Crouch debut hits the spot for Dyche’s boys
THE DOUBTERS be damned. This is a Tottenham team for their supporters to revel in, a side crammed with character and resilience and the blessed ability to score late winning goals.
Spurs did that again yesterday as they clambered into second place in the Premier League, just four points behind leaders Liverpool, courtesy of an 83rdminute strike from Heung-Min Son.
Perhaps they won’t be able to sustain a title challenge this season, but manager Mauricio Pochettino has conjured an admirable combination of spirit, creativity and excellence in his team.
They are never dull, never the purveyors of a stalemate. Victory here also gave them an all-time record of 29 for the most consecutive Premier League matches without a draw.
It is 25 matches this season – and still counting.
The heroes here were the ever-willing Son and the substitute Fernando Llorente, who emerged from the bench on the hour to warm applause from the supporters frustrated by Tottenham’s struggle to break down a robust Newcastle defence.
Llorente has often been scorned by the fans, but not now. How quickly a player can turn from perennial scapegoat to likely saviour.
When the ball was passed forward to the edge of the area, the big Spanish striker chested it down expertly into the path of Son – and, after a shimmy and shake of his hips, the South Korean powered a fierce, low shot under the body of Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka.
It was a mighty blunder by the keeper – one that ruined a match of otherwise impeccable defence by his team-mates.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has been coy when talking about his future at the club despite persuading them to make a record signing in Miguel Almiron – although the Paraguayan playmaker was absent here, waiting for his work permit to be arranged.
In contrast, Benitez never hides his conviction of playing a deep, determined defence against the top teams.
His familiar strategy was employed, the massed ranks of willing foot soldiers in his team filling every nook and cranny, closing every gap and blocking, intercepting or deflecting every cross.
It makes Newcastle fiendishly difficult to break down for any team – never mind a side missing its two most potent attacking stars like Tottenham.
Pochettino selected a team with as much trickery in its feet as possible – in hope of picking a way through the forest of the opposition. There wasn’t much light
OUR MAN OF THE MATCH
NEW boy Peter Crouch was Burnley’s exorcist as they smashed their penalty jinx in dramatic fashion.
A goal down to a magnificent finish from Nathan Redmond, and still cursing what appeared a stonewall first-half spot-kick, it seemed they were seconds away from recording a 68th league game without a penalty.
But Ashley Westwood crossed towards substitute Crouch, whose mere presence made Southampton defender Jack Stephens panic and flick the ball away from the former England striker with his hand.
This time referee Anthony Taylor, who had earlier ruled that Ashley Barnes had dived after tumbling over keeper Alex McCarthy and booked the Clarets striker for simulation, pointed to the spot.
Justice was done when Barnes fired Burnley’s first league penalty since April 2017 past McCarthy.
Within seconds the final whistle sounded and cue this time around complaints from Saints players and touchline staff.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche said: “It was deserved because it would have been a travesty of we hadn’t got at least a point. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing with the penalty that wasn’t given.
“You have to be seriously worried if the second one hadn’t have been given. I just don’t know how I would have reacted to that.
“As for Ashley Barnes seemingly being booked for simulation on the first incident I would have been too worried about going into the referee’s room to hear that for myself.
“It would have been ridiculous if we hadn’t had got anything from this game.”
Saints’ boss Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted: “I think it was a fair result. We had a few situations where we were lucky. But we are unbeaten in five games which is important to me.
‘‘We showed again that we are hard to beat, also in away games.”
Burnley 1 Southampton 1 John Richardson