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Erik ten Hag has insisted Manchester United players are doing all they can to regain fitness for next Saturday's FA Cup final.

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Rooney questioned Man Utd's injured playersTen Hag says they're 'desperate' to returnStars in race to be fit for FA Cup finalWHAT HAPPENED?

After last Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford, club legend Wayne Rooney claimed that some of the players on the Red Devils' lengthy injury list are fit enough to play but are shirking responsiblity. The former captain said: "It is easy for players to stay out of it a little bit and then come back towards the final and get themselves fit for the European Championship."

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Ten Hag has been without key players throughout the course of the season, with several facing a race against time in order to be fit for the Wembley showpiece. Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof could return – and the manager believes their desperation to play cannot be questioned.

WHAT TEN HAG SAID

The United boss told reporters: "You have to see here at Carrington, players are desperate to play. I see Martinez, I see Bruno who did a fitness test on Sunday to play. Rashford did everything he could do, he trained and tried to train last week but couldn’t make it. So players are desperate to play. They want to be in the right shape. You also see Lindelof, Varane – they are training to make themselves available for the final. You do what you can do."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

United host Newcastle and travel to Brighton in the Premier League before their final against City, with Martinez, Rashford and Fernandes likely to feature sparingly in those matches. Lindelof, Varane, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire are all battling to make it to Wembley, while Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial are set to miss out. All in all, it's been injury hell for the Red Devils and Ten Hag this term.

Hollywood actor Gerard Butler was in attendance as he watched Chelsea's rampant victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.

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• Butler records message for Chelsea fans
• Scottish actor watched the Blues' 5-0 victory
• Chelsea leapfrog Man Utd temporarily

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Butler picked a good game to visit west London as he witnessed the Blues score five unanswered goals past the Hammers and climb to seventh in the table. Prior to the game he recorded a brief message that was posted on the club's Instagram page. Butler described his excitement to be at the game and spoke of his 'joy' at watching the Blues.

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• WHAT BUTLER SAID

  Speaking to the Chelsea faithful, Butler said: "Hey Chelsea fans, Gerry Butler here. You might not be Chelsea fans, but if not, maybe you should be Chelsea fans! Here at Stamford Bridge for the West Ham game, I'm super excited and it's going to get a lot busier than this. You can feel it already – it is a joy to be here! Take care."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Gerard Butler grew up in Paisley, just outside of Glasgow, and is a huge Celtic fan. The actor has explained in the past that he has often woken up at the crack of dawn in Los Angeles in order to watch his beloved Bhoys.

يختتم فريق الكرة بـ الأهلي مشواره في بطولة الدوري المصري، بخوض مباراة قوية أمام مودرن سبورت غداً السبت ضمن لقاءات الجولة الأخيرة من المسابقة.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع مودرن سبورت على أرضية استاد القاهرة، بعد تتويجه بلقب الدوري عن الموسم الجاري.

وكان الأهلي قد استطاع تقديم موسم استثنائي بعد الفوز في 21 مباراة متتالية، قبل أن يتعادل في الجولة الماضية مع إنبي إيجابيًا بهدف لكل فريق.

ويتربع الأهلي على صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري ولديه في رصيده 85 نقطة، جمعها من الفوز في 27 مباراة والتعادل 4 لقاءات وتلقي هزيمتين.

وتمكن الأهلي من الفوز في مباراة الدور الأول أمام مودرن سبورت بنتيجة 2-1 بمواجهة صعبة جمعت بينهما خلال شهر يوليو الماضي بعد تأجيلها بسبب مشاركة الأحمر في البطولات القارية.

واستطاع الأهلي، التتويج بلقب الدوري رسميًا، بعد الفوز على سموحة والوصول إلى النقطة 81 في رصيده، ورفع أبناء القلعة الحمراء رصيدهم من الألقاب في الدوري المصري، إلى 44 لقبًا في تاريخه.

طالع.. مران الأهلي | تدريبات بدنية خفيفة قبل مواجهة مودرن سبورت

ويعتمد الأهلي على مجموعة كبيرة من الشباب واللاعبين الذين لم يشاركوا في أغلب أوقات الموسم الجاري، لإراحة اللاعبين الأساسيين بعد مشوار طويل والفوز بعدد كبير من الألقاب.

وفي المقابل، يأمل فريق مودرن سبورت في إنهاء موسمه بتقديم أداء قوي وتحقيق نتيجة جيدة أمام الأهلي والثأر من الهزيمة في لقاء الذهاب.

ويتواجد فريق مودرن سبورت في المركز السادس بجدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، ولديه 51 نقطة بعد الفوز في 13 لقاء والتعادل بـ12 مباراة وتلقي 8 هزائم.

The former Australia captain featured in an advertisement for a telecommunications company, which was aired during the BBL 2018-19 opener on Wednesday

Daniel Brettig20-Dec-2018

Australia’s former captain Steven Smith has become the first member of the trio of players suspended over the Newlands ball-tampering scandal to leverage his disgrace and redemption narrative for commercial reasons, appearing in an advertisement aired during Wednesday night’s Big Bash League opener in Brisbane.Featuring in a campaign for the telecommunications company Vodafone, a sponsor of the Adelaide Strikers who defeated the Brisbane Heat in the opening game, Smith is seen intercut with footage from his tearful Sydney press conference upon his return home from South Africa, where he was stripped of the captaincy and banned from playing for a year by Cricket Australia.The commercial also stages a re-enactment of school visits Smith undertook during the year as part of his CA-imposed community service, while he is heard in voiceover talking about how low things got for him. “I was in a pretty dark space. It made me realise what other people go through and what they need to get through those difficult times,” Smith is heard saying.”It was just about being upfront and honest and taking responsibility. It’s nice to be back at the [Sunderland] club, I just love being in a contest. It’s just you versus the bowler.”I’ve certainly had some difficult days. But it’s OK to be vulnerable. Everyone makes mistakes; it’s about the way you respond to it that’s really important. I want to come back better than I was.”ALSO READ: Smith, Warner need time to reintegrate into ‘dysfunctional family’ – LangerESPNcricinfo understands that Smith was not paid by Vodafone for the appearance, but it is an exercise in testing his connection with the public and potential customers of commercial entities who would wish to use him as a selling point in the future. Smith and Warner are banned until the end of March 2019, while Bancroft’s suspension concludes in late December – he is likely to return to the field for the Perth Scorchers in their BBL fixture against Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on December 30.Smith, Warner, Bancroft and CA all paid heavy financial and commercial penalties for the Newlands scandal and the players’ subsequent bans. Magellan cancelled its three-year contract with CA as a naming rights sponsor to the home Tests, while Asics (Warner and Bancroft), LG Australia, Toyota (Warner), and Commonwealth Bank and Sanitarium (Smith) all cancelled personal sponsorship deals.At the same time, Smith and Warner had their IPL contracts cancelled, while Bancroft was also denied a previously arranged stint in English county cricket.Intriguingly, Smith’s agreement with Vodafone may have been more complicated had he still been under contract to CA. Following this year’s A$1.18 billion broadcast deal with Foxtel and Seven, the former company had asked to be defined as a telecommunications provider, meaning they would prefer that the governing body not enter into another sponsorship in that area of the market. Three, Vodafone and Optus have all been CA partners in the past.

Stand-in captain Suranga Lakmal is “trusting” that the team’s batting will come good as Sri Lanka look to level the series in Pallekele

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele13-Nov-2018Sri Lanka have asked for a turning pitch – a proper one this time – and they will go in with three spinners and a lone quick again, but for the hosts to level the series, the batsmen still have to pull their weight.So said Suranga Lakmal, who has captained three Tests and won all three, thanks largely to his attack. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka’s bowlers have dismissed oppositions for scores such as 93, 73, 123 and 124. One or two batsmen – Dimuth Karunaratne in particular – have scored heavily on one or two of those occasions. But as a group, Sri Lanka’s top order has fallen short of excellence.”Unfortunately over the recent past we haven’t got what we expected from the batsmen,” Lakmal said. “But we can change that in this match. No one goes to the middle trying to make a low score. I’m trusting that a lot of things will change in this Test.”What I’d say as a captain or vice-captain is that we need to bat positively. That’s one thing we can do. If you get a good ball, any batsman can get out. Think about that and go to the middle with the intention of scoring runs. Have positive body language. That’s what I expect from our players.”One batsman who can generally be relied upon for a positive approach, although not always for runs, is Kusal Mendis. While much has been made of Mendis’ poor ODI form over the past few months, his Test output has been modest as well – he has failed to cross fifty in eight innings now. Lakmal hoped Mendis would be among those leading the batting turnaround.”Any player, bowler or batsman, fails in cricket – in that time it’s the players who are mentally strong who come out of it quickly,” Lakmal said. “In the last match Kusal scored a few runs [19 and 45], and he’s pretty good psychologically. I’m sure he’ll make a difference in this match. He backs his game plan, and I’m trusting that he’ll produce a good innings here.”On the bowling front there may never have been room in this XI for 21-year-old quick Lahiru Kumara, but that doesn’t mean the curfew-breaking antics that saw him dumped from the squad prior to the series has not caused disappointment within the side. Kumara was among those who bowled well under Lakmal in Barbados, where Sri Lanka’s bowlers helped overturn a 50-run first innings deficit. With any luck, Lakmal said, Kumara will make a comeback, and play a role in such team performances again.”There’s something called discipline in the team,” he said. “You could be a senior, or someone who is not very experienced, but if the team suffers even a little because of your indiscipline, then we have to take action. That’s what we’ve done here.”That’s not to say Lahiru Kumara will keep making that mistake, nor are we saying he’s out of the team forever. We’ve sent him a message, and hopefully he will learn from that. This can happen to any player – senior or junior. If they break the rules, we’ll take that action.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Fazendo o primeiro jogo dessa sexta-feira (11) na 28ª Rodada da Série B do Brasileirão, o Operário atuou em casa diante do Sampaio Corrêa em confronto que ficou igualado por 1 a 1. O marcador fez com que o Sampaio totalize 45 unidades e fique na terceira posição enquanto o Fantasma, em 12° lugar, tem 35.

BOA MOBILIDADE, MAS NAS FINALIZAÇÕES…

Principalmente na primeira metade da etapa inicial, ficou visível que os dois times demonstravam disposição para mudar o cenário do jogo e apresentavam boas ideias em relação a mobilidade à frente e abertura de espaços para a criação de jogadas. Porém, na hora de concluir, faltava a precisão necessária pensando em um trabalho mais intenso dos goleiros Martín Rodríguez e Gustavo. Tanto é que a finalização mais aguda demorou a aparecer e veio em lance de velocidade onde o lateral-direito Luis Gustavo passou nas costas da marcação, entrou na grande área e bateu cruzado bola que passou com perigo do lado esquerdo da trave de Martín.

QUANDO BOTOU NO ALVO, GOLAÇO!

A dificuldade do Fantasma em conseguir traduzir seu maior volume de presença ofensiva em chances claras de marcar era notória. Então, a solução encontrada de maneira muito feliz pelo estreante Rafael Oller foi partir pra cima da marcação em jogada individual onde ele puxou para a perna direita e acertou uma belo chute que foi no ângulo esquerdo de Gustavo, marcando o primeiro tento da partida em Ponta Grossa aos 25 minutos.

FOGO AMIGO

Colaborando para a reação rápida do Sampaio tão logo o jogo foi retomado para o segundo tempo, na primeira oportunidade mais aguda dos maranhenses em cobrança de falta pelo alto, o meio-campista Mazinho tentou fazer o corte na primeira trave. Porém, o desvio acabou tendo justamente o efeito contrário e acabou mandando a bola no extremo canto esquerdo de um Martín Rodríguez que nada pode fazer para evitar a igualdade da Bolívia Querida.

INVERSÃO DO CONTROLE

Se no primeiro tempo ficou destacado o domínio territorial e o volume de jogo por parte dos paranaenses, na etapa complementar a situação foi inversamente proporcional onde, além do tento rápido para encontrar a igualdade, a postura de marcação e capacidade de controlar as ações do jogo foi totalmente dominada por parte do Sampaio.

​Entretanto, apesar da superioridade aplicada, faltou eficiência no momento de dar acabamento as jogadas, algo que se refletiu em um trabalho menos intenso de Martín Rodríguez do que o volume aplicado induzia. Somente em uma linda cabeçada de Diego Tavares, exigindo uma ponte espetacular do uruguaio, ameaçou alterar o placar no Germano Kruger que acabou mesmo em 1 a 1.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalNa Série B, Guarani ‘atropela’ Operário-PR no primeiro tempo e segue perto do G4Futebol Nacional08/12/2020América MineiroAmérica-MG derrota o Sampaio Corrêa e ganha ‘gordura’ para se manter no G4 da Série BAmérica Mineiro08/12/2020Futebol NacionalMailson espera boa sequência do Sampaio Corrêa na Série BFutebol Nacional07/12/2020

Jamaica Tallawahs captain Andre Russell expressed his displeasure with the lack of support for his side in what was supposed to be a home game

Peter Della Penna in Florida19-Aug-20183:01

Russell unhappy with pro-Guyana crowd at Tallawahs’ home game

Jamaica Tallawahs captain Andre Russell voiced his displeasure with the decision to shift more home games away from Sabina Park, after his side’s first loss of the season to Guyana Amazon Warriors in Florida. The noisy and at times hostile atmosphere of about 4000 fans was overwhelmingly in favour of the visiting Warriors during a 71-run win over the designated home team.”Honestly, I’m very unhappy at the moment,” Russell said after the game. “The guys fought tonight … but based on tonight’s game, it wasn’t like a home game. It didn’t feel that way.”Every boundary, every wicket it was going Guyana’s way. [Shimron] Hetmyer came out, he played some good shots and just the crowd being in his back, it kind of gave him that pump and it shouldn’t be like that. I think we should have that home advantage where a guy hits a boundary, he hears silence. Right? If that’s how home advantage is supposed to be in these conditions, then you have to wonder. You hit a four, you hit a six, you’re not hearing nothing because a Guyana crowd is out here and they want to see Guyana do well.”According to Russell, his fielders were under pressure almost from the start of the match. When Samuel Badree struck with the seventh ball of the night to trap Chadwick Walton lbw, a hush fell over the ground before it became lively once more in the next over as Hetmyer hit his first two boundaries off Imad Wasim on his way to becoming the youngest centurion in CPL history at age 21. The Warriors eventually bested the previous CPL-best total at the venue to make 209 for 7.Shimron Hetmyer became the youngest player to score a century in the CPL at age 21•Peter Della Penna”Honestly, these are little things that get me upset from the second over,” Russell said. “Guys saying stuff to you on the boundary. I don’t want to field on the boundary because guys are pressuring you. It shouldn’t be like that. When I go to Guyana, then I expect that.”Guys were upset. I was upset. When I got off the field, I was throwing shoes, everything all around the changing room, things that fans don’t need to see but that’s how upsetting these things can be. You want to know that the crowd is behind you in your home game. So if we go to Barbados and we see a sea of blue, then we expect that. But you’re playing a home game, you want to feel that home advantage. You get a wicket, you hear that loud cheer. It gives the bowler energy even if you’re tired.”The Tallawahs have now lost four of five matches in Lauderhill since the CPL’s first matches in Florida in 2016. Russell is expecting the hostile environment his side experienced on Saturday night to be no different on Sunday when the Tallawahs take on Trinbago Knight Riders, considering that TKR has historically had by far the biggest group of travelling supporters attending CPL matches in Florida.He even joked about Tallawahs players trying to pick out their traveling family members in the crowd since they may be the few Tallawahs fans in attendance. But the Tallawahs pulled off a CPL-record chase in the first week of the season at Queen’s Park Oval and Russell is optimistic that they can prevail over TKR again”We got the two points before and I know that we can get it again here,” Russell said. “I know it’s gonna be loud. It’s gonna be a lot of Trinbago colours tomorrow but I hope that we can see some yellows and we can identify our family and friends and we can actually give them something to cheer for tomorrow.”Even prior to the match against Amazon Warriors, Russell told ESPNcricinfo of his ambivalence towards playing home games away from Sabina Park after the Tallawahs had won their last two matches in front of near capacity weeknight crowds of 15,000. Speaking on the eve of the matches in Florida, the Jamaican allrounder made it clear there was no doubt that if the Tallawahs want to maintain a true home-field advantage then a Jamaican franchise should be playing in Jamaica.”Florida is based on a lot of culture, a lot of different countries and nationalities,” Russell told ESPNcricinfo. “So I hope that we can get the support that we really want. It won’t be like playing in Jamaica where the crowd is behind the Tallawahs and the Tallawahs only. You’re gonna have a lot of people here coming out to support Guyana while some supporting us while some come out just to watch the games. Their heart is not with the Tallawahs.”However, Russell and his Tallawahs team-mates may be stuck playing more matches away from Sabina Park for the foreseeable future due to an agreement struck by their owner with the city of Lauderhill. Kris Persaud, whose Worldwide Sports Management Group took control of the Tallawahs in 2017, has a contract with the Lauderhill venue, guaranteeing at least three international cricket events per year at the stadium. It’s the key reason why this year’s CPL matches at the venue were designated as Tallawahs home games as opposed to neutral site matches shared amongst the six teams.

Top order
Alastair Cook confirmed his readiness for consecutive Test No. 155 by scoring 180 for the Lions against India A last week, and he is likely to be joined at the top of the order by Jennings, who batted once for 29 on his return at Headingley, but has been in productive form this season for Lancashire, with three Championship hundreds. That would mean no room for Surrey’s Rory Burns, currently the leading run-scorer in the country, unless the selectors wanted to shuffle Joe Root back down to No. 4. What seems more likely is Dawid Malan retaining his place at four, having scored twin fifties for the Lions – Burns, who captained the team, made 5 and 38 – above England’s multi-faceted lower-middle order engine room. Malan’s Middlesex team-mate Nick Gubbins, who made 73 against India A, might be a contender as the summer wears on.Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings run between the wickets•AFP

Allrounders
Injury kept Ben Stokes out of England’s last Test, and he will miss the second match of the India series due to his impending court appearance, but he is a default pick at No. 6 and proved his bowling is in good order by taking 8 for 118 in Durham’s Championship match this week. If England stick with the blueprint used against Pakistan, Stokes will have Jonny Bairstow above him and Jos Buttler below. While it might make sense to give the gloves to the man lower down, Bairstow has been bullish about his ability to keep and bat at No. 5, while Buttler seemed to thrive on the freedom of coming in lower down, and has so far managed to maintain the purple patch of form that caught Smith’s eye during the IPL. Sam Curran, the debutant who came in for Stokes against Pakistan, could also be included with an eye towards Lord’s.Seam
Although the senior new-ball pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been managing injuries over the last few weeks, both seemed to come through Championship games – for Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, respectively – without any issues. The same can’t be said for Mark Wood, who bowled only six overs at Cheltenham before complaining of pain in his heel; he went for a scan on Tuesday, with Durham coach Jon Lewis saying “it could be something and nothing”, but England may not want to risk him. Chris Woakes, the third seamer at Headingley, subsequently missed six weeks with a thigh problem and only managed match figures of 2 for 139 for Warwickshire over the past few days at Lord’s, but a record of 46 wickets at 23.76 in home Tests stands in his favour. Other candidates might include Jake Ball, who played his last Test during the winter’s Ashes; Essex’s Jamie Porter, the leading wicket-taker in the Championship last season; Somerset’s Overton twins, with the oft-injured Jamie showcasing some impressive pace in their ongoing match at New Road; and even Matt Fisher, Yorkshire’s former England U-19 who was part of the Lions team that thrashed India A by 253 runs.Positive spin: Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid impressed in the opening match against Australia•Getty Images

Spin
If Smith wants to roll the dice, then this is perhaps the most likely department for a gamble. Talk swirled last week about a possible recall for Adil Rashid – after he left Virat Kohli goggling at a sharp-turning legbreak during the third ODI – but he has not played a first-class game since September, and Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale said on Tuesday there had been no signs of Rashid pushing for a comeback. Bess impressed with his all-round ability against Pakistan, but was left out this week by Somerset in favour of Jack Leach, whose broken thumb initially gave Bess a shot with England. Left-armer Leach might offer a more probing line of attack against India’s battery of right-hand batsmen, and if England want an offspin option as well, that could open up a way back for Moeen Ali. Dropped for Leach in New Zealand, Moeen seems to have rediscovered his bowling confidence with England’s white-ball teams, and this week claimed 8 for 170 against Somerset – including his first Championship five-for since 2013. India, against whom he took 19 wickets at 23.00 in 2014, would surely be wary of a repeat.

Saha, who hurt his thumb during the IPL, is likely to miss at least part of India’s five-Test series in England, with Karthik likely to replace him in the team

Nagraj Gollapudi15-Jul-2018Wriddhiman Saha is understood to not have fully recovered from his thumb injury and hence is likely to miss at least part of India’s five-Test series in England beginning in August. Saha, who hurt his left thumb while playing in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, not only missed majority of the second leg of the tournament including the final but also the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June.Dinesh Karthik, who took Saha’s spot and kept wicket against Afghanistan, is likely to retain the spot. Karthik is already part of India’s limited-overs squad for the UK tour and should play as the wicketkeeper-batsman for the first Test starting at Edgbaston from August 1.Rahane, Vijay to play against English Lions

Some of the India Test players who are expected to be part of the squad have already arrived in England this week. ESPNcricinfo understands vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and opener M Vijay will feature in the India A match against England Lions, which begins at New Road (Worcester) from July 16.
Meanwhile, the England selectors have named a strong Lions XI, featuring six international players: Alastair Cook, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Dom Bess, Jack Leach and Sam Curran, to take on India A.

While ruling out Saha for the Afghanistan Test, the BCCI had said that his recovery would take five-six weeks. The Afghanistan Test started on June 14, and by the BCCI estimate Saha would be fit by the end of July. Although the BCCI has not issued any fitness update on Saha, the selectors as well as the India team management will want him to not just test his fitness but also his match-readiness.The only chance Saha would have had to do that would come during the four-day warm-up match against Essex, which starts on July 25 in Chelmsford. In all probability, Karthik will test himself in that game, which is likely to feature all the Test specialists.It is not clear who would be the back-up keeper for Karthik in case Saha is ruled out. If Saha does recover and misses only a match or two, then he could even come in as the reserve keeper. Otherwise that spot is likely to go to Parthiv Patel, who played in the Test series earlier this year in South Africa.India started their UK tour with the limited-overs series against Ireland and England, the last game of which, the final ODI, will be played in Leeds on July 17. It is understood that the BCCI will announce the India Test squad after ODI series against England.

Tottenham Hotspur managed to maintain their unbeaten run in the Premier League in dramatic fashion yesterday, as the plaudits just keep soaring in for Ange Postecoglou…

How did Spurs play vs Sheffield United?

Having dominated the majority of the game, it should have come as no surprise to see the Lilywhites fall behind against a Sheffield United side with just one point after four games. It just seemed all too familiar, for a Spurs side to roll over at home for a side that, on paper, they should brush aside.

Their 70% possession, 28 shots and 2.12 expected goal tally, via Sofascore, could not break down the rigid and staunch defence of the visitors, who stormed into the lead after Gustavo Hamer's fine left-footed strike.

However, such is the positivity and unbridled energy that their new regime is already emanating, this team seemingly just don't know when they are beaten. A well-placed corner in the 98th minute was met by Richarlison, whose subdued celebrations likely hid a wealth of emotion just waiting to pour out after the Brazilian had admitted to the struggles he had been facing earlier in the week.

His day would get even better though, with his direct play and neat outside-of-the-foot pass finding Dejan Kulusevski, who rifled home a 100th-minute winner to send the home fans into raptures. It was the latest comeback in the history of the Premier League, and one which typifies this new attitude in north London.

Whilst the former Everton striker will steal the headlines for the way in which he overcame recent adversity to score and assist, it marked a similarly cathartic moment for the Sweden international too.

How did Dejan Kulusevski play?

Having signed for £25m back in 2022, his blistering start to life with Spurs set the bar impossibly high for him to follow in the future. His five goals and eight assists in just six months were outstanding, which made his two strikes last season in the league especially frustrating.

Everyone is well aware of the talent that the 23-year-old boasts, but for whatever reason that has been silenced in recent years, despite former Celtic star Chris Sutton branding him a "special player" during that stunning initial spell.

So, to see him pop up at a crucial moment would have been euphoric for Kulusevski, whose stellar display had deserved something from the clash.

After all, having played every minute of the gruelling encounter, his 8.5 Sofascore rating was only bettered by Richarlison of those on the home side. Such a figure was buoyed by his relentless creativity, as he managed to post five key passes and create two big chances.

On another day, the former Juventus flyer could have earned a host of assists, with the steadfast visitors holding firm for so long. However, in the end, quality told.

Although Richarlison has struggled over the last 12 months, with just one league goal in the entire last campaign drawing ridicule, Kulusevski has instead been more self-critical. He noted after the conclusion of their miserable last term: "It’s been a long season, when you think of when we started, it feels like about three years ago

"You have to think about a lot of things. I’m happy, I’m grateful, I think I’ve learned a lot. Of course, I’ve been disappointed personally. After the World Cup, I didn’t think I played well enough. Also, the team hasn’t been good enough, especially in the last few months where we tried everything, but it just wasn't to be.”

Clearly boasting an impressive mindset to push himself to new heights after setbacks, this winning goal could prove to be the catalyst that reignites the career of two of Postecoglou's struggling attackers. There seems to be little that the 58-year-old tactician cannot do of late.