Can You Hear The Goals Fernando?

Fernando Llorente scores a late goal for Spurs to give them a vital 3 points.

Image Credit: Cartilage Free Captain

By Lee Clow 30 January 2019 | Premier League

Spurs scored two late goals through Son-Heung-min and Fernando Llorente to secure an important 2-1 victory over Watford.

After exiting both domestic cup competitions in the space of four days, Spurs’ week looked to get worse as in the 38th minute Watford defender, Craig Cathcart, bundled home after a misjudgment by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Spurs struggled to create any chances in the first half, clearly showing their need for their star men, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, who both remain out injured. Even with the returning Son and a refreshed Eriksen, Spurs still looked far from their fluid best.

After the break, Mauricio Pochettino introduced Lucas Moura into the game, which proved the catalyst for a much-improved second half performance. Lucas brought some drive to Spurs which led to them putting more pressure on the stubborn Watford defense. Fernando Llorente, continuing to deputize for Harry Kane, twice had great opportunities to score but missed from close range.

However, Spurs were resilient and found an equalizer from Son Heung-min, 10 minutes before time. Llorente found some space before laying a pass into Son who fired past Foster, to lift the home support. Tottenham continued to push on for a winner and finally Llorente hit the target when he cleverly guided in a cross from Danny Rose.

The win for Spurs leaves them in third but are now only two points behind Manchester City and seven behind leaders Liverpool. Llorente’s winner also continues Spurs’ stat of consecutive matches without a draw and matches Bolton's Premier League record in the competition (28 - W21 L7). Watford on the other hand remain ninth, level on points with eighth placed Everton and tenth placed Bournemouth.

After the game Pochettino spoke about his sides performance and stated how important it was for his team to smile again. "It arrived late, but we kept pushing. It was a fantastic second-half performance. The first half, it was difficult to create chances - we dominated, but didn't create…It's fantastic to win again. After a difficult week it's so important to smile. The mentality is perfect."

Watford boss, Gracia, stated how disappointed he was after his side let a one goal lead slip right at the death. “We missed a very good chance to get points against a very good team”

What’s next?

Tottenham continue their Premier League campaign against Newcastle in an early kick off on Saturday. Watford also play on Saturday as they face a tricky task against Everton, where they’ll be reunited with former manager Marco Silva at Vicarage Road.