Late drama doesn't go Tottenham's way as Sporting Lisbon throw spanner in the works

Champions League Group Stage

Tottenham (0) 1 Bentancur 80

Sporting Club de Portugal (1) 1 Edwards 22

Spurs were denied an injury-time winner after a VAR check – Harry Kane having seemingly brought Antonio Conte’s man back from the brink.

The Spurs boss was red carded in the furore which followed a lengthy deliberation over the 95th minute strike – Kane having turned in a header from Emerson Royal. But the offside decision stood and what had seemed like a great escape was not quite complete.

A win would have guaranteed progress into next year’s knock outs. In the event there is still work to do in the final group game in Marseille, where at least a point will be needed.

The stirring fightback after going a goal down had not seemed likely in the opening half. Spurs were simply dire in those first 45 minutes – the hangover from Sunday’s defeat to Newcastle palpable.

The team which started the season brimming with confidence seemed to have vanished before our eyes – cowed by a side of modest means who nevertheless seemed to relish having the ball. Nervy Spurs players looked as if they were dreading it.

The massed South Stand did its best to galvanise its underperforming heroes, but at every turn, it seemed to go wrong. Overhit passes, poor interplay. Offside flags aplenty. Boos greeted the half-time whistle.

By contrast, there was one Englishman on the pitch who seemed to be having the time of his life. Marcus Edwards, the 23-year-old Londoner plying his trade in Lisbon was full of neat close skills, feints and dropped shoulders.

Midway through the first half, his silky touch took him past a floundering Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg onwards towards the left edge of the penalty area.

He let fly with a low left footer which skidded past a surprised Hugo Lloris and into the bottom corner of the net – the keeper perhaps a little slow to sense the danger.

And it could have been worse. A cross was turned into the net by a diving Sebastian Coates as the first half drew to a close, but what had at first appeared to be a header turned out to be a punch.

The Uruguayan defender - once of Liverpool - was rightly yellow carded by ref Danny Makkelie from the Netherlands.

The pace and energy that had gone missing returned after the half-time break. No doubt Conte had prepared a few choice words for the dressing room as his bedraggled team trudged off.

Heung-Min Son stung the palms of Antonio Adan from distance as Spurs finally exerted some pressure and began to pin the Portuguese back towards their 18-yard area. Matt Doherty almost drilled in when left unmarked at the far post. Kane glanced a corner onto the roof of the net.

Bryan Gil entered the fray and his zest upped the tempo still further.

Flavio Nazinho nearly took the game away from Spurs in a counter-attack, but Lloris stood up to the shot well and then saved another effort from Pedro Porro which might have been put away by Nazinho on the rebound.

It turned out to be an important reprieve, as soon after, Bentancur rose highest to nod in an inswinging corner from Ivan Perisic and we finally had parity.

A home win looked likely now and when Son curled in a wicked free-kick, Eric Dier’s glancing header went agonisingly wide.

The defender then had another chance but screwed Perisic’s cross wide with another header from close range. Bentancur scooped over from a Gil lay-off, having won the ball in midfield to set up one last raid.

Or not. In fact, there was to be one more raid. With a dramatic outcome to boot.

Spurs: (3-4-2-1) Lloris – Romero, Dier, Davies (Lenglet 81) – Doherty (Gil 71), Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic – Lucas Moura (Emerson Royal 81), Son – Kane

Sporting: (3-4-2-1) Adan – Inacio, Coates, Reis de Lima – Porro, Ugarte, Morita (Mateus 61), Nuno Santos (Nazinho 61) - Trincao (Gomes 72) Paulinho (St Juste 72) - Edwards (Issahaku 71)