Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was sent off for a moment of madness before Luuk de Jong’s 87th-minute equaliser denied them a Champions League victory over PSV in Eindhoven.
Lloris, the Spurs captain, raced from his goal to bring down home winger Hirving Lozano as the visitors led 2-1 with 11 minutes left.
Former Newcastle forward De Jong then poked in to leave Tottenham still without a win – and like PSV, with only one point – after three of their six Group B matches.
PSV had taken a first-half lead through a deflected Lozano strike, after the Mexican caught a dawdling Toby Alderweireld in possession.
But Lucas Moura then fired in an equaliser five minutes before the break and Harry Kane headed home Christian Eriksen’s cross to put the visitors ahead early in the second half.
Not for the first time in this season’s European campaign, Mauricio Pochettino’s side paid for a late lapse of concentration – leaving them, and PSV, facing an uphill battle to qualify for the last 16.
Pochettino described Tottenham’s trip to PSV as “must-win” before the game, saying “we need to be better than them”.
And although the visitors arguably were the better side on the night, two individual errors cost them.
First, Alderweireld was dispossessed by the excellent Lozano, who then found the net for the game’s opening goal, with the ball looping in off the Belgian as he got back to make a challenge.
Then Lloris displayed poor judgement, as he flew out of his area late on to bring down Lozano, who was bearing down on goal.
It is perhaps those two moments which define a Spurs European campaign flecked with late slips so far – as they conceded twice in the final five minutes to lose their Group B opener 2-1 to Inter Milan in Italy in September.
Though it could have perhaps been different for Spurs, as Kane headed against the bar in the early stages while Davinson Sanchez saw a goal disallowed with Kane adjudged to be in an offside position.
But Pochettino and his side will at least have an opportunity to right Wednesday’s wrongs when they face PSV at Wembley on 6 November, in a match of crucial importance for both sides.
This encounter marked Eriksen’s first start for Spurs since their 2-1 win at Brighton on 22 September. And despite a few moments of rustiness, the Dane was at the heart of everything good for Pochettino’s side.
He played a crucial role in their first goal, as his delightfully weighted ball found Kieran Trippier, who in turn found Lucas to apply the finish.
Deployed in the number 10 role, Eriksen acted as a link between Spurs’ holding midfielders and their attacking trio of Son Heung-min, Lucas and Kane.
And although he probably should have done better early in the second half when he fired straight at PSV goalkeeper Joen Zoet, the hosts could not keep him quiet for long as just minutes later he set up Spurs’ second.
The Dane’s cross for Kane’s 55th-minute strike was inch-perfect, and the preceding link-up with Son was superb.
But perhaps his lack of match fitness showed as his influence waned late on, and he was the player who gave the ball away in the events leading up to his captain’s red card.
Nonetheless, with Dele Alli still on the sidelines, Eriksen’s performance will provide much encouragement for Pochettino as his side enter a tricky run of games.
Do not let PSV’s Champions League defeats by Barcelona and Inter Milan fool you; they are one of the form sides in Europe, having won their opening nine Eredivisie games.
In that run, Mark van Bommel’s side have impressively conceded just three goals, but they have also scored 36.
Lozano has been crucial to that, with eight goals and three assists to his name in the league this season.
He carried that form into Europe on Wednesday and Tottenham did not deal with it well.
It was his acceleration that allowed him to take the ball off Alderweireld’s toes and break away from Sanchez before being felled by Lloris.
He also exhibited his strength to hold off the Belgian defender before finding the net for his goal, as well as showing impressive vision throughout, so it is not hard to see why he has been linked with top European clubs.