MOURINHO BACKS TANGUY FOR BEING HIS FLAWED GENIUS LOADS MORE ENGLISH ACTION
JOSE MOURINHO hailed Tanguy Ndombele’s wonder goal as “genius” and saluted him for turning round his Tottenham career.
Spurs’ record £53.8million signing appeared headed for the exit when Mourinho criticised him last season.
Ndombele sealed Tottenham’s first win at Sheffield United since 1975 with a superb angled shot to put them back in the title hunt.
Mourinho said: “It was a genius action. He’s a great example that the door is always open.
“When a player is not playing well, he has to understand why and how he can walk back through that door. He understood that. I give special credit to Tanguy because the player has the biggest responsibility.
“It’s about the player’s mentality, the player’s will to try hard, the player’s will to develop, the player’s desire to win and earn a place in the team.”
The goal came when Steven Bergwijn had the presence of mind to pause and then delicately chip his ball forward rather than slide it into the Sheffield United area.
The pace was perfect and without breaking stride, Ndombele met the ball with a languid flick with the outside of his right boot and lobbed the ball over Aaron Ramsdale and just inside the far post.
Spurs took the lead after only five minutes when Serge Aurier was the unlikely man to meet Son Heung-min’s corner with a free header amid suspect Blades marking.
Disastrously, just before half-time, Ollie Norwood was robbed too easily by PierreEmile Hojbjerg just outside his own area.
When the Spurs midfielder fed the ball to Harry Kane, the England captain supplied the inevitable finish.
Yet when Sheffield United pulled a goal back after 59 minutes, there was an immediate sense that even two goals might not be enough.
They struck when Eddie McGoldrick rose above Ben Davies to flick on John Fleck’s well-delivered free-kick into the back of the Spurs net.
Despite Mourinho’s orders to the contrary, Tottenham were once again guilt of allowing things to drift without killing their opponents off.
Perhaps Ndombele sensed the sudden urgency. After all, it was his body that had been put in the way of much of what Sheffield United had tried to throw at Spurs.
Even with the two-goal lead restored, Chris Wilder’s side gamely tried to remain on the front foot but in the end it was to no avail.
Boss Chris Wilder said: “The errors for me are self-inflicted. The players have to expect a press, especially in the middle of the park.
“The first goal, that’s a job for someone to do who hasn’t done it, that’s basic. Then to lose the ball in the position we did was basic.
“The level on Tuesday night against Newcastle was very good and today there was just a little bit of a dip from us.”