Tottenham show their class as win over Inter Milan keeps Champions League hopes alive

SPURS SHOW THEIR CLASS AGAIN

They didn’t quite tear Inter apart the way they had Chelsea on Saturday – the visiting defence was far better on this occasion – but Tottenham looked the better side throughout on Wednesday night.

Inter had their chances, with Hugo Lloris pulling off a couple of vital saves and also on occasion playing his team into trouble. But, by and large, in a must-win game against high-quality opposition, Spurs were dominant. That, in itself, is a statement.

Though for the longest time it seemed as if their dominance wouldn’t pay off, as attacking moves often broke down in the final third. Harry Winks’ long-range effort that thundered off the crossbar was the closest they came to scoring until Eriksen’s goal. Samir Handanovic didn’t have any difficult saves to make for all of Spurs’ attacking pressure.

That Spurs could pull off the move that won them the game when they could easily have started to tire, or let their heads get down, is a testament to the character and quality of this side. It was a typical Spurs goal, free-flowing, full of thrust. A mark of class.

Now, they need to show it again in their toughest test yet. Beat Barcelona in their final game, and Spurs will show Europe they are a team to fear.

WHERE WAS ICARDI?

Almost all top players are destined to go through a stage where their big-game prowess is questioned. That might just start to happen for Mauro Icardi.

Though he’s scored eight times in 10 games against Juventus, his record otherwise is spotty. He has five goals in 12 Milan derby appearances, and three of those came in one game. In four European knockout ties, Icardi has yet to register a goal. And he may not get a chance to rectify that after Wednesday’s display.

It was the second straight time against Tottenham that Icardi drifted through the game – though at least the first time around, he popped up out of nowhere to score a wonder goal that sparked a late comeback win. But Inter’s chances of qualifying out of the group stage are now precarious, when they could easily have been much more comfortable.

In fairness, Icardi was well-marslhaled by the Tottenham defence and didn’t always get the best service, but that’s no excuse for a player who has enough experience playing the lone warrior role.

Only Radja Nainggolan, who went off with an injury in the first half, had fewer touches among Inter’s starting XI than Icardi, which shows how little he was involved in such a crucial game.

SISSOKO CONTINUES TO SHOW HIS WORTH

If there’s one player who can stand as testimony to Mauricio Pochettino’s managerial acumen, it has to be Moussa Sissoko at this point.

The Frenchman seemed like a panic buy in 2016, and in the last two seasons has done little to justify the £30million outlay Spurs forked over to Newcastle on deadline day that summer.

Yet, possibly more out of necessity to begin with than anything else, Pochettino has persisted with the midfielder, and it’s finally paying off. Sissoko has been so good in recent games, Spurs have hardly missed Mousa Dembele – a state of affairs that would have been hard to believe when Dembele was the toast of Tottenham last season.

Once again, Sissoko helped Spurs dominate midfield – no mean feat when coming up against the likes of Nainggolan, Marcelo Brozovic and Matias Vecino. Alongside Harry Winks, Sissoko looked in complete control of the game, surging forward and tracking back depending on Spurs’ needs at the time.

And speaking of surges forward, the run that set up Tottenham’s winner was vintage Sissoko. Powerful, direct and skillful, from his ball control to the way he picked out Dele Alli. Sissoko has finally arrived in a Spurs shirt.