Cook knows he is on to something tasty with Gelhardt
JOE GELHARDT has been tipped for the top after the teen sensation’s first senior goal earned Wigan a rare away point.
The rising star is being tracked by a host of Premier League big guns – with Everton ready to offer the England youth striker a move back home.
It wasn’t hard to see why as the powerfully built Scouse sub struck two minutes after coming on, taking Jamal Lowe’s pass to turn on the edge of the area and find the corner with a confident first-time finish.
Gelhardt has been at Latics since the age of
10 and boss Paul Cook said: “I just told him to go out there and get me a goal. It’s a special finish from a special young player.
“He’s a real talent who can find space in a phone box.
“Joe’s a natural footballer and the game’s so simple for him.
“He’ll be starting soon if he keeps scoring goals like that and it was a draw that almost felt like a win.”
Wigan remain in the bottom three with one win on the road in the last 26 attempts but they were handed an ideal start by Chey Dunkley as the defender halted a
48-game personal goal drought to break the deadlock after eight minutes.
Hull keeper George Long failed to hold Kieffer Moore’s flick from a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick into the box and Dunkley reacted first to stab home from close range for his first goal in 17 months.
Wigan’s lead lasted just two minutes as Jarrod Bowen was given time and space to slot home past ex-Hull keeper David Marshall from 10 yards after good work from Kamil Grosicki.
The Pole then took centre stage to put Hull ahead in the 20th minute with a perfect curling free-kick from the edge of the area after defender Nathan Byrne had gone into the book for a shin-high lunge that upended the winger on his 100th Hull appearance.
City piled on the pressure in search of a killer third goal but failed to make their dominance pay with Tom Eaves the main culprit. The Tigers targetman is yet to score since a summer move from Gillingham and headed badly over from a George Honeyman cross just before the break.
Eaves wasted an even better chance when failing to find the net from a close-range follow-up after Marshall clawed out a carbon- copy Grosicki free-kick midway through the second half.
They proved costly as with 15 minutes minute left, Gelhardt’s smart turn and finish earned Wigan’s first point on the road this season to leave Hull winless in six games.
Tigers’ boss Grant McCann said: “I’m convinced our fortunes will change and a return to winning ways will come.” LADIES and gentlemen, the real Tottenham Hotspur are back.
After the hesitant floundering of a home defeat by Newcastle and losing a two-goal lead over the garden fence at The Emirates, the bogus imposters were replaced by authentic quality.
And two-goal Heung-min Son led the swagger of a side who reached the Champions League Final last season.
Spurs’ best performance at their shiny new ground – arguably their best for months – was so emphatic that they scored four. And Harry Kane didn’t get any of them.
That only happens once in blue moon, like 18 months ago at Bournemouth.
And although Tottenham could not sustain their attacking flair for 90 minutes, they didn’t clock off early.
Deep into stoppage time, the effervescent Son was sprinting back into his own 18-yard box to deny Wilfried Zaha.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is still grumpy about the transfer window which undermined his forward planning, notably around kingpin Christian Eriksen’s future.
But he was happy to see England captain Kane keep his powder dry for this week’s Champions League opener in Greece against Olympiakos, and said: “I hope next time Harry scores – and he keeps the goals for when we need them.
“We have tremendous quality in our squad and we are going to fight for big things.
I’m happy to recover that feeling, but this must only be the first step.
“That game showed when the team and the squad is unsettled, it’s difficult to perform in the way you want.
“I’m not complaining or blaming anyone but when the focus is not on playing football, or trying to improve, it’s not easy to perform.”
Palace we can deal