Tottenham 2-0 Marseille – Champions League: Richarlison double seals win

This time they counted and this time his shirt stayed on as Richarlison scored his first goals for his new club and Tottenham launched their Champions League campaign with a tense and hard-fought victory.

Richarlison struck twice in the closing minutes, burying a pair of headers from left-wing crosses in front of the South Stand to break the stubborn resistance of Marseille, who played for most of the second half with 10 men.

It was the same end where the Brazilian thought he had scored on Saturday to cap a brilliant display against Fulham, when he whipped off his shirt and picked up a yellow card as the goal was ruled out by a VAR check.

This time there was no question about it. The goals were good and Spurs rejoiced. Antonio Conte’s team had been poor in the first half but took control once former Newcastle defender Chancel Mbemba had been sent off early in the second half for tripping Son Heung-min when he was clean through.

Marseille held them out them but Richarlison broke through in the 76th minute and added a second, almost a carbon copy, five minutes later. He is off and running with goals in his first Champions League game.

Spurs start with a win and remain unbeaten this season but for a long time it promised to be a night of frustration.

Marseille arrived late, less than an hour before kick-off, caught out by the North London traffic but they arrived with a wealth of Premier League experience and a thread of Arsenal running through the team.

Matteo Guendouzi and Nuno Tavares, surplus to requirements at the other end of the Seven Sisters Road both started, and their early touches reassuringly booed. Sead Kolasinac, among those cast aside by Mikel Arteta in January, was on the bench.

Marseille have also signed Alexis Sanchez but he was unavailable on Wednesday, banned for a red card while playing for Inter Milan against Liverpool, last season.

Like Spurs, they have made an unbeaten start their domestic campaign and opened with confidence, dominating possession and forcing Spurs back inside their own half. For half an hour, Conte’s team failed to establish any rhythm or intensity.

Nor did they spring out on the counter-attack with their usual menace or threaten a Marseille defence featuring Eric Bailly, on loan from Manchester United, and Mbemba, revived by Porto after three years at Newcastle, in the first half.

There was a glimmer of a chance when goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who once spent a year on loan at Tottenham from Espanyol without making a single appearance, dithered with the ball at his feet, chased down by Son Heung-min.

Lopez was cut above an eye when Harry Kane caught him with a hand as the ‘keeper gathered a high ball.

Kane saw an effort blocked by Tavares and then but Spurs did not create meaningful opportunity until five minutes before the interval, when Richarlison and Son linked up to find Kane, who slid a low shot narrowly wide of the post from an angle.

Marseille, for all their superiority in the first half, were not able to open up the Tottenham defence either.

Tavares and Mbemba flashed shots wide from distance and a long-range effort by Guendouzi hit Cristian Romero on the head and flew up in the air. Hugo Lloris came out, opted to punch when he could have caught it and made a mess of it before his defenders tidied up.

These were the slim pickings on offer until another fine strike unleashed by Guendouzi in stoppage time at the end of the first half. He caught it sweetly and it zipped across the surface, and Lloris was down quickly to save.

It proved the only shot on target in the first half and groans rang around the stadium as the teams disappeared down the tunnel. Spirits lifted, however, when Mbema was sent off in the opening moments of the second half.

Kane released Son and he sprinted clear, too quick for Mbemba, who launched into an ill-judged slide tackle. Son poked the ball on and was toppled by the sliding centre-half. He was outside the penalty area and denied a clear opportunity to score.

It was as clear as these things can be. Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic could not get his red card out of his pocket quickly enough. He dropped it, picked it up and dismissed Mbemba. Bailly received a yellow card for dissent. 

The home crowd roared their approval and Tottenham took their cue, taking a grip on the contest but Kane could not inflict further punishment from the free-kick, firing it straight at the defensive wall.

Son dragged a good chance wide before Conte made his first change on the hour, taking advantage of the numerical advantage to replace right wing-back Emerson Royal with winger Dejan Kulusevski, who was soon tearing forward to supplement the attack.

Marseille tried to waste time and Spurs lost concentration when Amine Harit almost converted a low cross by Kolasinac.

But Richarlison came to the rescue. His first from a cross by Ivan Perisic, the second from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Re-live all the action from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as it happened… 

Follow Sportsmail’s live blog for the Champions League group stage clash between Tottenham and Marseille.