Eriksen strikes late to keep Spurs in title hunt
LONDON: Christian Eriksen reignited Tottenham’s bid to catch Premier League leaders Chelsea as the Dane’s late blast sealed a vital 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were well below their best for long periods at Selhurst Park, but Eriksen came to the rescue in dramatic fashion with 12 minutes left.
His sumptuous long-range strike closed the gap on Chelsea to four points after their title rivals had moved seven points clear with a win over Southampton 24 hours earlier. With five games remaining, Tottenham remain in the hunt to be crowned champions for the first time since 1961 as they look to avenge Sunday’s agonising FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea by pipping them to the title. Pochettino will hope his players are revitalised by their eighth successive league win, but the Tottenham boss must know they have to improve to beat Arsenal in Sunday’s crucial north London derby. After defeating Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool recently, Palace deserved better than defeat here, although they should still be safe from relegation. Recognising the weakness that Chelsea exploited so ruthlessly, Pochettino dropped Son Heung-min and recalled Ben Davies after his experiment with using the South Korea forward out of position at left wing-back failed at Wembley.
Despite that change, it wasn’t easy for Tottenham to erase the scars of their semifinal collapse.
When Eriksen worked space for a shot, the winger’s hurried effort sailed wide and Victor Wanyama fared no better with a wayward strike from an acute angle.
Those bungled early raids foreshadowed a subdued half from Tottenham as they struggled to rebuild their shaken confidence. KOLKATA: Arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal came on board to play for the revamped Indian Super League and requested AIFF to wave off the franchisee fee keeping their heritage in mind. All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Img-reliance have been in talks to merge I-league with the Indian Super League to make it the top-most league in the country. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will now put forward a memorandum and meet the AIFF president and secretary in the first week of May seeking their support. “Both the clubs have come together on this issue and are willing to play only in the top most official league of the country, considering their contribution to Indian football,” a senior AIFF official said.