A PAIN IN THE BUN
The man with the second most famous man-bun in football piles on the agony for Jose as Carroll’s header hits the back of poor Dier’s arm from close, close range
THE player with the most famous man-bun in football was supposed to arrive at Spurs, give them a massive shot in the arm and turn their season around.
Instead, the shot on the arm delivered by the second most famous man-bun in the game has Jose Mourinho’s campaign rocking on its heels just a few weeks in.
Whi le Gareth Bale sat helplessly at the back of the lower- tied of the main stand (right), it was the much blunter instrument of Andy Carroll who wrecked Tottenham’s afternoon.
Long mane netted tightly to the back of his head, he nodded the ball onto the arm of Eric Dier and effectively robbed the home side of a win they thoroughly deserved when referee Peter Bankes eventually pointed to the spot.
But his demolition act is nothing compared to way the
laws are being wrecked in order to bow to modern technology, which has become a millimetreperfect judge of right and wrong.
The law, as it now stands, is an ass – rewarding huge, hopeful donkey-kicks into the penalty area any time an arm is slightly raised. No wonder it had Mourinho charging down own the tunnel in disgust st before the final whistle.
Spurs, it seems, had simply been wasting their time playing mesmerising football l for the lion’s share of the he game – albeit to find a goalkeeper in near unbeatable form and a world- class striker in Harry Kane strangely unable to bury the multitude of chances that came his way.
Son Heung-min twice hit the woodwork with rasping shots – perhaps Tottenham should have taken a tip from their trip to Macedonia and made the goals two inches higher. Those are the fine margins that govern the game now technology is involved and when the cross- hairs at Stockley Park decided Carroll was just onside before heading the ball downward, Dier must have sensed he was in trouble.
He would have felt the ball hitting an arm which was unde understandably flailing as he tried to maintain balance a while jumping to challenge. He would not have seen it – he was looking the other way.
Yet after viewing replays on a pitchside monitor, referee Bankes pointed to the spot and Callum Wilson’s low drive beat Hugo Lloris, much to the Spurs captain’s frustration.
It was Mourinho’s cue to leave. Perhaps a wise move given his goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos was shown a red card when he approached the referee when the game had ended.
That said, once the anger subsides Tottenham will know they have only themselves to blame for not having finished off this game by halftime.
The only arm raised in the air by then should have been those of Newcastle hailing themselves a taxi home.
A brilliant double save by Karl Darlow in the first three minutes set the tone, though, and the only time he was beaten was when Kane weaved his way through the inside left channel and crossed low for Lucas Moura to tap in at the far post.
There is no time to lick any wounds though with Chelsea here in the Carabao Cup tomorrow, Maccabi Haifa visiting for a Europa League play-off on Thursday night and then a trip to Manchester United on Sunday.
By the time Bale finally gets to make his return in a Tottenham shirt, with the current run of luck there might not be much season left to save.