Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille result, highlights and analysis as Richarlison double gets Spurs off to winning start in Champions League

Graham Ruthven

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Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille result, highlights and analysis as Richarlison double gets Spurs off to winning start in Champions League image

Richarlison scored his first two goals for Tottenham Hotspur as Antonio Conte’s team ground out a 2-0 win over 10-man Marseille.

The Brazilian secured a winning start in UEFA Champions League Group D after Chancel Mbemba had earlier been sent off.

Conte made just one change from the Spurs team that beat Fulham at the weekend with Ivan Perisic replacing Ryan Sessegnon in the lineup.

However, the hosts struggled to get going in the first half as Marseille dominated possession. The Ligue 1 team made good use of a high press and disrupted Tottenham whenever they had the ball.

The dynamic of the match shifted just two minutes into the second half, though, when Mbemba was shown a straight red card for bringing down Son Heung-min as he raced through on goal.

MORE: Champions League top scorer 2022/23

Richarlison made the breakthrough with a header from a Perisic cross after 76 minutes and doubled his, and his team's, advantage with a second header just five minutes later.

This proved to be the difference between the two teams as Tottenham started their Champions League campaign with a win.

Richarlison offers something different

Tottenham struggled to find their flow in the attacking third for much of this match. Even after Marseille were reduced to 10 men, Conte's team failed to get in behind the visitors to North London. This is why they needed Richarlison to give them something different in attack.

Richarlison got on the end of two crosses to score the two goals that gave Tottenham all three points. The Brazilian is a skilful operator, but he also offers physicality in the penalty area. He fought to win those headers (particularly the second one) and fought for the win.

Son's struggles continue

Son is still waiting for his first goal of the season and his performance in this match didn't offer many hints that it is coming any time soon. The South Korean drew the red card that pushed the match in Tottenham's favour, but his decision-making was questionable in many cases.

Every Tottenham fan is well aware of Son's quality, but the longer his slump continues the deeper the concern around the 30-year-old's underwhelming form grows. Nonetheless, Spurs had enough attacking guile to get the job done in the second half.

Marseille show promise

One wonders how the rest of this match would have panned out had Marseille kept all 11 players on the pitch. They had been the stronger team up until Mbemba's red card and while they failed to convert their possession into scoring opportunities, Marseille were set up well.

The Ligue 1 side have won five of their six league games this season and will fancy their chances against Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP in Group D. Igor Tudor's team showed enough in this game to suggest they stand a good chance of making the last 16.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille final result

  1H 2H Final
Tottenham Hotspur 0 2 2
Marseille 0 0 0

GOALS:

TOT - Richarlison - 76th min.

TOT - Richarlison - 81st min.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille live updates, highlights from the Champions League

90+4 mins: FULL TIME! Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Marseille - Richarlison's two goals give Spurs all three points to open their Champions League campaign with. Conte will be pleased with the patience his team demonstrated in the second half. They ground it out!

90+2 mins: In a sense, this result is tough on Marseille who dominated large periods of the first half. The red card shown to Mbembe changed the dynamic, though, and Tottenham have ultimately made their man-advantage count.

90 mins: There will be four minutes of stoppage time played at the end of the match.

89 mins: Flicked on! Perisic sends the freekick delivery to the near post, Tanganga gets to it and flickes a looping header towards goal, but it bounces wide. This is much more comfortable for Spurs now. This will be an important win for them.

87 mins: Son is still waiting for that first goal of the season and he looked low on confidence this evening. The South Korean made a number of poor decisions. Conte needs to get Sane back to his best. He's such an important player for Tottenham.

86 mins: Spurs subs - Bentancur and Son OFF, Bissouma and Doherty ON.

85 mins: Spurs have shown patience tonight and they have been rewarded for that. Richarlison has made the difference. He is up and running for his new club.

81 mins: GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2 (81' Richarlison) Marseille 0 - Spurs have scored a second and it's a second goal for Richarlison! This time it's Hojbjerg who sends the cross into the middle and the Brazilian glances home a header off the inside of the post.

80 mins: That goal has emboldened Tottenham who are now playing at a much higher tempo and are looking for a second goal to make sure of the points.

77 mins: The Marseille defence finally buckles. There wasn't much of a sense that that goal was coming for Tottenham, but Richarlison took his opportunity when it came. That's his first goal for Spurs!

76 mins: GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1 (76' Richarlison) Marseille 0 - The breakthrough is finally made! The cross into the middle found Richarlison unmarked and the Brazilian heads into the back of the net! It was Perisic who found him with the delivery!

76 mins: Huge chance! Kolasinac is fed down the channel on the left, he plays the pass into the six-yard box and the Tottenham defence completely miss the clearance. Harit wasn't alert and it comes off his toe from close-range and wide. Big opportunity! 

75 mins: Marseille are using every trick in the book to wind down the clock here. Conte is pointing to his watch on the touchline. It's not just that Marseille are time-wasting, they are denying Tottenham any chance to build up any momentum. It's all so fragmented. 

73 mins: Tottenham subs - Lenglet and Romero OFF, Davies and Tanganga ON

72 mins: BOOKING - Clauss (Marseille). The referee flashes the yellow card to Clauss for time-wasting as he was being subbed off.

71 mins: Marseille subs - Clauss and Suarez OFF, Kolasinac and Harit ON

70 mins: There's certainly an air of tension and impatience around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs are a man up and they are dictating the match, which wasn't the case in the first half, but they are still struggling to break through the Marseille defence.

67 mins: BOOKING - Son (Tottenham). Son is shown a yellow card protesting that Spurs should have had a corner kick. He was right. A shocker from the officials.

65 mins: Chance for Kulusevski! The Swedish international controls a ball at the byline and drives into the middle. The angle was always going to be tight for him and the block is made at the near post. A sense that Tottenham are cranking up the pressure.

64 mins: Marseille are doing everything they can to frustrate Tottenham here. We have played over an hour and Spurs still haven't been able to produce a shot on target. 

61 mins: Romero picks out Perisic with a sensational ball in behind, but the Croatian winger couldn't bring it down first time and then Richarlison shoots wide. Spurs are on top, but they're still struggling to create much in the way of chances!

60 mins: Spurs sub - Emerson OFF, Kulusevki ON

55 mins: Son shoots! Spurs are now dominating possession much higher up the pitch and they create the shooting opportunity on the edge of the box, but Son doesn't catch the effort well and the ball dribbles harmlessly wide of the target.

53 mins: BOOKING - Dier (Tottenham). That had been coming for Dier who has committed one too many fouls. He goes into the book.

50 mins: Marseille sub: Gerson OFF, Balerdi ON. There's the change from Tudor and it looks like Marseille have shifted into a back four.

47 mins: SENT OFF! Mbemba (Marseille) - A big moment in this match! Son is played in behind, he has the pace to beat his man, he gets to the ball first and is through on goal, but Mbemba brings him down and the referee shows him a straight red card! Marseille are down to 10 men.

46 mins: The second half is under way. Spurs were out five minutes early which says a lot about how Conte viewed the opening 45 minutes.

45 mins: HALF TIME! Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Marseille - Not a great deal to write home about after that first half. Marseille have dominated possession, but have created little while Tottenham have been off the pace and have also struggled in the attacking third.

42 mins: Kane... wide! Tottenham come forward on the break with Son feeding the ball to Kane inside the Marseille box, but he sends his low shot wide of the far post! His body shape was wrong for the shot. That was Tottenham's best chance so far, though.

40 mins: Tavares has time and space to get a delivery into the Tottenham area from the left side, but Lloris comes off his line to gather. The on-loan Arsenal full back has looked dangerous down the wing for Marseille. That has been a useful channel for them.

37 mins: This has been impressive from Marseille. They have nipped any Spurs momentum in the bud and have taken control of possession again. Can they do more to break through the Tottenham defence, though?

34 mins: Shot blocked! Tottenham get players forward into the box for the first time in the match, but Kane ignores them all, cuts inside and takes aim, but Tavares makes the block. That, however, has lifted the atmosphere inside the stadium! Can Spurs use that moment to get going?

30 mins: Half an hour gone at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the home team have yet to get going. Marseille have created very little with their possession, but Spurs have offered next to nothing themselves.

27 mins: Lopez was caught by the flailing arm of Kane and the Marseille goalkeeper is receiving some treatment for a cut to the top of his eye. Play will get back under way shortly.

26 mins: Marseille have dominated possession so far and yet they haven't got much to show for it. Tottenham have looked solid at the back. They just need to make a greater impression in quick transition. Both teams have been toothless so far.

24 mins: A familiar face in the away support at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Is he still speaking in that French accent?

20 mins: The tempo in the first 20 minutes of this match hasn't been the highest, it must be said. But much of that is down to Tottenham's willingness to stand off Marseille when they have the ball. Nonetheless, Spurs could do with playing quicker when they have possession.

16 mins: Lopez takes a risk! The Marseille goalkeeper takes an extra touch under pressure from Kane, but he keeps hold of the ball and passes out from the back. He might not want to do that again!

14 mins: We're still waiting on the first goalmouth action of the match. Marseille have been impressive in the early stages. They are comfortable on the ball and are pressing high and hard when they are out of possession. But no chances for either team yet.

10 mins: Dier fouls Suarez on the halfway line. It was a rash challenge from the Spurs defender, but the referee keeps his cards in his pocket.

9 mins: The away team are playing with confidence. It must be said, though, that Tottenham like to invite opposition teams on top of them before hitting out on the counter attack. Conte won't necessarily mind what he has seen in the opening nine minutes.

6 mins: Marseille have actually settled quickly in this match. They look comfortable on the ball and will carry a threat through players like Guendouzi, Suarez and Gerson. 

3 mins: There has been a great deal of anticipation among the Tottenham support ahead of this match. It's been two-and-a-half years since Spurs last played in the Champions League. Can they start their 2022/23 campaign on the front foot?

1 min: The match is under way! The Champions League is back in North London! Spurs are in all-white while Marseille are in a lighter blue.

5 mins to KO: Not long until kick off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Marseille have been in good form recently, but they will need to produce their best performance of the season to claim something tonight.

15 mins to KO: Son hasn’t been in the best of form for Tottenham in the early part of this season, but there were signs of life from the South Korean in the win over Fulham at the weekend.

25 mins to KO: Marseille boast a lot of players who will be familiar faces to Premier League fans. Sanchez is missing for them tonight, but Guendouzi, Bailly, Veretout and Payey all play for the Ligue 1 club! Can any of them make the difference tonight?

40 mins to KO: Marseille XI - Pau Lopez (GK) - Mbemba, Bailly, Gigot - Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares - Guendouzi, Luis Suarez, Gerson.

Sanchez is suspended for Marseille and so Gerson and Luis Suarez are picked to start in attack for the Ligue 1 side who have now arrived at the stadium.

50 mins to KO: Tottenham Hotspur XI - Lloris (GK) - Romero, Dier, Lenglet - Royal, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic - Richarlison, Kane, Son.

Conte makes one change to the team that beat Fulham at the weekend with Perisic starting in place of Sessegnon in the left wing back position.

60 mins to KO: Some reporting that Marseille have yet to arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for tonight's Champions League match. Reminder - the match starts at 8pm BST!

75 mins to KO: Conte doesn’t have the best of records as a manager in the Champions League. He has won just 12 of the 54 matches he has coached in the competition. Can he improve on that record with Spurs this season?

90 mins to KO: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' LIVE coverage of the Champions League Group D fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Marseille.

Spurs have enjoyed a good start to the season and are unbeaten after six matches in the Premier League, but can they get their Champions League campaign off to a winning start?

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille lineups

Lucas Moura is Tottenham's only confirmed unavailable player for this Champions League group-stage opener against Marseille with the Brazilian a peripheral figure in Conte's squad

Ivan Perisic has returned to the Spurs lineup after being rested for the Premier League win over Fulham, but Ben Davies and Dejan Kulusevski have to make do with a place on the bench.

Tottenham Hotspur lineup (3-4-3): Lloris (GK) - Romero, Dier, Lenglet - Royal, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Perisic - Richarlison, Kane, Son.

Alexis Sanchez is suspended for Marseille, carrying over a ban from last season when he was an Inter Milan player.

Bamba Dieng and Cedric Bakambu have both been omitted from Marseille's Champions League squad while Dimitri Payet has been left out due to injury concerns.

Marseille lineup (3-4-2-1): Pau Lopez (GK) - Mbemba, Bailly, Gigot - Clauss, Rongier, Veretout, Tavares - Guendouzi, Luis Suarez, Gerson.

How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs. Marseille

  UK USA Canada Australia
TV channel BT Sport 4 - - -
Streaming BT Sport website/app Paramount+, Univision NOW, TUDN, VIX+ DAZN Stan Sport

UK: BT Sport will be showing the match live on TV and online/via the BT Sport app.

USA: CBS streams every match on Paramount+, with select matches televised on CBS or CBS Sports Network. Univision places select matches across its TV networks (Univision, TUDN, UniMas, and Galavision) and also makes all matches from the group stage on available via its ViX streaming platform. Any matches televised by either CBS or Univision can also be streamed on fuboTV.

Canada: Every Champions League game streams live on DAZN.

Australia: Fans can watch Champions League action via Stan Sport.

Graham Ruthven