More VAR drama for Ange postecoglou and Tottenham …😬
PGMOL have ‘confirmed’ error in
Tottenham vs luton
Spurs return from the international break with 10 games of the season to go, and the race to secure a Champions League place hotting up as a result. Only three points separate Villa and Spurs coming into this weekend, with the latter able to go fourth on goal difference should all results go their way.
Son Heung-min scored a late winner as Tottenham recovered from a goal down to beat Luton and move into the top four of the Premier League.
Son collected half-time substitute Brennan Johnson’s clever pass before beating Hatters goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski with a low shot, which took a deflection off Daiki Hashioka on its way in.
Tahith Chong’s well-worked goal had given the Hatters an early lead, but Spurs responded well and equalised early in the second half when Johnson’s cross was turned into his own net by Issa Kabore.
Spurs laid siege to the Luton goal after restoring parity, but a series of crucial last-ditch challenges kept Ange Postecoglou’s team at bay – and Alfie Doughty somehow prevented Johnson’s close-range effort from rolling over the line.
However, there was nothing Luton could do about Son’s 15th goal of the season, which means Tottenham have come from behind to win four of their past five home Premier League matches.
Aston Villa will reclaim fourth place with a draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers later on Saturday. Luton, meanwhile, drop into the relegation zone.
Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Fulham before the international break was described by Son as a “big wake-up call”, but it took Postecoglou’s team a while to hit their stride against Luton.
The opening goal was a sloppy one to concede, with Son dispossessed on the edge of the Luton area and Yves Bissouma beaten far too easily by Andros Townsend in the build-up to Chong’s crisp finish.
But Spurs were left cursing their luck when Son’s shot rattled the inside of the near post, rolled across the goalline, struck the other post and bounced clear – moments after Timo Werner had dragged a shot wide from an excellent position.
In the same move, Werner’s follow-up effort was blocked by Kabore before Teden Mengi blocked Pape Sarr’s goalbound shot on the line.
Tottenham have now failed to score a first-half goal in six consecutive games, but they were level early in the second half when Johnson – who replaced the ineffective Dejan Kulusevski at half-time – drilled a low ball across the face of goal and Kabore slammed it into his own net.
It seemed only a matter of time before Spurs’ relentless pressure would pay off, but when Doughty’s last-gasp intervention denied Johnson, Tottenham fans could have been forgiven for thinking it might not be their day.
There was an element of luck about Son’s winning goal, but it was a slice of good fortune the hosts deserved after going agonisingly close on more than one occasion.
Postecoglou brought Micky van de Ven back into training after suffering a hamstring problem at Aston Villa, but by the time the Dutchman returned for the away game against West Ham, he was quickly replaced
A decision needs to be made whether to bring him back or give Radu Dragusin another chance to start
Minute day time
Richarlison, who has had knee problems from a previous injury, trained well on Friday but did not play a single minute for Brazil during his international break
Tottenham’s head coach will need to decide who is freshest after the international break as Spurs look to put pressure on fourth-placed Aston Villa, who host Wolves in the second half kick-off
Official news for the team will be announced this afternoon at 2pm (UK time), an hour before the scheduled 3pm kick-off time
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Postecoglou said: “Our wingers should play the same way. I think Deki was trying to get maybe too involved in the game a little bit. He went looking for the ball, he’s that kind of player – wants to be on the ball all the time. I just thought we had a different structure in the second half. It’s not about the individual players, it’s about the overall structure that they have to follow.
“I thought it was really important and I could see that Timo was getting two or three really good opportunities, and we weren’t getting the same kind of joy on the other side because Deki was coming inside looking for the ball.
“With Brennan’s pace and he has really good quality delivery, and gets in the box, and I thought the game was going to be good for him.
“That’s part of the attacking template – it’s not everything. But yeah if you’re looking for trends or consistencies, that’s one area where we haven’t really nailed yet. But I can see green shoots of growth where we’ve also scored quite a few goals like that now. We got a lot of crosses in from that area today, scored one, forced a couple of good saves, don’t know how one didn’t go in. So I think there’s something there.”
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