Tottenham is knotted 1-1 with the lowly Fulham. It is their first game since superstar Striker Harry Kane was injured in a loss to Manchester United. To make matters worse, forward Son Hueng-min is away on international duty and midfielder Dele Alli went off with an injury in the 86th minute (“Fulham v. Tottenham”).
Alli is replaced by Georges-Kévin N’Koudou, not a good sign for Spurs fans, as he has not appeared for the first team in almost a year (“Georges-Kévin N’Koudou Profile”). Drawing with second-to-last Fulham would be a sign of hard times to come for Tottenham without their stars. Fans can be heard remarking “Classic Spurs” and projecting their team to fall out of their top 4 position in the table, lose all their stars to Madrid and Barcelona over the summer and get relegated within 18 months. They are doomed.
Fulham fans are elated. To receive any points against powerful Tottenham will aid them in their battle against imminent relegation and signal their strength heading into the second half of the season. It is into the 93rd minute; they only have to hold on for a few more seconds.
N’Koudou plays with the ball on the left wing. Knowing that the final whistle is coming any second he lobs the ball into the box. It goes over Llorente, the lousy striker attempting to replace Harry Kane whose only real contribution to the game had been scoring Fulham’s goal for them. It continues over the head of the 6 foot 2 inch Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld (“Toby Alderweireld Profile,” “Fulham v. Tottenham”).
And just when the game seems completely over, a flash of blue comes streaking in. Midfielder Harry Winks comes charging in and heads the ball past the keeper, striking the back of the net. He continues his run straight past the goal and over to the section of away fans tucked into the corner of the stadium (“Fulham v. Tottenham”).
They are jumping and screaming. Their trip across London to Craven Cottage has not been a disaster. A late goal has saved Tottenham two points and signaled that they may not be completely lost without their star Harry Kane, projected to be sidelined for at least a few months. The last second goal from an unlikely scorer proves that they can continue to compete and to win and can save their season.
The rest of Craven Cottage is dead silent. A team with just 14 points has been robbed of another point (“Premier League Tables”). Harry Winks’ head has hammered in another nail in their coffin of relegation. Manager Claudio Ranieri is shown shaking his head. Another point has eluded him and he will need to find points somewhere fast to keep his club in the Premier League for another year. But all the attention is now on a Tottenham squad that has saved themselves at the last moment yet again.
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayso3sh7hn4
This is a clip of the highlights of the full game. The goal described can be found at 7:45.
Bibliography
“Fulham v. Tottenham | PREMIER LEAGUE EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | 1/20/19 | NBC Sports.” YouTube, NBC Sports, 20 Jan. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayso3sh7hn4. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.
“Georges-Kévin Nkoudou Profile.” PremierLeague.com, www.premierleague.com/players/15938/Georges-Kévin-Nkoudou/overview. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.
“Premier League Tables.” PremierLeague.com, www.premierleague.com/tables. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.
“Toby Alderweireld Profile.” PremierLeague.com, www.premierleague.com/players/4916/Toby-Alderweireld/overview. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.
