Tottenham Hotspur went down to their first Champions League defeat this season despite leading twice against holders Paris St-Germain (PSG) in a thriller at Parc des Princes.
For the first hour, Thomas Frank’s side delivered a vast improvement on the limp display that drew so much criticism after the north London derby defeat by Arsenal, but it was ultimately not enough to keep PSG at bay.
Richarlison gave Spurs a deserved lead when he headed home from close range after 35 minutes, but PSG crucially drew level seconds before the interval when Vitinha’s superb right-foot strike flew high past keeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Randal Kolo Muani restored Spurs’ lead five minutes after the break with a scrambled finish against his parent club, but it was the signal for PSG to deliver an irresistible spell of the sort that accounted for Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in last season’s competition with three goals in 12 minutes.
Vitinha produced another special moment, this time with his left foot, to equalise once more, then Spurs were on the ropes when Pape Matar Sarr lost possession for Fabian Ruiz to put PSG ahead for the first time just before the hour.
Willian Pacho took advantage of more confusion in the Spurs defence to add PSG’s fourth, before Kolo Muani gave the visitors hope with an emphatic finish after 72 minutes.
PSG swiftly snuffed out any hopes of a comeback when Vitinha completed his hat-trick from the spot four minutes later after Cristian Romero’s handball.
The holders were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when substitute Lucas Hernandez was sent off for a blatant elbow on Xavi Simons.
