“When we go 2-0 up after two minutes, we put ourselves in a great position. After that I thought we controlled the game, before that we didn’t play too well. But then [we conceded], which was disappointing. The second half was kind of 50-50. We could have kept the ball better after that.”

Asked if they’ve made things difficult for themselves, he says: “Yeah, I think so. We wanted to get off to a winning start. We’re definitely backing ourselves to get through but we’ve got a lot of improving to do.”

Spurs have made a better start to their campaign than they did last season – and, indeed, they’ve begun better than Liverpool and Chelsea did this week – but they will leave Greece regretting the way they let a two-goal lead slip, albeit a two-goal lead that they had not done much to earn. This was an opportunity missed, and there were several worrying poor individual performances (Eriksen and Alli most notably). Still, one point away from home is an acceptable start and the way it came will be forgotten if Spurs improve and advance. But improve they must.

90+4 min: Sissoko mislays a pass in midfield for the umpteenth time since coming on. The another Frenchman, Lloris, makes a mess of his attempt to cut out a cross, and ends up giving away a corner…

90+3 min: Eriksen balloons a long pass in the general direction of Son, who never had a real chance of getting on the end of it.

90+2 min: Spurs are looking by far the more likely next scorers ….

90 min: Sharp attacking by Spurs, with Lamela leading the sharp. But Son’s eventual cross from the left lacks accuracy.

88 min: Winks booked for what looked to me like a good tackle in midfield.

86 min: Eriksen’s corner is headed clear at the near post. But Spurs regain it, and Lamela burrows his way into the left-hand side of the area and opens fire from an acute angle. The keeper bats it away. Kane is furious: he was lurking for a the pull-back.

85 min: Spurs build menacingly around the Olympiakos box. The hsots are hanging on for a point now. Semedo does well to deflect a header by Kane out for a corner. Eriksen will take it …

82 min: Spurs play their way calmly out from their own area, then Sissoko injects some pizzazz with powerful run through the middle until he’s brought down. The freekick is wasted.

80 min: Olympiakos appear to be tiring, and that’s giving Spurs a little more time and space on the ball. That’s good news for Eriksen. Maybe he’ll have the last laugh yet?

78 min: Sissoko, under no pressure, turns sideways in midfield and tries to roll the wide to Sanchez. But instead he donks it straight out of play.

Spurs substitution: Lamela on, Moura off. The Brazilian seemed to suffer a bit of cramp. Pity, because he had been playing well until then, much better than Eriksen, for one.

72 min: Elbadellaouis drops an intelligent pass in behind Davies, apparently knowing that Podence is much faster that the full-back. Sure enough, Podence makes up the ground quickly and beats Davies to the ball before pulling it back for Guerrero at the edge of the area. But that’s as good as the move got, because the forward’s shot flies into the stands.

Spurs substitution: Son on, Alli off. It had to be done.

71 min: Sanchez does well to head the ball out for a corner while under serious pressure. Tsimikas delivers an out-swinger. Sanchez heads that away too.

70 min: Guerrero, working back,shunts Winks to the ground to give Spurs a freekick mid-way inside the Olympiakos half. Eriksen clips it into the area. Sanchez nods it down well, but a defenders gets to it first.

Olympiakos substitution: Benzia on, Valbuena off. The Frenchman was excellent but fresher legs are needed now.

67 min: Moura goes foraging down the right again. He finds space to slam over a low cross. Meriah scoops it away near the penalty spot. This is a promising spell from Spurs, insofar as they are having most of the ball, and in opposing territory, to boot.

65 min: A ball ricochets off a defender into the path off Alli, who finds himself bearing down on goal at a difficult angle. Kane is calling for a pass in the middle. Alli chooses to shoot, and Jose Sa saves his low shot with his feet. The ensuing corner yields nothing.

63 min: Podence has his dancing shoes on again and he’s bringing cheers from the crowd every time he gets on the ball. Valbuena, too, is in a groove. Allo clumps in to him to give away a freekick. It’s delivered into a dicey area, but Lloris rushes out to snatch the ball.

Spurs substitution: Sissoko on, Ndombele off. The next changes should be Son and Lamela for Alli and Eriksen.

61 min: Moura’s cross from the right is headed clear by Semedo.

59 min: Eriksen is again caught in possession just outside his own box, but this time the ref judges that he was fouled.

56 min: Corner to Spurs after Elbadellaoui puts out a cross by Davies. Davies’ delivery is cleared as far as Ndombele, who shifts the ball on to his let foot and thrashes a decent effort goalwards from 25 yards. José Sa saves it comfortably.

Valbeuna sends Lloris the wrong way with a firm sidefooter, and Spurs have frittered away a two-goal lead that they didn’t do much to earn in the first place. Easy come, easy go. And now they have a hard job containing a buoyant home team for the rest of this game. It’s up for grabs now…

Vertonghen trod on the striker’s foot, after a mistake by Eriksen had put Spurs back under pressure. VAR is mulling things over, so who knows when and if the spotkick will be taken …

49 min: Eriksen springs to life to curl a ball from the right-hand corner of the box to Alli, who finished smartly. But he was offside.

48 min: “Eriksen is having a ‘mare, and I’d like to see Rose and Son come on,” storms XG. “I agree that the ‘cult of Kane’ cost Spurs in the CL Final, Kane was way below fitness. Tottenham have a very difficult 45 plus ahead of ‘em.” Yes, they do, but the first three of them have gone quite smoothly. You’re also right about Eriksen, he’s been plod. But there’s no chance of Rose coming on: he’s back in England.