Tottenham vs Marseille player ratings: Richarlison 8, Kane 5; Mbemba 3, Guendouzi 8

Richarlison's twin headers his first goals since signing for Spurs as North London club win Champions League opener

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris, 4 – Seemed to be in a battle with Pau Lopez to produce the most calamitous spell of goalkeeping when he opted to punch a simple catch and he had his palms stung by a Matteo Guendouzi rasper. Some of his distribution was awful too. AFP

Cristian Romero, 5 – Got an important block in to keep out another Guendouzi effort. Hardly stamped his authority but no harm done and he was replaced by the returning Tanganga after the break. Getty Images

Eric Dier, 6 – Sent an early sign of intent when he rather abruptly clattered into Suarez, which resulted in a talking to from the referee and he saw yellow card for a similar altercation. Threw himself at a Guendouzi strike from distance as Marseille started to get on top. Getty Images

Clement Lenglet, 6 – Robust in spells but he too failed to deliver the required quality on the ball and he saw his cross easily repelled by the first man just shy of the 20-minute mark. Got a vital boot on a dangerous ball across from Tavares. Reuters

Emerson Royal, 6 – Chucked everything he had into a 50/50 challenge as the hosts made it tough for Marseille to settle in the opening few minutes. Showed electric pace on the counter but scuffed his best effort horribly wide of the target. Reuters

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 6 – Completely lost the midfield battle in the opening 45 minutes. Better after the break with Conte’s men enjoying the luxury of the extra man and he put the ball on a plate for Richarlison to finish the contest with a calculated delivery from deep. Getty Images

Rodrigo Bentancur, 5 – I’m honestly not sure if he completed a pass in the first-half, such was Spurs' inability to keep possession. Like Hojbjerg he went missing as the Ligue 1 side won everything. Getty Images

Ivan Perisic, 8 – Made a nuisance of himself early as he put Jonathan Clauss under pressure and he did well to recycle a poor short from Emerson right on the byline. Constantly pushed forward on the left and crafted the opener with a pinpoint delivery. Getty Images

Richarlison, 8 – His temper threatened to rear its head when he left one on Guendouzi. Opened his Tottenham account to spare the home side’s blushes with a bullet header and made it 2-0 with another. Clinical. Getty Images

Son Heung-min, 7 – Saw his first delivery cleared at the near post and his next wasn’t much better. Came to life in the 40th minute when he drove into the box and found Kane, and he was much better after the break, including a pivotal role in Mbemba’s dismissal. Getty Images

Harry Kane, 5 – Isolated in large spells in the first half and selfishly squandered the best chance of the game. More chances came in the second but unfortunately, the only cutting edge he showed was when the Spurs number nine cut Lopez’s eye with a stray hand. Getty Images

Dejan Kulusevski (on for Royal, ‘61), 8 – Added a jolt of electricity to Spurs’ attacking play and almost made an immediate impact, but he couldn’t quite squeeze his effort in at the near-post after a blistering charge into the box. Reuters

Japhet Tanganga (on for Romero, ‘73), NR – Saw his flicked header drop just wide as Spurs went for the kill. That would have been a welcome moment had it crept in, with the 23-year-old yet to bag his first Spurs goal. Getty Images

Ben Davies (on for Lenglet ‘73), NR – His heart was probably in his mouth within about 20 seconds of his introduction when he completely misjudged a cross from Kolasinac. Redeemed himself with a super last-ditch block to deny Marseille a consolation. Reuters

Matt Doherty (on for Son, ‘85), NR – Forced a later corner when his effort was turned round the post by Bailly. Reuters

Yves Bissouma (on for Bentancur, ‘85), NR – Had little time to make an impact, although he was rescued after giving the ball away cheaply in a dangerous area. EPA

MARSEILLE RATINGS: Pau Lopez, 4 – The 27-year-old previously had a loan stint at Spurs but he never found himself between the sticks during that spell. Diced with death a couple of times and somehow survived, but his hand wasn’t strong enough to keep out Richarlison’s header. Getty Images

Chancel Mbemba, 3 – Had barely anything to do in the opening 45 minutes. Perhaps that left him a bit rusty and, after finding himself in a footrace with Son, he took the South Korean out with a poor challenge, resulting in a straight red card. Getty Images

Eric Bailly, 5 – The on-loan Manchester United man wasn’t called into action prior to the red card. He made a couple of decent interceptions, but he ultimately couldn’t keep Spurs out. Failed to pick up Richarlison for the opener, but so did everyone else. Getty Images

Samuel Gigot, 7 – Was good value for his place in the team with some important interventions. AP Photo

Jonathan Clauss, 7 – Put under the cosh a little by the battling Perisic in a cagey opening to the contest. Showed tidy feet to neatly cut inside one man and then chop inside another before stroking the ball out to the left. Withdrawn in a tactical change after the break. AP Photo

Valentin Rongier, 6 – A brilliant, battling performance in the first half. A pretty impossible one in the second. Ran his socks off, as did every Marseille player to be fair to them. EPA

Jordan Veretout, 6 – Completely bossed it in the middle of the park as Marseille stroked the ball about with real purpose in the first half, which had the hosts looking flustered. Faced a much tougher task in the second half but stuck to it as well as he could. Reuters

Nuno Tavares, 5 – The on-loan Arsenal man managed to go under the radar for 15 minutes before a few boos were finally chucked his way. Pulled the trigger from about 30 yards but his effort drifted harmlessly wide. Failed to stop the cross for the opener. EPA

Matteo Guendouzi, 8 – Treated to the customary boos having graced the red part of North London. A composed display from the bushy-haired midfielder who was simply everywhere in the first half and drew a good save from Lloris with a low strike. A for effort. Getty Images

Gerson, 7 – Picked out the superbly-timed run of Taverez with a beautifully floated cross towards the back stick that took the Spurs line completely out of the game, but the latter couldn’t capitalise. EPA

Luis Suarez, 5 – Showed his experience when he shielded the ball well on halfway before Dier bundled into the back of him. Perhaps wasn’t able to spearhead the attack as he’d like, but another altercation with the latter saw Dier booked. EPA

SUBS" Leonardo Balerdi (on for Gerson, ‘50), 5 – Turned to by Igor Tudor within three minutes of Mbemba’s dismissal to try and shut up shop. No luck though, as Spurs scored twice in the second half. Getty Images

Amine Harit (on for Suarez, ‘70), NR – A natural midfielder, he replaced lone striker Suarez as the French outfit seemed to set up to play on the counter. Getty Images

Sead Kolasinac (on for Klaus, ‘71), NR – The third man with Arsenal connections to be booed, unsurprisingly. Replaced midfielder Klaus as the visitors opted for “what we have we hold”. Almost dealt the hosts a sucker-punch when Davies fluffed his attempted clearance. Getty Images

Pape Gueye (on for Veretout, ‘87), NR – Much like Under, he didn’t really have time to make an impact, but he provided some fresh legs in the middle to help prevent any further damage. Getty Images

Cengiz Under (on for Gigot, ‘87), NR – A cameo from the former Leicester man, but the tie was all but over by that point. AFP

Liam Wheeler

Richarlison finally scored for Tottenham Hotspur as the Brazil forward's double powered his side to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Marseille in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

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After going five games without a goal following his £60 million ($69 million) move from Everton, Richarlison got off the mark with a pair of clinical headers to break Marseille's resistance in north London.

Antonio Conte's team were well below their best for long periods, but the game finally swung their way when Marseille's Chancel Mbemba was sent off for a foul on Son Heung-min early in the second half.

That was Richarlison's cue to seize the spotlight as the 25-year-old netted with 14 minutes to play and struck again five minutes later.

Making the first European appearance of his career, Richarlison's predatory finishes showed why Conte made him his marquee summer signing.

The sight of the Brazilian weeping with joy as he celebrated with his family in the stands after the final whistle underlined what it meant to him.

Updated: September 08, 2022, 4:42 AM