Tottenham 2 Roma 2: Mats Hummels scores stoppage-time equaliser as Spurs denied victory despite Son and Johnson goals

MATS HUMMELS netted a last-gasp leveller on his first European game since the Champions League final to come to Claudio Ranieri’s rescue.

The German veteran, 35, turned home ex-Manchester City man Angelino’s cross in stoppage time to break Spurs’ resistance.

Mats Hummels, right, had the final say with a late equaliserGetty

Son Heung-min gave Tottenham an early lead from the penalty spotRex

Evan Ndicka levelled for Roma when his header came off his shoulder and looped inRex

AFP

Brennan Johnson put Spurs back ahead with a sweeping finish[/caption]

Reuters

Hummels stabbed home to level things up in stoppage time[/caption]

He had not featured in Europe since losing to Real Madrid in the biggest club game in European football at the end of last season.

Spurs had hoped to close out a vital three points in their bid to seal automatic qualification for the Europa League knockouts stages.

Son Heung-min’s penalty and a Brennan Johnson strike, either side of an Evan N’Dicka header, were looking like they would be enough to do exactly that.

But in a game full of chances for both sides, Ranieri marked his return to England with a precious point thanks to Hummels.

The ex-Chelsea and Leicester boss, now 73, had only taken charge of Roma – for the third time – earlier this month.

Everyone was wondering which Spurs would turn up after their wildly inconsistent displays this season.

Would it be the one who battered Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad in the last game, or the one that handed Ipswich their first Prem win of the season the match before?

At least with Postecoglou’s Tottenham you know it is always going to be an entertaining experience and this was no different.

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The Spurs skipper dispatched from 12 yards to put the hosts in frontAlamy

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The Aussie’s side were handed the chance for a perfect start when Hummels tripped the excellent Pape Matar Sarr in the box inside three minutes.

It looked a stonewall spotkick but bizarrely ref Glenn Nyberg did not give it – until VAR told him to take another look on the pitchside monitor and he promptly reversed his decision.

Captain Son did the business from 12 yards, sending keeper Mile Svilar the wrong way.

This was only Ranieri’s second game in charge with his first coming in a 1-0 defeat at Serie A leaders Napoli, bossed by ex-Spurs chief Antonio Conte.

Paulo Dybala impressed and had a shot well-blocked by Fraser Forster in what was a confidence-building early moment for the big man, deputising for the foreseeable due to Guglielmo Vicario’s broken ankle.

Yet there was nothing the England international could do about Roma’s leveller soon after, as N’Dicka rose highest to crash Dybala’s free-kick off the bar and in.

Ranieri thought his side had scored a brilliant second moments later – but Stephan El Shaarawy’s thunderbolt volley was chalked off for the narrowest of offsides.

Spurs stepped it up from there and had a Johnson shot was cleared off the line by ex-Manchester City man Angelino.

Then, on 34 minutes, the hosts retook the lead via a blistering counter-attack.

The Welshman already has nine goals for Tottenham this seasonGetty

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Sarr fired a perfectly-weighted ball into space up the pitch which Dejan Kulusevski hared onto, before crossing for Johnson to strike home first time.

Postecoglou’s punched the air in delight as the Welshman wheeled away to celebrate his ninth goal in 19 Spurs games this season.

It really should have been more before the break but when the ball rebounded back to Son after Kulusevski had struck the post, the South Korean somehow blazed over.

Ranieri’s side had the ball in the net twice early in the second half but both were chalked off because striker Artem Dovbyk was offside.

Pedro Porro then diverted an Angelino volley onto the crossbar – before hitting the Roma woodwork himself with a dangerous free-kick.

Spurs struck the upright for a third time when Dominic Solanke headed onto it.

It would prove to be costly because after Forster had made two excellent stops late on, Roma would not be denied when Hummels converted at the death.

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Ange Postecoglou and Claudio Ranieri shared the points in LondonAFP