Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski scored in the 8th and 11th minutes of injury time respectively, helping Tottenham beat Sheffield 2-1 in round five of the Premier League.
Tottenham dominated the match throughout the 90 minutes, controlling 71% of the ball and taking 26 shots with eight on target - compared to Sheffield's six and four - but were unable to score. The difference came in the 74th minute, when Jack Robinson threw the ball straight into Tottenham's penalty area. The ball bounced towards the far post without touching any players, allowing Gustavo Hamer to finish with a left-footed shot that hit the post and into the net.
In the 86th minute, rookie Brennan Johnson received a long pass from his teammate, controlled it with one touch and shot into the near corner of the visitors' net. But the goal was disallowed for offside. Johnson is a Welsh striker recruited by Tottenham for $58 million on the last day of the 2023 summer transfer window to replace captain Harry Kane.
Sheffield still held the advantage in the seventh of 12 minutes of added time, but Tottenham exploded three minutes later thanks to the brilliance of substitute striker Richarlison.
Richarlison headed in an equalizer for Tottenham against Sheffield United on September 16. Photo: AFP
In the eighth minute of injury time, from Ivan Perisic's corner kick, Richarlison cut in and headed the ball across the corner to equalize, scoring his first goal in five appearances in the Premier League this season.
Three minutes later, the Brazilian striker continued to leave his mark with a cross for Dejan Kulusevski to handle in the penalty area and then shoot diagonally, leaving goalkeeper Wes Foderingham rooted to the spot, sealing the score at 2-1 and causing an explosion at the stadium in London.
The referee then called for a 17th minute stoppage time, but Sheffield could not find an equaliser in the remaining minutes. The visitors were even forced to play with one less man in the 14th minute of stoppage time, when Oliver McBurnie protested to the referee after he had called a penalty for a no-ball tackle on a Tottenham player.
Tottenham were behind until the 98th minute before winning 2-1, creating the latest comeback in Premier League history, breaking their own record against Leicester in January 2022. At that time, Tottenham won 3-2 thanks to Steven Bergwijn's double in the 5th and 7th minutes of injury time.
The comeback win over Sheffield also helped coach Ange Postecoglou's team maintain their unbeaten streak, holding second place with 13 points, two points behind Man City. Before that, Tottenham beat Burnley 5-2, Bounemouth 2-0, Man Utd 2-0 and drew 2-2 with Brentford.
Coach Postecoglou celebrates a late victory, sharing joy with fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Photo: X / Spurs Official
In the 45 minutes of the match at Tottenham Hotspur on September 16, the home team dominated with 69% possession, 12 shots with 7 on target - compared to 3 and 2 for Sheffield. Spurs' expected goals index was also 0.86 - compared to 0.26 for the visitors, but they could not score.
The best chance came in the 19th minute, when Yves Bissouma broke through the middle, beat two visitors and shot diagonally, which was caught by goalkeeper Wes Foderingham in a one-on-one situation. James Maddison - the Premier League's player of the month for August - also had two dangerous shots in the 34th and 40th minutes, but the ball went straight at Foderingham and wide of the post.
Sheffield had little possession, but were dangerous on the counter-attack. In the 23rd minute, Jayden Bogle raced down the right wing and passed back for James McAtee to connect with a one-touch pass that was blocked by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario with his foot. In a corner kick at the end of the half, Oliver McBurnie headed in an unmarked position and was caught by Vicario. Tottenham maintained their dominance in the second half, before exploding with two goals in stoppage time.
Line-up :
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro (Royal 90), Romero, Van De Ven (Hojbjerg 90), Udogie, Sarr (Richarlison 81), Bissouma, Kulusevski, Solomon (Perisic 81), Maddison, Son Heung-min (Johnson 81).
Sheffield: Foderingham, Ahmedhodzic, Basham, Robinson, Bogle (Trusty 87), Hamer (Davies 81), Souza, McAtee (Norwood 70), Thomas, Archer, McBurnie.
Hong Duy
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