Match Report: Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 AS Roma | OneFootball

On Thursday evening, Spurs welcomed AS Roma to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, for match day five of the Europa League, as they looked to bounce back from the disappointing defeat away to Galatasaray last time out in competition.

Ange tasked the following XI with doing just that; Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Kulusevski, Bentancur, Gray; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

Pretty strong team, with Ange knowing that whilst Spurs could afford to slip up once - they can't afford to slip up again.

Incredibly frustrating night at home in the Europa League

Just two minutes into the game, Mats Hummels tripped Sarr in the box, and after a lengthy check, including going to the monitor, Spurs were awarded a penalty.

From the resulting spot kick, Son kept his cool, sending Miles Svilar the wrong way, to make it 1-0 to Spurs very early on.

Allost immediately after, Spurs did have a scare, but Paulo Dybala could only scuff his shot from a cutback. Still, you do not want to leave someone of his quality unmarked.

20 minutes in, Evan Ndicka’s flick went in off the bar and gave Roma an equaliser. The truth is it had been coming. Spurs had become extremely sloppy on the ball in the minutes prior, allowing the visitors to pen them in. They can have no complaints.

Two minutes later, Roma thought they had a second. A deft chipped pass from Dybala found Stephan El-Shaawary, who volleyed it into the bottom corner. However, upon a review, it was given as offside. Spurs simply could not deal with Dybala’s playmaking regardless.

After 25 minures, Spurs somehow did not retake the lead. Johnson’s effort was cleared off the line, before Solanke’s rebound was acrobatically saved. Around a minute later, a strong strike from Dybala was well kept out by Forster, who got a strong wrist behind the ball.

Soon after, Sarr intercepted a pass half way inside the Roma half, driving into the box and onto his left foot, but his strike was tame and easily saved.

With 12 minutes of the first half remaining, Son intercepted a loose pass from Dybala, playing it straight to Sarr. An over the top ball from the Senegal international found Kulusevski, who beat Hummels on the outside - and whipped in a cross that was superbly finished by Johnson first time, to give Spurs a 2-1 lead.

Only two minutes later, Kulusevski ran into the box, striking the post with a left footed effort across goal, with Son uncharacteristically firing the rebound well over the bar. It came to him quickly, but you would definitely expect better from someone of his quality.

With around five minutes of the first half remaining, a deflected Porro effort fell to Son, whose curling effort was well saved by Svilar. Spurs would go into the break with a 2-1 lead.

Just two minutes into the second half, Spurs sprung a very quick counter, but Kulusevski’s effort was blocked by Hummels, before Johnson fired the loose ball over the crossbar. A big waste of a chance.

Within the first ten minutes of the second period, Roma had the ball in the net twice, with both being ruled out for offside. Still, Spurs needed to be careful.

On the hour mark, Porro’s free kick hit the crossbar with a lovely curling effort. Soon after, Solanke absolutely rinsed Hummels on the outside, carrying the ball into the box, before his cross that was Johnson bound was superbly cut about by Leandro Paredes.

Midway through the second half, Ange’s side had a scare, as Many Kone dragged his shot wide of Forster’s right hand post. Shortly after, Maddison and Bissouma replaced Johnson and Sarr, in Spurs’ first changes of the evening.

Immediately after, Maddison found Solanke, whose shot from an angle was at Svilar. If he had seen the substitute, he would have almost certainly reversed the ball back to him.

With a little under 20 minutes left, Bentancur was booked for a late challenge. He was probably fortunate not to be booked earlier on in the game. This was his second yellow card of the Europa campaign, so he will be suspended for the Rangers game. We will now not see the midfielder until Liverpool at home on the 22nd of December.

Quite literally, as he was soon replaced by Bergvall. At the same time, Werner replaced Son, in the second double change of the evening.

With ten minutes remaining, a superb left footed cross from Gray was headed onto the bar by Solanke, who was unable to steer the loose ball home either, after some excellent defending.

With three minutes remaning, Porro tried to cushion a header back to Forster, which Dovbyk read, but could not quite get control of, and Forster stood big. Huge, huge let off.

However, Spurs would not keep being let off the hook. A minute into stoppage time, after Spurs could not get the ball clear, Hummels tapped home at the far post to make it 2-2. Abysmal management of the game from Spurs. Summed up by Werner letting the ball go out when he could have cleared it — assuming it would be a goal kick. Awful.

That would be that, and Spurs would be held to a 2-2 draw. On an evening when Lazio, Galatasaray, and Ajax dropped points, Ange's side could not take advantage, and now sit in 9th place in the league phase, which means they will currently have a two legged play-off to add to the schedule.

Had Spurs held on, they would be fourth. It means less rotation for the final three games, with lots of work still to be done to get that top eight finish. They are now below their next opponents, Rangers - with both teams on 10 points from their five games so far.

Don't want to see any player complaining about the fixture schedule. It is completely and entirely their fault that they are going to have to be wheeled out for the remaining three fixtures, and their fault that they could have to play a two legged play off tie.

It is not a disastrous result, but a really frustrating, and completely avoidable one. There was not much rotation tonight, with Fulham in less than 72 hours - and not even a win to show for it. Disappointing.