Dele Alli showed his frustration by hurling a boot after being substituted while Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho just used his words after their 1-0 Champions League loss to Leipzig.
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While the visitors could rely on Timo Werner netting his 26th goal of the season from the penalty spot in the first leg of the last-16 meeting, Spurs struggled in attack without injured forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
"It's a situation like going to fight with a gun without bullets," Mourinho said.
And the manager seemed to already be dreading a run of games when he'll have to rely on Lucas Moura and Alli up front.
"What worries me is that these are our players for the next however many matches," Mourinho said.
Not exactly an inspirational message to raise the spirits of a team after a loss at home.
"If I could I would move immediately to July 1," Mourinho said.
There is still more than three months of the season remaining, though.
Victory in north London for Leipzig - in their first knockout phase game in the Champions League - is the latest step in a decade-long rise from the fifth tier of German football.
At 32, Julian Nagelsmann is a young coach on the rise, producing stunning results in Europe.
"We always try to attack the opponents very early and try to win the ball high up in their half," Nagelsmann said.
"Today, in the second half, we tried to create a bit more of a counter."
A clumsy tackle by Tottenham defender Ben Davies on Konrad Laimer led to the penalty that Werner converted in the 58th minute.
Such was the dominance of Leipzig - particularly in the first half - that they would have been left somewhat disappointed by the scoreline.
Tottenham's frustration was encapsulated by Alli flinging his boot onto the ground in annoyance while walking to the bench after being substituted.
"I think he was angry with his performance," Mourinho said. "Not with me."
Atalanta fared even better than Leipzig on Wednesday night, routing Valencia 4-1 in their 'home' leg at the San Siro, to close in on a spot in the last eight in their first season in the competition.
Hans Hateboer scored twice for the Serie A outfit while Josip Ilicic and Remo Freuler also struck before Denis Cheryshev's consolation goal for La Liga's Valencia.
"A three-goal advantage is a nice haul but we should have been more concentrated on the chance for their goal, which could have been avoided," Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.
Bergamo-based Atalanta are hosting their European matches in nearby Milan because their home stadium did not meet UEFA requirements.
Australian Associated Press
