Hugo Lloris wonder-save earns resilient Spurs a point
French goalkeeper thwarts Bayer Leverkusen as Tottenham show their mettle in Champions League
Bayer Leverkusen 0 Spurs 0
Tottenham Hotspur held on for a goalless draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League last night, with an exceptional save from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris preventing the German side from claiming all three points at the Bay Arena.
The French keeper produced the moment of the match when he clawed a point-blank shot from Javier Hernandez off the line, leaving the former Manchester United striker stunned.
His incredulity was unsurprising, says The Guardian, as it was a save "that needed several replays simply to understand".
Lloris "showed incredible agility to get down and then strength to clamp the ball with his right hand on to the line. Video technology showed that the whole of the ball had not crossed over," adds the paper.
The point could prove invaluable to Spurs in a congested Group E. They're second with four points behind leaders Monaco, on five, with Leverkusen third and bottom club CSKA Moscow on two.
Tottenham went into the match without Harry Kane or Toby Alderweireld and the draw was "a victory for their squad depth and versatility", says Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror. Eric Dier deputised in defence and Vincent Janssen was the main striker.
Indeed, the Lilywhites had chances to take the lead in the first half, but Jansson had a goal ruled out for offside and then hit the bar before Bernd Leno made a fine save to deny Erik Lamela.
Things changed after half time. "Tottenham displayed an admirable grit to fight through a second-half onslaught from Roger Schmidt’s side and keep a clean sheet," says Lewis.
However, the point may have come at a cost after Danny Rose was spotted wearing a protective boot after the game, reports the London Evening Standard.
"Concerns over Rose will come as a blow to the north Londoners, who have already had to make do without the England international's services for a significant chunk of the campaign due to a hamstring problem," adds the paper.
"The 26-year-old only returned to fitness earlier this month... and another spell on the sidelines during a flurry of difficult fixtures would be far from ideal."
