Our 5️⃣ points after wild night of Champions League action | OneFootball

Another barnstorming night of Champions League as Groups A through D drew to a conclusion.

Group D took centre-stage as Tottenham, Marseille, Sporting CP and Eintract Frankfurt all endured a rollercoaster of emotions.

Here’s what we made of it all…

Loan star helps rescue Tottenham

Clément Lenglet hasn’t had the nicest of times in recent years but the centre-back had a night to remember in his native France.

Tottenham were awful in the first half at the Stade Vélodrome, and Marseille took advantage by taking the lead in stoppage time through a Chancel Mbemba header.

Antonio Conte was suspended due to his red card against Sporting CP last week, but whatever his assistants said in the Spurs dressing room had the desired effect as the Whites were a different side immediately after the interval.

And Lenglet’s contribution was central to the rescue mission, with his header bringing the North Londoners level and putting them back in control of their own destiny.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s injury-time goal sealed three points and top spot, but it was Lenglet’s effort that turned this tie on its head.

The 27-year-old has struggled for game time in the Premier League, but has been a regular in Europe and more than justified his regular selection for midweek duty.

A huge moment in terms of Tottenham’s season, and perhaps fresh hope of a brighter future the for the defender who is on a year-long loan from Barcelona.

Sporting pay price for naive approach

It was an absolutely wild night in Group D.

When the dust had settled, Spurs finished top and will be joined in the round of 16 by Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Germans came from behind to secure a win in Lisbon, but questions must be asked of Rúben Amorim’s men. For the second week in a row, they showed a complete lack of pragmatism by chasing a win when a draw would possibly have been enough for them.

As it transpired, Højbjerg’s late winner for Spurs saw Marseille crash out of Europe altogether and handed Sporting the consolation prize of a spot in the Europa League.

However the Portuguese side need to develop some maturity if they are to be genuine contenders for that silverware.

Thursday Night Lights

Joining Sporting in the Europa League will be Ajax, Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen.

Of those, Barcelona will obviously be the most disappointed to be forced away from the top table.

However beggars cannot be choosers, and Xavi would be wise to make the most of the opportunity to lift European silverware.

It also gives the Blaugrana the chance to expose their emerging stars to serious knockout situations, and it could prove a blessing in disguise in the long term.

Pure perfection

Both Bayern Munich and Napoli came into the final group game with 100% records after the opening five games.

Leo Skiri Østigård thought he had opened the scoring for the Italians against Liverpool at Anfield, but a lengthy VAR decision found that Victor Osimhen had interfered in a marginally offside position.

And then late goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez for the Reds hand Napoli their first defeat of the season after 21 games.

There were no such issues for Bayern at home to Inter. Goals in either half from Benjamin Pavard and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting ensured the Bundesliga giants took a maximum of 18 points as they reinforced their position as one of the favourites for the competition.

The Bavarians may be having their domestic issues this season, but they have been a different beast in the Champions League.

And speaking of beasts, Choupo-Moting is having a ridiculous renaissance with the 33-year-old now having scored in his last six games.

Momentum is definitely building for Die Roten.

Timely boost for struggling Liverpool

The victory over Napoli has little material effect on Liverpool’s season, as they still finish second behind the Serie A side on goal difference.

And it is dangerous to read too much into a European result, as the Reds have been pretty consistent in the competition with five wins and their only loss coming one Matchday One in Naples.

However, on the back of pre-match confirmation from Jürgen Klopp’s agent that the German has no intention of leaving the club, it was a good night for the Merseysiders.

But they have to find a way to rid themselves of the inconsistency that has plagued their Premier League campaign to date.

Sunday’s trip to Tottenham will go a long way to showing if that is a possibility.