Ukraine has tried to bounce US into a peace deal – but Putin is still in charge

Ukraine continues to suffer the swings and roundabouts of outrageous fortune at the hands of American negotiators but is learning how to survive the whirligig of the White House.

Donald Trump and his envoys are neither honest brokers nor even allies of Kyiv’s fight to defend itself against Russian invaders. But, for a little while, it seems that Ukraine has managed to swing them away from being outright enemies.

American officials have reportedly told US media that some kind of a deal has been struck in Abu Dhabi – after last weekend’s talks in Geneva – and that the prospects for peace in Ukraine are looking good.

The nature of that deal is key. And there is no clarity on what version of a plan that is, or even whether it’s a blueprint for peace or for just a ceasefire.

Kyiv rejected last week’s Trump administration plan for total capitulation by Ukraine. There have been red faces in the White House since it was published, after some linguistic analysis suggested that it may have originally been written in Russian.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, apparently had no idea the proposal was in the works. European leaders condemned it, Ukraine rejected it, and Moscow loved it.

Ukraine took the opening brouhaha as an opportunity to whisper its way through to Trump’s people.

Over the weekend, Kyiv and European leaders took the US proposal that the Russians liked so much and turned it inside out.

Out went Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine give Russia land it hasn’t even captured yet, give America preferential profit deals on projects the US had not even funded, and out went the cap on Ukraine’s forces at 600,000. Out went a ban on Ukraine’s Nato membership and in came a demand for Russian reparations.

Above all, Ukraine would get “chapter five type” security guarantees from the US and all other allies, which would trigger a military conflict with Moscow if Russia tried a new invasion.

Now, according to Ukraine’s head of the national security council, Rustem Umerov, America has signed up to some of what was agreed with Europe and Ukraine at the weekend.

“Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva. We now count on the support of our European partners in our further steps,” he said.

In Kyiv, a Ukrainian official deeply involved with ceasefire negotiations said that the US appeared to have agreed to adopt Ukraine’s positions.

The official in president Volodymyr Zelensky’s office said that if the deal was “the framework from Geneva, we’re okay. It’s not a bad framework to work further”.

And Zelensky wrote on X: “Following the meetings in Geneva, we see many prospects that can make the path to peace real. There are solid results, and much work still lies ahead.”

But it is not at all clear if the US has done a handbrake turn. Trump has consistently ruled out offering American forces as a guarantee for Ukraine’s future security.

The Geneva plan allows for progressive sanctions to be lifted on Russia and for Moscow to rejoin the G8 economic group of nations.

Trump wants to get back to business in Russia immediately.

Ukraine has said that US negotiators, led by Daniel Driscoll, had agreed to work within the terms of the new deal.

American officials, seldom given to clarity or veracity anyway, were more vague.

“Over the past week, the United States has made tremendous progress towards a peace deal by bringing both Ukraine and Russia to the table,” said Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary.

“There are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.”

Russia doesn’t like the way Kyiv has managed to get into the conversation over its own future, nor the way Zelensky’s team have managed to manoeuvre the plan towards its side.

On Monday, Moscow had rejected the Ukrainian-European 28-point plan for peace outright as “completely unconstructive”.

And now Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff – fresh from briefing the Russians on how to flatter his boss – is being dispatched to Moscow next week to speak to Putin.

For Zelensky and his allies, efforts will focus on riding the Trump carousel of chaos long enough for him to agree to their proposals.

But it is Putin who Trump sees as the ringmaster and who will likely whip the US back towards the Russian line.

Two National Guard members shot near White House

The suspect in the shooting of two members of the National Guard near the White House has been identified as an Afghan national, and named by authorities.

Multiple outlets, includingThe Associated Press, reported that the suspect was believed to be 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in September 2021 and had been living in Washington state.

Officials were still working to confirm details of his background Wednesday evening.

Gunfire was reported around 2 p.m. in downtown Washington, D.C. Both National Guard members are in critical condition and are being treated at a local hospital, officials said. The suspect was also being treated at a local hospital, according to police.

The attack was later described as a “targeted” attack, and the White House was put on lockdown during the incident.

Donald Trump, who is in Florida for Thanksgiving, responded to the incident in a Truth Social post.

“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump wrote. “God bless our Great National Guard, and all of our Military and Law Enforcement.”

No way out for crisis-ridden Liverpool as PSV deliver Anfield humbling

Arne Slot’s excellence against Dutch clubs propelled him to Liverpool. Now it is a sign of how everything seems to be going wrong for Slot that even that prowess appears to have deserted him, that a humiliation at the hands of a club from his homeland prompted him to admit it is normal to wonder if he can remain at Anfield.

As Peter Bosz was the Dutch master in the dugout, adding the scalp of the champions of England to their Italian counterparts, scarcely believably, Liverpool suffered a ninth defeat in 12 games, and they did not just lose. They were hammered in historic fashion by PSV Eindhoven.

Twelfth in the Premier League, 13th in the Champions League, hit for four by PSV, this is crisis time for Slot and Liverpool. “It is a shock for everyone, for the players, for me, this is very unexpected,” he said.

The realist in him accepted that the scale of Liverpool’s slide is such that talk of the sack has emerged. But not, he said, from Liverpool’s powerbrokers.

“I am feeling safe, I am okay. I have got a lot of support from above,” he explained. “It would be nice to turn it around and get a victory but if you are working as a coach and not doing well, then it is normal that questions are asked. I am ok with my position. They don’t call every single minute of the day to say they trust me. In the normal conversations we have, I feel the trust.”

Which, perhaps, may need to be repaid. The Anfield public delivered a less flattering verdict with boos on the final whistle; they might have been louder, but many had already left. They had seen enough; plenty had come to that decision even before Couhaib Driouech’s second goal.

It meant that, for the first time since 1953, Liverpool have lost three consecutive games by three goals. And that, by way of context, came in the last season when they were relegated. This was also Liverpool’s joint-heaviest European defeat at Anfield, but the other came to Real Madrid. PSV came to Anfield as underdogs and yet emulated them.

Now Liverpool’s fortress has been breached twice in five days, first by Nottingham Forest and now by PSV, recording famous triumphs. Liverpool contrived to be the most accommodating of hosts by making a series of errors, from the bizarre to the sadly predictable. They descended into a shambles; it is almost becoming a ritual.

Slot had said it was ridiculous the number of goals Liverpool had let in this season. Four more took the tally to 34. It is an understatement to say the latest were avoidable. There were different types of defensive shortcomings; the first was almost inexplicable, the other three rather too familiar.

Liverpool’s malaise looked to have affected even an uncharacteristically jittery Virgil van Dijk. The captain had admitted Liverpool were in a mess. He compounded it with an impromptu display of goalkeeping, a raised arm tipping away Joey Veerman’s corner, to bring an early breakthrough. The centre-back argued he was pushed by his Netherlands teammate Jerdy Schouten. Referee Alejandro Hernandez disagreed, and Ivan Perisic slotted in the penalty.

On a quest for redemption, Van Dijk headed Mohamed Salah’s corner onto the bar. Yet a cathartic comeback eluded him. This was the 10th time in 12 matches that Liverpool let in the opening goal. But as in some others, they pulled level only to drop behind again.

“I don’t think this is the time to emphasise individual errors,” said Slot. There were almost too many to document. For the second goal, Mauro Junior escaped from Salah with rather too much ease and delivered a lovely cross. Guus Til got in ahead of Milos Kerkez to supply the finish. It was a fifth goal in three games for the Dutchman. It was yet another goal Liverpool have conceded this season via a cross to the far post. It was another, too, that they have conceded to a counterattack.

Ibrahima Konate’s mistakes have been all too frequent and he managed to miss the ball to free PSV to score the third. It came from a combination of substitutes, Ricardo Pepi hitting the post and Driouech rolling in the rebound. There was a time when Slot’s use of replacements appeared that inspired. Now it was Bosz, with a triple change, who got an immediate reward. One of those reinforcements, Driouech, completed a brace in injury time from Serginio Dest’s cutback.

Liverpool’s sole goal came from Dominik Szoboszlai, slotting in after the former PSV winger Cody Gakpo had a shot parried. For Slot, restoring the Hungarian to midfield was a rare decision to pay off. Yet little else worked. Hugo Ekitike was brought back into the team and showed the sharpness Alexander Isak had conspicuously lacked against Forest, but he went off with a back spasm. Isak came on, to little effect, as Federico Chiesa again proved a livelier substitute.

Yet Driouech proved the real super-sub, hoisting his man-of-the-match award in front of the PSV public as if it were a major trophy, and to huge cheers.

A Liverpool supporter, meanwhile, delivered his own verdict on their slide. “I’m a fan, and I’ve seen this club all my life,” said Curtis Jones. “In a long, long time, I haven’t experienced a Liverpool team going through a period like this with results like these. Right now, we’re in the s*** and it needs to change.”

And that, in turn, prompts the question if managerial change is needed.

Pam Hogg, legendary Scottish fashion designer dies

Pam Hogg, the Scottish fashion designer who dressed everyone from Kate Moss to Beyoncé and Debbie Harry, has died. She was believed to be in her sixties, but never publicly revealed her age.

Her family said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened to confirm the passing of our beloved Pamela.”

They said she spent her final hours “peaceful and surrounded by the loving care of cherished friends and family” at Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, London. No cause of death was disclosed.

The statement continued: “Pamela’s creative spirit and body of work touched the lives of many people of all ages,” they added.

“She leaves a magnificent legacy that will continue to inspire, bring joy and challenge us to live beyond the confines of convention.

“Pamela will continue to live in our hearts and minds. A glorious life lived and loved.”

Broadcaster Fearne Cotton was among those paying tribute in the comments on Instagram, writing: “Pam. Oh Pam. What a joy it was to know you. I’ll miss you Pam.”

Menswear designer Kim Jones wrote: “Love you Pam you were so strong right to the end our warrior queen,” while designer Bella Freud added: “How sad to think of the fashion world without her shining brilliance.”

Broadcaster Andi Oliver said she was heartbroken by the news, adding: “What a WOMAN!! The one and ONLY!!!”

Radio host and presenter Nick Grimshaw remembered Hogg as “ever brilliant,” adding: “Always a night highlight to be locked into a deep chat with Pam, always so welcoming, so funny, reviving and inspiring to be around. I will miss that.”

Garbage singer Shirley Manson described Hogg as “the Iconoclastic and fantastic Dr Hogg.”

“The brilliance and the bravery and the extraordinary, explosive sense of humour that perpetually burled you forth with tremendous force.”

“…Dr Hogg may have left the runway but you will be found in the long and storied history of British fashion and in the imaginative, pioneering work of each and every fashion designer who trails in your wake.”

Hogg, born in Paisley, Scotland, studied Fine Art and Printed Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art before attending the Royal College of Art in London. She launched her first fashion collection, Psychadelic Jungle, in 1981, inspired by the strict dress code and atmosphere of London’s Blitz Club during the early Eighties.

Hogg’s designs were bold, futuristic and inflected with punk influences. Her signature design was her interpretation of the catsuit, and she recreated versions of the look throughout her career for Kylie Minogue, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Most notably, Minogue wore Hogg’s black mesh metal-studded cat suit in the music video for her 2007 song “2 Hearts”.

Naomi Campbell, Björk, Grace Jones, Kelly Rowland, Princess Diana and Princess Eugenie are among other famous faces who sported Hogg’s designs.

In 2016, Hogg designed the statuette for the Brit Awards, producing 13 trophies that incorporated glitter and metallic tones.

Alongside her illustrious fashion career, Hogg was a musician and supported The Pogues and Debbie Harry of Blondie. She was a member of the bands Rubbish and Doll.

How their Bayern demolition proves Arsenal are the best side in Europe

Another victory of outstanding quality, that may yet set up more to come. And maybe a new Champions League winner.

If a theme of this second campaign of an expanded Champions League has been the sense of lower stakes, this 3-1 Arsenal win over the next best side in Europe may yet be a sign of how this season is actually decided. That isn’t just for the fact that Mikel Arteta’s supremely complete side comprehensively won a tactically-rich contest between fine sides, or even that 17-year-old Bayern Munich revelation Lennart Karl looked so promising.

There was also the nature of the tactical contest, which has started to form another theme of this season.

While Arsenal are notionally the best examples of a newly technocratic Premier League, where set-pieces have become the most prominent example of this attempt to use its ample wealth to really maximise every single margin, Bayern are another continental side who continue to almost exclusively insist on a more open positional game.

That could initially be seen in the first-half goals. First, Arsenal showed off their speciality with Jurrien Timber scoring an almost indefensible corner to go ahead, and ensure that the last five goals Bayern have conceded have been from set-pieces.

It was inevitable, as sure an eventuality as you could have – Bayern then followed by doing what so few now do to this Arsenal defence, and properly opened them up. Joshua Kimmich played a near-perfect cross-field ball, that found Michael Olise just inside. He immediately supplied his own fine delivery for Karl to finish.

If we’re talking about fine margins, Bayern showed the difference of millimetres and milliseconds at this level. Even a defence as good as Arsenal’s can’t keep out such a side indefinitely.

These are the standards. The issue for the rest of Europe, however, is that Arsenal might have risen to them – or even past them?

Their quality from set-pieces shouldn’t obscure the fact that Arteta’s team could do almost anything Bayern could in open play, and more. The two clinching goals came from there, with the contrasts between the sides compounded by how Vincent Kompany’s team coughed up so many errors.

Noni Madueke’s goal came from a sloppy Dayot Upamecano pass out from the back straight to Declan Rice, and Gabriel Martinelli’s from another loss as Manuel Neuer did his wandering act.

By then, however, Arsenal were completely dominant. As with the north London derby victory over a chastened Tottenham Hotspur, the Premier League leaders could genuinely have hit five or six here – especially in the second half.

Maybe Spurs weren’t actually that bad. Maybe Arsenal are actually this good. They just have more, even than a fancied side like Bayern – at least for now.

It is ominous for Chelsea at the weekend, as Arsenal now threaten to turn a very challenging week into the best you could possibly have.

They are flying, able to come up at you from all angles – which is where the contrast is all the more relevant. It is not that the English sides have set-pieces and the best continental sides persist in a more purist approach. It is that the English sides have that and more.

There might always be that extra advantage in games like this.

Arsenal know better than any recent side how you can’t read too much into one half of the season. A lot can change. It was around this time last year that they comprehensively beat Paris Saint-Germain at home in the group stage.

The nature of that victory, as well as the football, might lend to a feeling that – in classic European style – an emphasis on open play will eventually out; that, like PSG, a side such as Bayern will eventually find that extra rhythm when it really matters.

It just feels risky to presume that right now, when Arsenal were that good. They battered Bayern into submission on set-plays, but then overwhelmed them in play, too. Right now, they have everything.

There was even the happiness of Martin Odegaard coming back, as the fans got to gleefully sing at Harry Kane about the score.

Arsenal are the only side left with a 100 per cent Champions League record, to go with their domestic form, as confidence only grows. Barely anyone can touch them right now, unless you’re a player of Karl’s potential.

Arteta is keen to ensure that the team retains this ultra-focus above all else. Right now, though, they just look above everyone else – no matter how you try and play them.

They’ve already set themselves up for so much. They know they just have to make it really matter.

Cruise through Cajun Country on this unforgettable Louisiana road trip

A circular route from New Orleans takes you north along the Mississippi through Louisiana’s River Parishes to Baton Rouge. Loop through Lafayette and Houma on Highway 90, before returning to New Orleans. Whilst the 300-mile road trip can be done in a week, a fortnight or more best suits the southern laidback spirit to truly discover treasures along the way.

Best planned for early spring, when Louisiana jumps to its feet with music festivals and parties, or in the calmer autumn months when food festivals, gumbo cook-offs, and fall colours light up the oak-lined avenues. Here’s what not to miss en route…

New Orleans gives main character energy, even though the state capital, Baton Rouge, sits just 80 miles west along the river. Start the journey here with a day (or night) lost in the French Quarter, where lacy iron balconies and pastel facades are the backdrop to Jackson Square street performers and jazz music on every corner. Grab a coffee and oh-so-light powdered sugar beignet at Café du Monde, to fuel exploration of the city’s great cultural institutions, such as The National WWII Museum or the evocative Historic Voodoo Museum. Ride the St. Charles Streetcar past moss-draped oaks and stately mansions in the Garden District, or explore the city by foot to find your own adventure.

For a quirky day trip, drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway – the world’s longest continuous bridge over water, according to the Guinness World Records – to find Abita Mystery House in Abita Springs; a curious folk-art installation of animated miniature towns and oddities from the mind of local inventor, John Preble.

Follow the Mississippi River north towards Baton Rouge, with a few stops en route. Explore Houmas House Estate and Gardens: once one of the largest sugar plantations in the country, visitors can now dine at one of the many restaurants and take guided tours showcasing the extensively-restored manor house and expansive gardens. Whitney Plantation, about 30 miles downriver gives a heartbreaking and evocative account of enslavement, and visiting these two plantations gives a sense of how both sides lived.

Baton Rouge emerges like a stately figurehead, rocking on the porch at the top of the Great River Road. A hub for art, music and politics, Baton Rouge is also a food mecca with fine dining, soul food, and the Red Stick Farmers Market – filled with homemade goods on the weekend. The gothic inspired Old State Capitol museum wouldn’t look out of place in a medieval fairytale, whilst climbing the current State Capitol building’s tower unravels views of the Mississippi river snaking through the landscape below.

Drive 55 miles westward, and find yourself in Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge – halfway along Interstate 10. The conservation area protects over 15,000 acres of hardwood forest and swamp habitat; spot alligators paddling through the bayous riverways, bird watch for woodpeckers, wrens and warblers, or just take in the impressive scenery.

Follow the sound of zydeco music down the Interstate to the dance halls of Lafayette. The heart of Cajun and Creole country, Lafayette is the ultimate place to tap your feet to this blend of French accordion and Afro-Caribbean beats. Louisiana’s French history is very much alive, as French conversations linger in the porchlight or come to life in Vermilionville folk museum, the re-creation of a 19th-century Acadiana village. Lafayette is also a food lover’s paradise. Try spicy boudin sausage from a roadside meat market, feast on gumbo as dark as a bayou at dusk, or savor po’boys and crawfish étouffée stew at a local café.

U.S. Highway 90 takes you southeast to the coastal wetlands of Houma. If you like it spicy, make a stop off in New Iberia and follow the pepper-scented air to Avery Island, home to the world’s only Tabasco factory and the botanical Jungle Garden of conservationist and hot sauce founder, Edward Avery McIlhenny.

As you travel further south, sing along with the southern leopard frogs on a guided swamp tour, spot another alligator, or drop into Houma’s Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum to hear the story of shrimpers, oystermen, and how this slice of coastline has been shaped by cultural, industrial and ecological events.

With a suitcase full of memories and joie de vivre, head back to New Orleans. Every mile offers a detour worth taking; from the turbulent history and uplifting music, to watery labyrinths and astounding swamp wildlife. A Louisiana road trip invites you to slow down and enjoy a journey into the true Deep South.

For more travel inspiration and information visit Explore Louisiana

New I’m A Celebrity twist leaves camp split as ‘rivalries’ revealed

The latest twist on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! has dramatically reshaped camp dynamics, pitting contestants against each other in a new “rivals” format.

Wednesday’s episode saw celebrities face Bushtucker Trials head-to-head, with the public voting to determine these pairings.

Challenges involving pig brains, fish guts, and offal decided who returned to the newly christened “Win City” and who was banished to “Doomsville” for a meagre meal of rice and beans.

The first round, Face Off, was taken on by soap star Lisa Riley and Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp, who had to retrieve two stars from a box of slime and fish guts using only their mouths.

Lisa successfully secured both stars before Martin had even got his first one, sealing her place in Win City.

In the second round, the public voted for model Kelly Brook to go against Irish presenter Vogue Williams in Mind Games, where they had to be the first to eat a full pig’s brain, with Vogue successfully making it to the end.

Comedian Eddie Kadi was voted to compete against TV personality Jack Osbourne in Mouthing Off, where they had to race to get the star off the thread using only their mouth and tongue, whilst being covered in critters.

Despite the competition being neck and neck, Jack claimed the winning title and secured his spot in Win City.

Round four involved comedian Ruby Wax taking on Celebs Go Dating receptionist Tom Read Wilson in Snakey Behaviour and was tasked with reaching into a box and counting how many snakes.

Ruby successfully guessed four snakes while Tom sealed his fate in Doomsville for guessing eight snakes.

Sports broadcaster Alex Scott faced former EastEnders actress Shona McGarty in Eye to Eye, where they had to be the first to squeeze the juice out of the raw fish eyes and fill a shot glass using only their mouths, drinking the shot once it was full.

Despite a close call in filling the shot glass, Alex was the first to down it in one and took first place, however, immediately after, brought it all back up in the sick bucket next to her.

The final pairing – rapper Aitch and social media star Morgan Burtwistle, who is known as Angryginge – took part in Blood Bath, where they had to sit in a tank of offal and race to scoop it into a box.

As they both got in, Aitch wished his “brother” the “best of luck” before Ginge took the winning title.

The campmates were also reminded that they will have the chance to face off their rivals again over the next few days.

The Trial’s winners – Lisa, Vogue, Jack, Ruby, Alex and Ginge – made their way back to Win City, which has undergone a full purple makeover, including a purple telephone box, beds, bedding, camp clothes, towels and comfy log seating.

Lisa said: “Our purple palace is absolutely delightful!”

Meanwhile, Martin, Kelly, Eddie, Tom, Shona and Aitch arrived at Doomsville and were greeted with one rock-hard bunk bed.

The remainder of the beds were grey groundsheets on the floor, which Kelly described as “bleak”.

Martin said of Doomsville: “We are essentially doing time.”

As they returned, Tom got emotional and said he was missing home as his campmates comforted him.

He said: “I’m a wreck, sorry… I’m just a wreck today, I can’t stop. I think I’ve opened the floodgates a bit.”

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! returns on Thursday at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX & STV Player and is followed by I’m A Celebrity… Unpacked, which airs nightly after the main show on ITV2, STV, ITVX & STV Player.

Why Spurs will feel good despite shipping five goals in Paris

In the space of four days, Tottenham have shown there really are different ways to lose a football match.

Four touches in the opposition penalty area in defeat to your greatest rival is not the one. A young, vibrant side taking the game to the effervescent European champions Paris Saint-Germain is.

On paper, conceding five goals is hardly going to completely win over disgruntled masses still smarting from the tedium of Sunday’s North London derby disaster. Those who can see the wood for the trees, however, will afford Thomas Frank a little grace now, at least.

The Dane had to think long and hard about Sunday, and how not to repeat a single move from that humbling. At the Parc des Princes, he had the most opportune encounter in which to start afresh.

The Champions League has been a happy hunting ground for Frank so far, with Spurs one of four sides unbeaten going into a match in Paris where, given this rather tepid new Champions League format negates much jeopardy, they essentially had a free hit.

Defeat wouldn’t do too much damage to hopes of a top-eight finish, with three very winnable games to come. Victory would be memorable, if only for a few days afterwards.

A positive performance, regardless of what the scoreline showed upon the final whistle, however, was imperative for Frank, given the vitriol that has come his way amid some of the most turgid attacking displays the Premier League has ever seen from Spurs of late.

Essentially, it couldn’t get any worse, but Frank had to put a side out who could at least show some endeavour and turn the tide of public opinion back in his favour.

And, after everyone had recovered from one of those seizure-inducing light shows at the Parc des Princes, endeavour was the order of the day from Spurs’ youthful-looking side.

Spurs showed more attacking gusto in the opening 10 minutes than in the entirety of the Arsenal defeat. Down the other end, moving to four at the back did not make them any more porous, the opposite in fact, with PSG restricted to long-range efforts.

While their final pass eluded them early on – confidence is rock bottom after what came before – Spurs started brightly and seemed to relish actually taking the attack to an opponent.

As part of his five changes, Frank brought in the energy of Lucas Bergvall and the fleet-footedness of Archie Gray to give the Spurs midfield some nicely balanced vibrancy.

When Spurs finally composed themselves, their quality did show through. Those two fledgling talents in midfield played a huge part in setting up Richarlison’s aesthetically pleasing opener – nothing more than the visitors deserved.

What they needed to do was to get to half-time in front. They did all they could to achieve such, but when you are facing the European champions, who possess some of the best midfielders in the world, give them an inch and they will take a mile.

Vitinha’s sumptuous strike from a quickly-taken corner caught Spurs off guard, an equaliser that could not have been better timed for the home side, right on the cusp of half time.

Visiting supporters, who had spent much of the first half singing “champions of Europe, you’ll never sing that” to the champions of Europe, remained content.

They were even more buoyant as, immediately after the restart, Randal Kolo Muani bulleted the visitors back in front – the striker’s first goal for Spurs, against his parent club.

Those inches were still on offer down the other end, however, and in the blink of an eye, one of Spurs’ best recent showings became futile.

Three goals in 12 second-half minutes took PSG into an unassailable position, with Vitinha lashing another beauty in from the edge of the box, Cristian Romero’s woeful pass seized upon and dispatched by Fabian Ruiz, before Willian Pacho’s header made it 4-1.

Kolo Muani’s personal night to remember continued as he took his evening and overall Spurs tally to two with a fine finish, but Romero’s handball gave Vitinha the chance to net his unprecedented treble from the spot.

The late dismissal of Lucas Hernandez for ludicrously chucking an elbow at Xavi Simons could not take the shine off a superb showing from the hosts. Nor could the defeat give Spurs’ more upbeat fans too much to gripe about.