Tottenham conceded an equalizer in stoppage time and dropped two points against Roma on Thursday evening.

The first half was a delicious Europa League mix of excitement and defensive chaos as both teams showed ingenuity going forward and gaps in defense. Spurs took an early lead after Heung-Min Son converted a VAR-advised penalty, but Roma – inspired by the excellent Paulo Dybala – equalized through Evan N’Dicka and then had an attempt from Stephan El Shaarawy ruled out for offside.

Brendan Johnson then put the home team back in the lead with a typical finish after good work from Dejan Kulusevski – one of eight shots on goal that Ange Postecoglou’s team had in the first 45 minutes.

After the break it continued in a similar way. Roma looked dangerous, but were repeatedly thwarted by Spurs’ defensive line and the offside flag, while the home team repeatedly looked dangerous on the counterattack. But it was the visitors who finally scored again – Mats Hummels scored from close range in the second phase of a corner.

Jack Pitt-Brooke, Jay Harris and Liam Tharme describe the key moments of the game.

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Another reminder of Spurs’ counter-attacking abilities

We all know how Tottenham likes to play: dominate the ball in the opposition half, try to find overloads, wear down the opponent with their movements until they finally find a way. Many Spurs games end with them facing a low block and trying to find a way through them.

But last week showed us that Spurs can be deadly when given the opportunity to counterattack. That was why they enjoyed their success against Manchester City so much, taking advantage of the running ability of Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke and finally Timo Werner to attack the space City had left behind their defence.

And that was also the story against Roma. Spurs’ second goal was a beautiful counter-attack, with Pape Matar Sarr playing a perfect ball over the line for Kulusevski to run onto. Kulusevski burst down the left, his left-footed cross hit the spot, and Brennan Johnson was there to sweep the ball into the net. It was a great example of how dangerous Spurs can be when given the chance to attack like that.

However, sometimes it almost seems as if they lack practice. At the start of the second half, Spurs had a 5v3 scenario but still couldn’t score as Mats Hummels covered Kulusevski and managed to tackle him just in time. In the end it cost them.

Jack Pitt Brooke

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Ahead of this game, all attention was on Fraser Forster after Tottenham first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario broke his right ankle in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Manchester City and underwent surgery on Monday. It is important that Forster replicates Vicario’s bravery in possession. Ange Postecoglou joked: “I don’t need my goalkeepers to be (Michel) Platini or (Paolo) Maldini, but “it’s about making really simple passes” and “it’s more about attitude.”

Forster made a few passes in the first half, including a lob to Dominic Solanke, that you wouldn’t describe as easy, but he improved throughout. He produced a fantastic game-breaking pass at the start of the second half and showed no signs of panic despite two Roma strikers chasing him. Curiously, Roma let the ball past Forster four times, but three of those goals were ruled out for offside. There was nothing Forster could do to stop Stephan El Shaarawy’s crisp volley, but he should have done better with Artem Dovbyk’s finish.

Forster’s finest moment came in the 17th minute. Zeki Celik played a great pass into space for Paulo Dybala. It was a tight angle for the Argentina international and he tried to deftly poke the ball over Forster with the outside of his boot. Forster parried Dybala’s shot and, crucially, saved it.

He made a great save to deny Gianluca Mancini’s volley in stoppage time, but Roma equalized from the resulting corner.

Jay Harris

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So close for Tottenham’s defensive line

As a makeshift central defender pair, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin more than held their own. Tottenham, as always, played within margins – Roma had three goals disallowed for offside, including two in as many second-half minutes. Tottenham were offside nine times, the most of any team in a Europa League game this season (after Qarabag was offside six times against Tottenham in September).

Claudio Ranieri’s side were lined up with a 3-4-3 full-back system with two number 10 players behind a striker, and the focus was clear: shoot over goal early and cross. Dragusin in particular was dominant in defending his penalty area (four free throws), and when Artem Dovbyk managed to get away from Ben Davies and get past Fraser Forster with a touch of the ball after a cross from Zeki Celik, the flag went up.

Roma’s two goals came from set pieces. The first was a long free-kick which N’Dicka headed in unmarked, and the late equalizer came with a fizzing pass across goal in the second phase of a corner – after Foster had superbly parried a half-volley. There is still a lot of work to be done on the in-game management for Postecoglou.

Liam Tharme

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Why we shouldn’t be too hard on Spurs

Tottenham missed so many chances here that they could have easily won. But at the same time, Roma themselves missed out on a lot – and three goals were disallowed – that they will fly home with the regret that they didn’t win. It was a game of this kind: open, dramatic, characterized by a mixture of good and bad qualities from both teams.

It’s easy enough to find gaps in Spurs’ performance, not least the long period midway through the first half when they shut down, and the long period midway through the second and then of course the conclusion of the game. when they conceded the equalizer. Each time they passed the ball, conceded chances and were ultimately punished in stoppage time.

There were some issues with the game management and the lack of efficiency in both boxes. But maybe we shouldn’t be too harsh. Spurs went into this game without their best goalkeeper or two first-choice centre-backs. Richarlison and Wilson Odobert both have long-term injuries. Destiny Udogie was rested and remained on the bench. Spurs’ schedule is so busy for the rest of the year – consecutive Thursday/Sunday games – that they will find it difficult to play their best football for 90 minutes twice a week. It may well be that there will be more games like this.

Jack Pitt Brooke

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What did Ange Postecoglou say?

We’ll share the Tottenham manager’s thoughts with you here soon.

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What’s next for Tottenham?

Sunday December 1st: Fulham (Home), Premier League, 1:30pm UK, 8:30am ET

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(Top photo: Getty Images)