Vitinha grabs hat-trick as PSG blow away Spurs

There was no shame in this defeat for Tottenham, which represented progress after the north London derby disaster at Arsenal on Sunday.

- David Hytner

(CHARLOTTE WILSON/OFFSIDE/GETTY IMAGES)

There were measures of encouragement ahead of the crucial Premier League home game against Fulham on Saturday, most notably in the shape of Randal Kolo Muani, the striker who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

Kolo Muani set up Richarlison for 1-0 and scored for 2-1 himself with a stinging volley. There would be another one for him before this wild tie was over. They were his first in Spurs’ colours.

‘And yet there was frustration for Thomas Frank and his players, especially in how they allowed the initiative to slip. The star of the occasion was Vitinha, PSG’s peerless midfield controller. He finished with a hat-trick, producing a pair of equalisers with glorious long-range shots and setting the seal on the win towards the end from the penalty spot.

It added up to a fourth win out of five for the holders in this competition. There was drama until the end, the PSG substitute, Theo Hernandez, being sent off for an elbow on another replacement, Xavi Simons. Spurs competed, as Frank had demanded. It was not enough to drive them to a famous result

All eyes had been on how Spurs lined up. Would Frank stick with a back five, a move that had played so badly against Arsenal? The answer was no. He loaded his starting XI with four central midfielders and arranged them in a diamond at the outset, Archie Gray at the tip behind a strike pair of Kolo Muani and Richarlison.