Tottenham Hotspur booked a late 0-1 victory on Saturday visiting Watford. Davinson Sánchez took the winning goal in stoppage time after the game was halted for eight minutes due to a medical emergency in the Vicarage Road stands. The win moves Tottenham to fifth place in the Premier League, one point behind number four Arsenal. Watford remains seventeenth for the time being.
Tottenham entered Vicarage Road without Steven Bergwijn, who was also missing on Tuesday during the away game against Southampton (1-1). The still undefeated manager Antonio Conte said after that game that the attacker was struggling with a calf injury, which means that he would not be available against Watford. Partly because of this, Tottenham had a trusted front line with Lucas Moura, Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son at the kick-off. That attack came in handy in the first half, because Watford mainly limited himself to defending.
Goal Tottenham!! In the 96th minute it is 0-1! Sanchez breaks hearts in Watford! ??#ZiggoSport #PremierLeague #WATTOT pic.twitter.com/BeMyrIaMq0
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) January 1, 2022
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Sergio Reguilon and Harry Kane provided peace of mind for the few opportunities on behalf of Tottenham. In doing so, Kane was possibly closest to the opening goal, as his shot went just over the wrong side of the post. In the first phase after the break Watford showed more. For example, a shot from Joshua King was stylishly saved by Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, while Tottenham got a helping hand by referee Robert Jones failed to give advantage when Joao Pedro appeared to enter the penalty area.
Son first showed himself with a failed heel, but with just under twenty minutes on the clock, he had a huge chance. The South Korean attacker completed the ball from close range towards the goal, but a goal was prevented thanks to a great save by goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann. After Watford unsuccessfully asked for a penalty after an alleged foul by Lloris on Pedro, the game came to a halt. The medical staff of both Watford and Tottenham rushed to the stands after 85 minutes of play, where something was wrong with a supporter.
The medics of both teams returned to the dug-out to applause after a few minutes, after which an ambulance rushed to take over the care of the supporter. After the game had been halted for eight minutes in total, the situation appeared to be ‘under control’ and the game could resume. The game eventually got a winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Sanchez headed a measured free kick from Son against the ropes within the five-meter area and gave Tottenham the victory.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 21 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 53 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 42 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 41 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 35 |
| 5 | West Ham United | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 34 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 33 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 31 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton W. | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | -1 | 25 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | -2 | 25 |
| 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 18 | 5 | 9 | 4 | -1 | 24 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | -1 | 23 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | -4 | 22 |
| 13 | Southampton | 19 | 4 | 9 | 6 | -9 | 21 |
| 14 | Brentford | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | -4 | 20 |
| 15 | Everton | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | -8 | 19 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | -18 | 16 |
| 17 | Watford | 18 | 4 | 1 | 13 | -14 | 13 |
| 18 | Burnley | 16 | 1 | 8 | 7 | -9 | 11 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 19 | 1 | 8 | 10 | -23 | 11 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 19 | 2 | 4 | 13 | -34 | 10 |