Tottenham Hotspur vs. Monaco: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League Match

Tottenham Hotspur started their 2016-17 UEFA Champions League campaign in disappointing fashion on Wednesday, as AS Monaco beat Spurs 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.

The hosts dominated early but ran into a quick Monaco double when Bernardo Silva opened the scoring against the run of play before Thomas Lemar doubled their lead. Toby Alderweireld pulled one back for Spurs just before half-time, but despite a ton of pressure in the second half, the north London side couldn't find a second goal.

As the club's official Twitter account shared, Heung-Min Son maintained his spot in the starting XI after his fine showing over the weekend:

For Monaco, both Joao Moutinho and Radamel Falcao started.

As the Telegraph shared, Spurs were already winners before the first kick:

Spurs started the match on the front foot, with Kyle Walker pushing up on the wing early. The full-back immediately earned a corner kick, but Erik Lamela's delivery was subpar.

The fast pace was quickly broken up by an early injury, however, with Nabil Dirar leaving the pitch inside the first five minutes.

The Daily Mirror's Ed Malyon couldn't help himself:

Son came agonisingly close to handing his side the lead after nine minutes, after some clever passing and a lucky deflection saw the ball land at his feet at the far post. The South Korean beat goalkeeper Danijel Subasic with his effort, but team-mate Andrea Raggi made a last-ditch clearance just before the ball crossed the line.

Harry Kane and Tiemoue Bakayoko tangled, with the latter dropping to the pitch with an apparent back injury, as the pace dropped out of the match again. Spurs were in control, but Monaco kept looking for counter opportunities.

Their first counter immediately led to a goal as Fabinho played in Silva, who cut inside before blasting a beautiful shot outside Hugo Lloris' reach.

Andrew Gibney of Bleacher Report and FourFourTwo loved it:

Silva proved to be a handful minutes later, bursting past Dele Alli before turning near the penalty box. The England international took him down and was lucky the referee's view was obstructed, or he would have seen a yellow card and given away a free-kick in a dangerous position.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

The opening goal gave Monaco confidence, and suddenly, the visitors were on equal footing. Fabinho made a fantastic impression, closing down spaces whenever Spurs had possession.

Kane almost found an equaliser shortly before the half-hour mark, with Kamil Glik sliding in at the last second to deny the forward, before substitute Lemar powered home a loose ball inside the box to hand the Ligue 1 side a two-goal advantage:

Wembley was shocked, as were Spurs. Kane took out his frustrations with a flying tackle and was booked for his efforts before the hosts escaped a three-goal deficit.

Moutinho picked out Glik with a great free-kick, and the former Torino man just missed the target.

BEN STANSALL/Getty Images

Monaco finished the half on the front foot, but Alderweireld got back just in time to stop Falcao from unleashing a shot. A third French goal seemed more likely than one for Spurs, but just before half-time, the Belgian headed home from close range to reduce the deficit to a single goal.

Per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty, it was just what the doctor had ordered:

Spurs were close to finding an equaliser before the whistle blew, as Alli almost got on the end of another Lamela cross.

The second half started with a bang as Alli forced Subasic into a great save with a fantastic strike. Spurs' early push for a second goal caused Monaco all kinds of problems, and the former MK Dons man was soon cut down by Glik, with the Polish defender running into a booking.

Kane was more involved after the break, but most of the danger came from Alli. The midfielder was not afraid to get his hands dirty, and he clashed with several Monaco players after an apparent dive got Fabinho booked.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

The supposed foul occurred before the corner, however, so it didn't produce a penalty. 

Spurs dominated possession, but Monaco pulled back into their own half and defended well. Even Falcao made several tackles, restricting the space around the box. The visitors produced little of note in attack, however, and Spurs gradually committed more and more players to the attack.

NBC Sports' Joe Prince-Wright noted Monaco usually handle pressure well:

Falcao headed a rare Monaco chance over the bar before Spurs introduced Vincent Janssen with time running out. The Dutchman immediately released Kane, who had a shot blocked.

Janssen pushed Jemerson off the ball, but Kane's follow-up was weak and straight at Subasic. With five minutes left to play, some of the home fans had already started to exit the stadium, highlighting how few chances Spurs created.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino was understandably frustrated after the match:

His counterpart Leonardo Jardim had an explanation for Spurs' struggles:

Tottenham will host Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday, while Monaco play Rennes in Ligue 1 on Saturday.