LASK- LUSTRE SPURS SLATED
Jose rips into sluggish side
EYEBROWS were raised when Jose Mourinho risked two such influential players as PierreEmile Hojbjerg and Son Heungmin just three days before the north London derby.
They flew higher when the Spurs manager said they are the only two he can trust to get his team through these drab Thursday night away- days.
From the opening exchanges Spurs seemed like a side just going through the motions and Mourinho accused some of his big- name players of not wanting to be there.
Furthermore he claimed he was resigned to a lacklustre performance from the moment he saw the teams going through their paces before kick- off.
“When I saw the warm- up I had a feeling and I told the players there was a huge difference in the intensity, communication and enthusiasm between their warm- up and ours,” he said. “Luckily Son and Pierre- Emile Hojbjerg, who play every game, are an example. Without them I don’t think we’d have had a result.”
Even when Rene Renner hit the foot of the post with a fierce drive in the sixth minute it did nothing to wake Spurs. Just before the break a dipping 30- yard shot from Peter Michorl – which Joe Hart probably should have saved – put Lask ahead.
Luckily every time Spurs found themselves in a spot of bother the spot came to their rescue. Tanguy Ndombele’s shot in first- half injury- time hit the arms of Andres Andrade and somehow Gareth Bale made it all square going into the break.
Spurs’s one decent moment early in the second half saw Son put them into an ill- deserved lead. But Johannes Eggestein embarrassed Hart with another longranger – this time the former England goalkeeper allowed the ball to hit his arm and go in.
Mourinho said Dele Alli, like all
Bale opens scoring from the penalty spot and Son makes it 2- 1 Spurs, below players, had to make the minutes count if he was to win back his place.
The 24- year- old was given just eight of them but when Steven Bergwijn was bundled over Alli grabbed the ball and made it count coolly from the spot.
And Spurs needed that goal after Mamoudo Karamoko’s wonderful late strike pulled the scores level again and only just left Tottenham with the point they needed.
Schlager 6; Andrade 5, Holland 6, Wiesinger 5; Renner 7, Madsen 6, Michorl 7, Ranftl 6; Eggestein 7, Goiginger 6 ( Karamoko 69, 7), Gruber 6 ( Reiter 69, 5). Michorl 42, Eggestein 84, Karamoko 90.
Hart 5; Doherty 6, Tanganga 6, Sanchez 5, Davies 6; Ndombele 6 ( Bergwijn 65, 6), Hojbjerg 7, Lo Celso 6 ( Dier 72); Son 6 ( Alli 82), Moura 6 ( Sissoko 65, 6), Bale 6 ( Aurier 82). Goals: Bale 45 pen, Son 56, Alli 86 pen.