Tottenham couldn’t hold on to their lead as a late Mats Hummels effort earned Roma a 2-2 draw in an enthralling affair in North London.
Ange Postecoglou’s side dominated the opening exchanges and got their just reward with less than five minutes on the clock.
Pape Matar Sarr latched onto a pass from Pedro Porro and Hummels clumsily tripped the Senegalese midfielder inside the area. After an on-field VAR review, Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg pointed to the spot.
Heung-min Son stepped up to take the penalty and slotted his kick into Mile Svilar’s bottom left corner to give his side an ideal start.
Roma hit back through N’Dicka
I Giallorossi grew into the contest and restored parity 15 minutes later. Paulo Dybala, who many moons ago was heavily linked with a move to North London, whipped in a delightful free-kick which was met by Evan N’Dicka.
The Frenchman didn’t get the intended purchase on the ball but the contact with his shoulder clipped the crossbar and beat Fraser Forster.
Minutes later, Claudio Ranieri’s outfit thought they had gone in front. Paulo Dybala dinked an inventive pass into Stephan El Shaarawy whose low volley nestled into the corner.
However, replays showed that the Italian had strayed marginally offside and the goal was ruled out.
Spurs regain the lead before the break
Just after the half hour mark, the Lilywhites would regain their lead following a brisk and decisive foray forward.
Sarr sent Kulusevski on his way with a searching 30-yard pass before the Swede found Brennan Johnson who slammed the ball past Svilar.
The visitors continued to pose a threat going forward after the break and saw two more goals be disallowed for offside infringements and struck the woodwork through Angelino.
Hummels rescues a late point for Roma
The hosts had seemingly weathered the Roma storm until Hummels was left unmarked at the back post to tap in a late leveller.
It was an intriguing battle which has given Postecoglou many things to think about. Here’s how we rated the player’s performances.
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Tottenham Player Ratings
Fraser Forster – 8
Forster performed heroics late on but could do nothing about Hummels’ goal from close range.
The imposing Englishman was not to blame for N’Dicka’s equaliser and El Sharawaay’s adroit volley that was eventually disallowed.
Prior to the interval, Forster got down well to make a superb save to deny Dybala’s fiercely-hit drive and was brave in possession.
He continued to make important saves after the break including crucially spreading himself to deny Artem Dovbyk after Porro’s attempted pass back was short.
His best save of the night occurred in stoppage time as he displayed excellent reflexes to produce a stunning stop. Unfortunately for Spurs, Roma would score from the resulting corner.
Pedro Porro - 6
It was an eventful evening for Porro who was prominent in all facets of the game.
He grazed the top of the crossbar on the stroke of the hour mark with a free-kick that had Svilar beaten.
However, he almost made a grave error in the closing stages.
The Spaniard's nonchalant header back to Forster was short and allowed Dovbyk the opportunity to get a toe to the ball, but Porro's blushes were spared by his goalkeeper who spread himself well.
Radu Dragusin - 7
The Romanian gave away a cheap free-kick which Roma scored their first equaliser from through N’Dicka.
Aside from that lapse in judgement, the Romanian mopped up loose balls adequately and made several key interventions from dangerous Roma crosses.
Ben Davies – 8
The ever reliable Welshman put in a colossal performance in defence and was unlucky not to end up on the winning side.
He used his experience to control the backline and frequently cleared the ball with brave and intelligent interceptions.
A marauding run from the defender ended with Davies being fouled on the edge of the box, which Porro hit the woodwork from the subsequent free-kick.
Archie Gray - 6
Gray has been asked to play a variety of positions by Postecoglou since joining in the summer and tonight the teenager was deployed at left-back.
The former Leeds United player performed astutely in the unfamiliar position, especially when you consider that Gray was playing on his weaker side.
However, the 18-year-old is still very much developing and Postecoglou’s experiments with the versatile English often see Gray look vulnerable.
Overall, it was a typically composed showing from Bentancur who tried to protect his backline from a lively opposition.
A robust challenge from the midfielder saw him receive a yellow card and with a lengthy domestic suspension, Postecoglou decided to protect his player and replaced him.
Pape Matar Sarr – 7.5
It was Sarr’s endeavour that created the opening goal with a bursting stride into the box.
The Senegalese got a touch on Porro’s pass before Hummels clumsily tripped the midfielder and Son scored the penalty.
His reading of the game saw him cut out several passes and create numerous chances for his teammates in the first half.
However, Roma's midfield overwhelmed Sarr after the break and he made way for Bissouma.
Dejan Kulusevski – 7
The Swede was at the heart of Spurs’ creativity tonight and picked up an assist for his troubles.
The winger collected the ball on the right flank, drove at the defender before firing a searching cross into the area which was finished by Johnson.
Less than two minutes after his assist, Kulusevski was inches away from getting on the scoresheet himself as he drove into the box and poked a shot off the post.
However, he got a needless booking in the first period after a petulant push on Leandro Paredes and petered out in the second half.
As the game drew on, the 24-year-old seemed to struggle as his decision making became more erratic.
Brennan Johnson – 7
Tottenham’s top goalscorer hit the back of the net once again as he finished a flowing team move.
In what is becoming a trademark action from the Welshman, he burst clear of his marker at the back post to meet Kulusevski’s pass and slide in Spurs’ second.
However, Johnson faded into anonymity after the break and was taken off by his manager midway through the second half.
Dominic Solanke – 6.5
It was another unselfish showing from Spurs’ focal point, albeit a slightly nonclinical one.
Svilar was equal to Solanke’s acrobatic attempt in the first half and the former Bournemouth striker should have scored in the latter stages of the second period but his header struck the crossbar from two yards out.
Solanke was made to rue his lack of prolificacy in front of goal as Roma levelled late on. A frustrating night for him and Postecoglou.
Heung-min Son – 7.5
Spurs’ skipper opened the scoring inside five minutes from the penalty spot as he confidently sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
The 32-year-old didn’t just contribute offensively as he worked hard to win the ball back in the build-up to Johnson’s goal.
Son should have doubled his tally for the evening after Kulusevski’s shot hit the post and fell to him.
However, the South Korean couldn’t channel his momentum positively as he blazed over from six yards out.
The captain was a lot less involved after the break and was taken off by Postecoglou with one eye on the weekend's game against Fulham.
Yves Bissouma – 6
Bissouma’s introduction instilled a wave of calm amongst the Tottenham midfield that was desperately needed.
James Maddison – 5.5
The hero from the weekend came on for Johnson, but often chose the wrong option going forward.
Lucas Bergvall – 6
Bergvall was substituted on with ten minutes to play and injected some energy into the game.
Timo Werner – 6
The German was unfortunate not to record an assist in his cameo as he set up Solanke who could only hit the woodwork.
