That’s all for tonight’s blog. I’ll leave you with Jonathan Liew’s report from Frankfurt. Goodnight!
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s reaction
We’re not 100 per cent happy. We played well up to the 18-yard box but we didn’t make the most of the opportunities we had. We tried to be dominant, find the spaces and overcome their press. I thought we did that okay.
If you can’t win, make sure you don’t lose. I thought we were good defensively. Overall I thought we deserved to win.
Full time: Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Peep peep! As 0-0s go, that was pretty decent. It’s a useful result for Spurs, though they will be slightly frustrated because they created the better chances. The upshot is Group D is extremely tight ahead of the return matches next week.
Sporting Lisbon 6pts
Tottenham Hotspur 4
Eintracht Frankfurt 4
Marseille 3
Updated
90 min Three minutes of added time.
89 min Gil does superbly to play his way out of trouble nearn the left corner flag. It looks like both teams have accepted a draw.
87 min Frankfurt bring on Eric-Junior Dina Ebimbe for Jesper Lindstrom, who generally played well but missed Frankfurt’s best chance.
86 min Spurs suffered a late sting in Lisbon in their previous Champions League game. They really can’t afford something similar tonight.
84 min Kane is booked after an off-the-ball incident with Hasebe. They both fell over while challenging for a high ball, and then Kane deliberately leaned into Hasebe as he got to his feet. Hasebe, who reprimanded Richarlison for diving in the first half, made a meal of it in an unsuccessful attempt to get Kane sent off. Modern football, right there.
Updated
83 min Kane slides a terrific pass down the left to Sessegnon. He crosses low towards the near post, where Son gets to the ball in front of Trapp but can only poke it wide. It wasn’t an easy chance because he had to spin it around Trapp from in front of the near post.
83 min Frankfurt break four on five, but Jakic plays a wretched pass and then punches the air in disgust in an attempt to convince everyone it was somebody else’s fault for not running.
81 min Kane’s deflected long-range sho tis saved comfortably by Trapp. I think that’s Spurs’ first shot on target.
81 min A goal for either team would move them level on six points with the group leaders Sporting Lisbon. It’s a really important ten minutes, basically.
80 min “Harmony have a member of the Trapp family in goal,” says David Bolam. “The hills are alive.”
Updated
79 min Knauff’s snapshot is blocked by Hojbjerg. Frankfurt appeal for handball and a penalty, but his arm was tight to the body.
79 min A double change for Spurs. Ben Davies and the lesser spotted Bryan Gil replace Lenglet and Richarlison.
78 min Lenglet, who has just been booked, takes a risk by pulling back Hasebe. The referee gives a free-kick but nothing else, desperate Frankfurt’s protestations.
76 min Sow sweeps an excellent pass out to Kamada on the left. He cuts inside, uses the overlapping Pellegrini by not using him and then curls tamely over the bar.
75 min “Watching Only Connect last night, I discovered that Eintracht means Harmony,” boasts Matt Dony. “Seems like a useful nugget of information. You’d think it would lend itself to puns aplenty, but they don’t seem to have any players with names that lend themselves to musical wordplay. Selfish.”
If only they had players called Bone and Thugs.
74 min Lenglet is booked for pulling back Lindstrom.
72 min Spurs bring on Ryan Sessegnon for Ivan Perisic; and Frankfurt have introduced Luca Pellegrini in place of the captaion Sebastian Rode.
70 min A dangerous cross from Richarlison is just too fast for Perisic, arriving late on the far side.
Updated
69 min Nothing much to report in the last few minutes. Both sides are still trying to win the game, but they are even more determined not to lose it.
66 min This is a good spell for Frankfurt, with Sow and Rode starting to dominate in midfield.
62 min Perisic beats Rode on the left of the area and stands up a dangerous cross that is headed away brilliantly by Hasebe, under all kinds of pressure from Richarlison and Kane. Great defending.
60 min: Chance for Lindstrom! Spurs get in all sorts of bother trying to play out from the back. Eventually Dier tackles Borre on the edge of the area but can only slide a perfect pass towards Lindstrom, who shoots over from 16 yards. He should have scored, or at least worked Lloris.
59 min Some beautiful short passing from Frankfurt on the edge of the Spurs area. Eventually Lindstrom runs out of room, and Kamada’s follow-up shot is blocked by Dier.
57 min Spurs still haven’t had a shot on target, which is a slightly absurd stat given how many decent chances they’ve had.
56 min: Leverkusen substitution Rafael Borre replaces Randal Kolo Muani, who had a quiet night. Borre is a slippery No9, who scored in the Europa League final last season.
53 min: Just over from Son! Tuta takes too long dealing wit h Kane’s cross and is robbed by Richarlison. He lays the ball back to Son, who whips a curler just wide from 16 yards. That was another good chance.
51 min: Off the line by N’Dicka! A brilliant move from Spurs almost brings the first goal. Kane and Son combine to find the overlapping Perisic on the left side of the area. He draws the keeper and then slides the ball back towards Kane, whose stabbed shot is desperately blocked by N’Dicka in the six-yard box. That’s superb defending. Kane fell awkwardly after taking the shot and is limping quite heavily.
Updated
50 min: Good save from Lloris! Sow, 40 yards out, teases a lovely chip over the defence to Spurs find Knauff, who had made a superb run infield past Emerson Royal. Knauff takes the shot first time, twisting his body to sweep a volley that is saved to his right by the diving Lloris.
Updated
49 min A better start to the second half from Frankfurt, with most of the game taking place in the Spurs half.
46 min Sow’s cross isn’t cleared properly by Perisic. Jakic collects on the edge of the area and rakes a shot that hits Perisic and spins a few yards over the bar.
46 min Peep peep! Frankfurt begin the second half, with no changes on either side.
“It’s not as if Spurs are playing anti-football,” says Yash Gupta. “Like the Arsenal game, there were lot of chances in the first half. But it is worrying this team suddenly can’t score lots of goals given the quality of chances created. How much does Haaland’s full package of transfer fees and salary cost?”
How much does it cost to build a time machine?
Half-time reading
On the stroke of half-time, Spurs had an appeal for a penalty turned down when Perisic’s corner brushed the hand of a defender at the near post. I’d like to see that again, though the first replay suggests he was probably trying to pull his hand away from the ball.
Half time: Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Peep peep! A tale of frustration for Spurs, who created a handful of good chances but were unable to work the Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
45 min Hojbjerg plays an excellent through pass to Richarlison, who is challenged by Hasebe in the act of shooting. The ball spins wide, Richarlison goes down and Hasebe accuses him of diving. Replays show that Richarlison sliced the shot wide and was then caught by the sliding Hasebe. No penalty.
44 min Hojbjerg is booked for holding off Kolo Muani, who felt a bit of contact with his face and went down. That’s pretty harsh.
43 min: Just wide from Perisic! Another big chance for Spurs. Richarlison nutmegs N’Dicka to find Emerson on the right side of the area. His low cross deflects across to his fellow wing-back Perisic, whose first-time shot hits Rode and spins this far wide of the far post.
41 min That was such a lovely touch from Kane, and a familiar shooting position for Son. He usually whips those round the keeper and into the far corner.
40 min: Chance for Son! And a big chance at that. Hojbjerg pushed the ball into Kane, back to goal on the edge of the D. He flicked it deftly round the corner to Son, who took a touch and then curled just wide from the edge of the box.
Updated
38 min A shot on target! Rode has a dip from distance, and Lloris holds comfortably.
37 min It’s a bit of a nearly game, with some bright attacking play but, thus far, no shots on target.
Updated
33 min Son’s clever pass releases Perisic on the left. He tries to pick out Kane but his cross is headed clear by N’Dicka.
28 min: Just wide from Kane! Spurs are looking dangerous now. Son plays a simple pass into Kane, 22 yards out. He rolls Hasebe expertly and cracks a low, right-footed shot back across Trapp that goes a few yards wide.
Updated
25 min: Chance for Spurs! That was a superb move, Spurs’ best yet. Royal fed the ball infield to Son, who allowed it to run on to Richarlison and spun away from his marker. Richarlison slipped it back into the path of Son, whose cross brushed the hip of Kane, six yards out, and flashed across goal to safety. It wasn’t an easy height for Kane, but I’m surprised he didn’t try to do something with it. Hump it into the net if you have to; we’ve all done it.
Updated
22 min It’s all Frankfurt now. After another good move, Jakic crosses too close to Lloris.
20 min A lovely set-piece routine from Frankfurt. Kamada drags a corner back towards Sow, an apparent homage to the old Anderton/Sheringham corner – except Sow ignores the ball and allows it to run to the unmarked Lindstrom on the edge of the area. He mistimes a shot that is blocked, I think by his teammate Rode. I don’t think it was going in.
Updated
19 min The resulting corner is swung beyond the far post towards Kolo Munai. He heads back across goal and Lloris punches behind for another corner.
Updated
18 min: Chance for Frankfurt Sow slides a lovely ball inside Emerson to find Knauff on the left edge of the area. He moves the ball across to Lindstrom, who helps it on towards Rode. His first-time shot hits the head of a Spurs defender and goes over the bar.
19 min And now it’s Frankfurt’s turn to enjoy an extended spell of possession. It’s an intriguing rather than exciting game.
17 min Lindstrom plays an interesting ball towards the advancing right wing-back Jakic, but Lenglet slides in to clear the danger.
14 min Spurs are dominating possession now, though that’s a mixed blessing in a game between two counter-attacking sides.
11 min I don’t think it was deliberate, but Lenglet’s studs went into the back of Lindstrom’s leg, ripping his sock in the process. Meanwhile, Spurs take a quick free-kick and Son whips in a superb ball that somehow evades both Romero and Kane at the far post. That was a great chance. Romero missed his header, which also put Kane off.
10 min Knauff fouls Emerson Royal, who is causing Frankfurt a few problems. The home fans aren’t happy because they thought Lindstrom was fouled by Lenglet a few moments earlier. And they’re right.
Updated
8 min Both teams are happiest on the counter-attack, so it’s been a relatively cagey start to the game.
6 min A half chance for Spurs. Dier drives an outstanding 60-yard pass in behind N’Dicka to find the rampaging Emerson Royal. The ball bounces nicely for Emerson, but he wallops it over the bar from 15 yards.
4 min A quiet start, on the field if not off it. Frankfurt are having more of the ball in the early minutes.
1 min Peep peep! Spurs get the game under way. It’s seriously noisy in Frankfurt.
The players line up around the centre circle to pay their respects to those who died at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia at the weekend.
Full time: Marseille 4-1 Sporting Lisbon Marseille, hitherto pointless, have plugged the group leaders Sporting Lisbon in the early game. This is shaping up to be the closest of all the groups.
The players are lining up for the old Champions League anthem. As ever at the Waldstadion, the atmosphere is sensational.
The pre-match thoughts of Antonio Conte
I decided to pick the same 11 players. I trust them and I think this is the best solution for us today. This game isn’t decisive, but it’s really important. Every manager has a bit of concern about injuries because we are starting a long road with many games in a short period of time. Fingers crossed.
There’s a big game at Anfield tonight, a long overdue first competitive meeting between two of Britain’s giants. Scott Murray is watching that one.
Updated
“So Conte starts Emerson Royal,” sniffs Yash Gupta. “That was never a red card but also he shouldn’t have made the challenge anyway. Ever since he arrived at the club, Emerson has been a polarising figure. I still remember his debut against Crystal Palace where I thought, ‘Wow, Tottenham moved on from Aurier only to sign Brazilian Matt Doherty.’ Doherty wasn’t great back then.
”I’ve watched this video many times today. I can’t stop sniggering.”
First thing I’m doing on the new Fifa pic.twitter.com/upHWL8VJ18
— Danny Pape (@dannypape1) October 3, 2022
I feared that video was going to end in a Sopranos-style boat trip.
The other game in this group, Marseille v Sporting Lisbon, is an early kick-off. Marseille lead 3-1 at half-time, and Sporting have had their keeper Antonio Adan sent off. Group D is getting extremely tight.
Things go from bad to worse for Sporting Lisbon as keeper Antonio Adán sees red for this handball... 🟥 pic.twitter.com/V8MxAZibsA
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 4, 2022
Updated
Pre-match reading
Team news
Antonio Conte trolls the trolls by sticking with the same team that lost at the Emirates on Saturday. Frankfurt make two changes: Kristijan Jakic and Djibril Sow replace Luca Pellegrini and the injured Mario Gotze.
Eintracht Frankfurt (3-4-2-1) Trapp; Tuta, Hasebe, N’Dicka; Jakic, Rode, Sow, Knauff; Lindstrom, Kamada; Kolo Muani.
Substitutes: Grahl, Ramaj, Smolcic, Alidou, Borre, Alario, Chandler, Lenz, Dina Ebimbe, Pellegrini.
Spurs (3-4-3) Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Richarlison, Kane, Son.
Substitutes: Forster, Austin, Doherty, Skipp, Sanchez, Gil, Sessegnon, Spence, Sarr, Davies, Bissouma, White.
Updated
Preamble
Good evening. Spurs might be the best counter-attacking team in England, so it’s hard to make sense of their away record this season. They’ve won only one game in five, against Nottingham Forest, and were comprehensively outplayed at Chelsea (even though they drew) and Arsenal. They also lost 2-0 away to Sporting Lisbon in the last round of Champions League games, which makes this trip to Eintracht Frankfurt, if not quite a musn’t-lose game, then at least a really-could-do-without-losing-for-the-sake-of-morale-and-potential-qualification-for-the-knockout-stages game.
A crisis, perceived or actual, is never far away in the extreme world of English football, and Antonio Conte had to use his pre-match press conference to remind people that maybe, just maybe, he knows more about football management than Twitter’s finest. But Conte also knows that, if Tottenham lose tonight against last year’s Europa League winners, the noise will get louder.
Kick off 8pm.
