TANGUY’S THE FLOORED GENIUS
Jose joy as Ndombele lobs clincher while on the deck!
TANGUy NDoMBELE’S options appeared severely limited as he burst on to a pass chipped forward by Steven Bergwijn. He was deep inside the penalty area, behind Sheffield United’s back line, and yet wide of goal and facing the corner flag. The safest route seemed to be to gather the ball, run it wide into space and recycle.
Ndombele, however, saw something else. With a twist of his body and a flick from the outside of his right foot, he clipped the ball high over his own shoulder and high over Aaron Ramsdale.
Those few fortunate enough to be inside Bramall Lane held their breath and watched as it sailed over the goalkeeper, dropped steeply, bounced inside the back post and rolled into the net.
As it did so, Ndombele completed his personal voyage of redemption.
Bergwijn jumped on to his back in delight and other team-mates forgot about promises to celebrate goals at more appropriate distances. others in the Spurs camp, from the substitutes on the touchline to the analysts high in the Tony Currie Stand, simply stood to applaud.
It was a truly audacious goal. one Currie himself might have attempted. one of the best of this Premier League season. The sort Paul Gascoigne or Glenn Hoddle might have conjured for Spurs in another era. It was Tottenham’s third, restoring a two-goal cushion and killing Sheffield United’s hopes of rescuing a point.
The Blades trailed from the fifth minute when Serge Aurier struck and slipped further behind to another wonderful Harry Kane goal, five minutes before the interval.
David McGoldrick pulled one back, early in the second half, but Ndombele stole the show and Tottenham left Bramall Lane with a league win for the first time since 1975.
‘Genius action,’ declared Jose Mourinho. ‘But I don’t care about the goal, I care about the performance and the performance was magnificent. I’m really pleased he has come to this level. He has amazing quality and now, with his mentality and physical condition, he is managing to be a fantastic player.
‘Special credit to Tanguy. The greatest responsibility for the low and high level of performance is with the player. When he doesn’t perform, he is guilty of it and when he does, he is responsible for it.
‘He is a great example of us leaving the door open. Even in the difficult period last season. The door is always open if a player wants to come in the direction of the team.’
Twelve months ago, Ndombele feared there was no future for him at Spurs. Signed from Lyon for a club-record fee rising to £64million, he was billed as the successor to Mousa Dembele, midfield presence coupled with vision and rare technical quality.
His first year at the club, however, was little short of a disaster, troubled by injuries, dropped by Mauricio Pochettino, criticised by Mourinho and riddled by self-doubt.
Tottenham were prepared to listen to offers but none materialised in a market affected by the pandemic and he remained at the club, where his second season has been a revelation.
Ndombele has fought back into the team and impressed for weeks but this was his peak moment in a Spurs shirt; not only a brilliant goal but scored at a vital moment with the home side flickering into life and threatening to take something from the game. Mourinho’s team have fallen into the habit of throwing away points having led and perhaps feared this was the wrong time to arrive at Bramall Lane. Chris Wilder’s side were winning again, having followed the victory at Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup with the first win of their Premier League season, against Newcastle, last week.
Mourinho adopted a back three and was quickly rewarded as Spurs dominated the first half. Aurier opened the scoring, leaping above Jayden Bogle at the near post to head in from a corner, and Son Heung-min hit a post before Kane scored his 19th of the season in all competitions.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won possession in midfield from ollie Norwood and rapped a pass into the feet of Kane, who gathered the ball, back to goal, turned and resisted a challenge from Chris Basham. Kane took another stride and unleashed a low shot, which fizzed across the surface, beyond the dive of Ramsdale and shaped into the bottom corner. It was his 12th in the Premier League this season.
Sheffield United were more spirited when they emerged after the interval and pulled a goal back when McGoldrick beat Ben Davies to a cross from John Fleck and glanced a header past Hugo Lloris.
All hopes of a comeback vanished when Ndombele produced his magical finish. ‘It’s a self-inflicted defeat,’ sighed Wilder. ‘The timing and the manner of all the goals. We took poor options and were punished brutally.
‘It’s knocked the stuffing out of us.’
SHEFFIELD UNITED (3-5-2): Ramsdale 5; Basham 6 (Sharp 74), Egan 6, Ampadu 5; Bogle 5, Lundstram 5, Norwood 5 (Bryan 67), Fleck 6, Stevens 6; McGoldrick 6, Burke 6 (Brewster 71). Subs not used: Foderingham, Baldock, Lowe, Jagielka. Booked: Norwood, Lundstram, Egan. TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris 6; Rodon 6, Dier 7, Davies 6; Aurier 7, Ndombele 8, Hojbjerg 7, Reguilon 7 (Sanchez 90); Bergwijn 6 (Moura 87), Kane 7, Son 7 (Vinicius 90). Subs not used: Hart, Alderweireld, Bale, Lamela, Sissoko, Fernandes. Booked: None. Man of the match: Tanguy Ndombele. Referee: Andre Marriner.