'Exceptional' Guglielmo Vicario joins elite club after bailing Tottenham out in Champions League draw as Monaco boss accuses goalkeeper of time wasting

While the stats showed Monaco launched 23 shots at the Tottenham goal, none found their way past Vicario. And according to Squawka, the keeper kept out 2.68 expected goals and emerged as one of the four shot-stoppers to make more than eight saves to keep a clean sheet for an English side in the last 10 campaigns, following in the footsteps of Alisson Becker, Nick Pope and David De Gea. Monaco, still without Paul Pogba, threw everything at Tottenham. They pressed high, moved the ball with purpose, and flooded Vicario’s box with attacks. Folarin Balogun, the former Arsenal man, seemed destined to haunt his old North London rivals but found Vicario in inspired form. The Italian denied him three times in the opening half alone, including one fingertip save that drew applause even from the home supporters. Just before the break, he pulled off another stunning stop to keep out Maghnes Akliouche, keeping Spurs in the contest despite Monaco’s relentless assault. Four in the first half alone, followed by several more in the second, including a sensational reaction stop from Thilo Kehrer’s close-range header. Then came his crowning moment, when he made an extraordinary reflex block from Jordan Teze, diving full stretch to prevent what looked like a certain goal.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank, who cut a relieved figure at full-time, was quick to defend his goalkeeper’s recent critics.

"I think the two goals against Villa, I don't think it's mistakes. I don't think it's any of that. It was two great finishes," Frank countered. "What I would say, I think he was very good today. I think some of the saves were exceptional. He's a big part of why we got a hard-fought point, but at the end of the day, it can be a crucial point."

For Frank, the result was as much about resilience as it was about performance.

"It was a game [with a] relatively even first half and then a second half, where I think Monaco was better than us, where we didn't hit the performance we want," he said.

"I think we lacked a bit of intensity overall in the game, especially the second half and that combined with a day where we didn't get too many players at a good enough level -- that can happen. I think we are learning Champions League and every game in Champions League is difficult, especially away games against a good Monaco side. A Monaco side which I also think it's fair to say they had the best half of the season against us.

"Fair play to them and then the ability for us to compete in the Premier League and then in the Champions League is a challenge we are up for and want to. It's fair to say, last year we finished 17th and competed in Europa League, so we are taking it step by step. And it's not the worst thing on a bad day to get a point and a clean sheet."

While Tottenham celebrated a hard-fought point, Monaco’s manager Pocognoli was left seething. The Belgian boss accused Vicario of time-wasting, claiming the keeper was deliberately slowing the game to frustrate his side.

"Vicario was outstanding, he make some great saves. He wasted also a lot of time between each free kick, long kicks," Pocognoli smiled. "He played a good game, but I think it's also because we were strong to create the chances. Good performance from him. Man of the match."

The draw leaves Tottenham 15th in the overall Champions League group rankings after three matches, with five points on the board. However, two of those games have been away, and Spurs remain unbeaten. It is something they’ve only managed once before in their opening three Champions League fixtures, back in 2017-18.

Tottenham’s European campaign continues to gather momentum, even if their performances haven’t yet convinced the purists. Next up, they return to domestic duty with a Premier League clash against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday. Frank will be hoping for a bit more fluidity in attack after an inspired performance from Vicario saved their blushes.