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The good news for Tottenham? They recovered from this position when they broke Ajax’s hearts and reached the Champions League final last season. Last May, however, Spurs had the option of bringing Fernando Llorente off the bench and spreading chaos with an aerial bombardment.
This time there is no target man to unleash in emergency situations and José Mourinho, who has been joking about bringing Peter Crouch out of retirement, is painfully aware the attacking crisis is not going to ease any time soon.
The hamstrung Harry Kane is unlikely to return until April at the earliest. Son Heung-min may not play again this season after fracturing his right arm. Unless Mourinho suddenly turns to Troy Parrott, the 18-year-old Irish prospect, his squad will contain no recognised strikers when they travel to Germany for the second leg on 10 March.
Spurs struggled as an attacking force for much of this uneven contest. Lucas Moura was ineffective against a side missing their three first-choice centre-backs. Dele Alli played a more advanced role than usual but his main contribution was throwing a water bottle and one of his boots to the ground after being substituted in the 64th minute.
Leipzig were superior throughout and while Mourinho refused to throw in the towel he stressed that the one attacking player on his bench, Erik Lamela, was not even fit enough to train properly the day before the game.
The consolation for Spurs is the damage could have been more severe. Leipzig, a point behind Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, were a class above and Julian Nagelsmann’s slick side should have had more to show for their efforts than a penalty from Timo Werner, the game’s outstanding player.
What a start Leipzig made. While their 32-year-old manager has been dubbed the Mini Mourinho, Nagelsmann has been at pains to suggest his style is closer to Pep Guardiola and it was astonishing to watch the Germans break through the lines with those electrifying early surges. The first two minutes must have felt like two hours for Spurs and Hugo Lloris had to be at his best to preserve his side’s dignity.
The first warning shot came from Patrik Schick, volleying just wide from 18 yards, and the next sequence of events beggared belief. A cross from the right reached Werner, who saw his goalbound effort blocked by Davinson Sánchez. Angeliño charged in from the left flank and struck a shot that Lloris diverted on to the near post. The danger passed once Lloris had smothered another jab from Werner.
The only thing missing was a goal and that allowed Spurs to gain a foothold. They shook their heads clear and remembered that Leipzig were stretched at the back because of Dayot Upamecano’s suspension and injuries to Ibrahima Konaté and Willi Orban. They went close to taking the lead when Steven Bergwijn, who has impressed since joining from PSV Eindhoven last month, tested Peter Gulacsi with an excellent curling effort.
Yet Leizpig remained in control. Their 3-4-3 system gave them the edge, especially on the flanks, and Werner’s elusive movement, that easy way he drifted into pockets of space from his starting position on the left of the front three, showed why he is coveted by Bayern, Chelsea and Liverpool. Werner’s only problem was finding a way past Lloris; the Spurs goalkeeper denied him again in the 36th minute.
That ability to hang on in games has been a feature of Spurs’ recent wins but relying on opponents fluffing their lines in front of goal is hardly a recipe for success in the long run. Mourinho could not bank on another 45 minutes of carelessness from Leipzig. He had seen Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer outpass Harry Winks and Giovani Lo Celso in midfield. Gedson Fernandes was quiet. Spurs had to show more adventure and there was more aggression at the start of the second half, Serge Aurier whipping in a cross for Moura. Gulacsi saved the Brazilian’s flick and Bergwijn steered the rebound wide.
In the 56th minute, Werner veered in from the left and chipped a ball towards Laimer, who controlled with his chest before falling over a clumsy challenge from Ben Davies. It was a blatant foul from the Spurs left-back and Werner fizzed a low penalty past Lloris.
Leipzig might have killed the game on the break. Angeliño burst down the left and Werner’s brilliant dummy left Schick in the clear but Lloris pushed the striker’s shot away.
While Spurs raised their level, going close when Gulacsi tipped the increasingly influential Lo Celso’s free-kick wide, Leipzig were comfortable. Ethan Ampadu, the on-loan Chelsea defender, cruised through the game and Spurs have it all to do.
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