Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Hugo LlorisImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Hugo Lloris kept his fifth clean sheet of the season for Tottenham

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made a string of saves to secure a Champions League draw against Bayer Leverkusen.

The France international superbly kept out Javier Hernandez's close-range shot, and pushed away low drives from Charles Aranguiz and Admir Mehmedi.

Dele Alli should have done better at the other end when he powerfully headed wide from six yards out.

Team-mate Vincent Janssen hit the bar and, from the rebound, Erik Lamela had an effort tipped over by Bernd Leno.

Lloris keeps Leverkusen at bay

Image source, Opta
Image caption,

Inside the area or out, Leverkusen were unable to find a way past Lloris from their six shots on target

Spurs will be thankful to man-of-the-match Lloris for keeping a clean sheet in a match in which they had more of the possession but their hosts had the better chances.

The former Lyon player made six saves at the BayArena, three of which were high quality:

  • 48 minutes: Best save of the night. Having had nothing to do in the first half, Lloris was made to work soon after the break. Stefan Kiessling played the ball across for Hernandez, in front of whom the goal was gaping. But the former Manchester United striker saw Lloris leap across to keep out the ball, half of which had crossed the line.

  • 56 minutes: Chile international Aranguiz let fly with a skiddy, low free-kick from 25 yards out, but Lloris dived full stretch to his right to push the ball away.

  • 61 minutes: With Leverkusen creating more chances, Switzerland international Mehmedi found space on the edge of the area, but Lloris got down low to his right again to palm the ball out.

Mauricio Pochettino's side remain second in Group E, and have conceded just seven goals in 11 games in all competitions this season. Their only defeat came in the opening group game against Monaco last month.

Trippier impresses, but Son struggles

Tottenham are playing in European football's elite competition for the first time in five seasons, and - three games in - they have struggled to find their best form.

A draw is by no means a poor result away from home, but they will need to improve significantly in the final third if they are to progress.

Spurs had six shots, none of which were in the second half, and worked goalkeeper Leno only once. In contrast, Leverkusen had 13 shots in the second 45 minutes.

In the continued absence of Harry Kane, lone striker Janssen lacked service, while former Leverkusen man Son Heung-min, who scored 21 goals in 62 games for the Bundesliga side, barely had a sniff.

But among the positives was the performance of full-back Kieran Trippier, who was playing for only the third time this season. The former Burnley man made more tackles (four), clearances (seven) and interceptions (three) than any of his team-mates.

What they said

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris: "You need a bit of luck in that kind of action and this time I saved (from Javier Hernandez).

"It was a key moment but it was not the only one. We should have scored in the first half and then the game would have been much different."

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino: "I am not disappointed. After the game, I think it is a good point for us.

"It was a very tough game. In the first half we deserved more and in the second they got better. I am pleased with the point.

"In the second half I think they played better than us and started to dominate the game. We need to be positive - it is in our hands to go through to the next round."

The stats you need to know

  • Spurs have won just one of their past nine away games against German opposition (drawn two, lost six).

  • Leverkusen have won just one of their past 11 Champions League games against English opposition (lost nine, drawn one).

  • This is the first time Leverkusen have kept a clean sheet in 17 Champions League games against English sides.

  • Spurs have collected four points from their three Champions League games this season, as many as they had in 2010-11.

  • This is only the second time Spurs have drawn 0-0 in the Champions League, last doing so in March 2011 against AC Milan.

  • Only two of Spurs' 43 shots in the Champions League this season have found the net.

What next?

Tottenham are back in Premier League action on Saturday as they travel to Bournemouth (kick-off 12:30 BST). Their next Champions League match is on Wednesday, 2 November when they welcome Leverkusen to Wembley (kick-off 19:45 BST).

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