group going into the last 16 of Europe’s elite club competition.

Manager Antonio Conte watched helplessly from the stands as his side, needing only to avoid defeat to progress, were out played in an embarrassingly one-sided first half which ended with former Newcastle United defender Chancel Mbemba heading the unfancied French side into a deserved lead.

It was only when trailing for the ninth time in 12 games, with key man Heung-Min Son off injured, did Tottenham release the handbrake and expose Marseille for the average opposition they were expected to be.

The goals came from the unlikely sources of Clement Lenglet soon into the second half and an injury-time Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg winner.

With three former Arsenal players among six ex-Premier League men in their starting line-up, there was an added spice to this final group game but it counted for little on the night.

Their collective desire to prove their former clubs were wrong to let them go could be seen as an added motivation, an edge of sorts, but it turned out that they are playing in France’s Ligue Un because they could not cut it in England and north London.

Marseille came into this absorbing match having won just won of their last five league games while Tottenham had clung on to third place in the Premier League thanks to a dramatic comeback win away to Bournemouth at the weekend.

A contentious draw at home to Sporting Lisbon last week prevented them from qualifying for the knock out stages without this draining tie in southern France, where the volume of home support indicated very few of the home fans saw their men as unde dogs.

The Stade Velodrome opened four hours before kick-off to get the atmosphere revved up. Even without a stand at one end closed as a UEFA punishment for prior crowd misdemeanours the 54,000 in attendance could hardly have made much more noise.

Conte picked the team and the tactics having been sent off in the final moments of the Sporting debacle last week so assistant Cristian Stellini effectively took charge on the night.

The 48-year-old, who managed Serie C side Alessandria five years ago, has been Conte’s NO.2 at Inter Milan before joining him in north London, but lacked the pitch side presence of his more outgoing colleague.

And how the players needed some of their manager’s Italian steel as they sat back to try and get the point they needed. All four teams in the group stood a chance of going through in a dramatic last night of action, but a defeat for Tottenham would have condemned them to Thursday night Europa League action in the New Year.

So it is a mystery why they invited Marseille on in such negative fashion from the opening whistle.

Chile international Alexis Sanchez, the former Arsenal forward, proved a handful as he nearly broke the deadlock with a glancing header and then a half volley as Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris reminded his fellow French countrymen in the crowd why he is also skipper of the France World Cup-winning side.

By then Marseille had suffered a major setback when former Manchester United defender Eric Bailly hobbled off and an injury gamble had failed in dismal fashion.

The misfortune was balanced out after about half an hour when Son staggered off after taking an accidental blow to the face from Mbemba.

The introduction of midfielder Yves Bissouma betrayed the lack of depth in Conte’s squad and it also failed to provide his team with any more defensive strength.

Marseille camped outside the Tottenham area as Harry Kane joined all of his ten team-mates behind the ball to try and keep the scores level going into the break.

Then, two minutes into first half injury time the effervescent Amine Harit played a quick short corner to Veretout and the ex-Aston Villa player whipped a cross towards the far post where Mbemba leaped imperiously before heading in with rare ferocity before a header.

Conte had set up with five e defenders and three defensive midfielders, but there was still not a player within jumping distance of the former Mbemba when he headed in unmarked.

Just when it seemed impossible to get any louder the Stade Velodrome started to vibrate with the jumping up and down of the delirious home support.

Had they not done it so many times before in Europe and in this season it would have seemed madness to predict such a recovery.

Tottenham were transformed at the start of the second half, perhaps buoyed by pushing Rodrigo Bentancur into a more attacking role and the introduction of Emerson Royal for the struggling Ryan Sessegnon during the interval.

Once again we saw Tottenham playing their best football when they were behind, with no option but to score. Their supporters must have been wondering why they could not have employed such positive attitude and tactics at the start of the match too.

The breakthrough came after 54 minutes when the recalled Ivan Perisic clipped in a free-kick and Lenglet headed in as impressively as Mbemba had earlier.

Marseille substitute Sead Kolasinac headed wide with the goal at his mercy with a couple of minutes to go — a gilt-edged chance and a reminder why the Bosnian is no longer playing for Mikel Arteta’s rejuvenated Arsenal side.

Then, with the very last kick of the match came Hojberg’s match-winning strike on the break. Sadly, for him and Tottenham his earlier booking means he is suspended for their next match, but that will not count for much as they celebrated long into the night.

MARSEILLE: Lopez 6, Mbemba 7 , Bailly 6 (Gigot 9, Kolasinac 73), Balerdi 6, Rongier 6 (Suarez 83), Veretout 7 (Under), Clauss 6 (Kaboure 74), Guendouzi 7, Harit 7, Tavares 7, Sanchez 7. Subs: Ngapandouentnbu, Blanco, Gigot, Gerson, Payet.

TOTTENHAM: Lloris 7, Dier 6, Lenglet 6, Davies 5, Sessegnon 5 (Royal 45), Bentancur 7 (Skipp 84), Hojbjerg 7, Moura 6 (Gil 90, Son 5 (Bissouma, Kane 6. Subs: Forster, Spence, Doherty, Sanchez, Tanganga, White, Sarr.

Referee: Szymon Marciniak 6