"Got his reward": Postecoglou heaps praise on hero Richarlison

Tottenham competed to a memorable comeback from a goal down to beat Sheffield United 2-1 deep into stoppage time in a dramatic finish.

The winning goals were scored in stoppage time by Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Spurs were looking hopeless as the clock hit the 98th minute. Their perfect Premier League record seemed to be in ruins after a game in which they dominated possession but were unable to score.

Harry Kane, on the other hand, has kept finding the back of the goal in Germany while Postecoglou’s side were missing his ability to completely demolish their opponents.

But suddenly, out of nowhere, an unlikely hero emerged from the bench.

Substitute Richarlison scored eight minutes into overtime with a header after a week in which he discussed his personal difficulties.

He then switched roles and assisted on the game-winning goal, finding Dejan Kulusevski all alone in the area for the Swedish midfielder to hit it home.

Things haven’t been easy for Richarlison

Since his transfer from Everton last year, things have been challenging for him on the field. He had only scored once for Spurs in the Premier League since joining the club for $62 million.

To make matters worse, the 2022 World Cup was the last time he scored for Brazil. He was visibly upset after being taken off of the Selecao’s 5-1 win over Bolivia last week.

Also, he had a goal disallowed during a five-minute VAR review in Tuesday’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Peru. After the game, he spoke up about some of the challenges he had been facing on and off the field.

What did Ange Postecoglou say?

But this weekend, the Brazilian finally scored his first goal of the season, and it was the game-winner, earning him accolades from his Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou. After the game, the Australian manager addressed the media.

“Richy was great. I thought all the subs who came on really helped. But that’s been a consistent theme. And yeah, for Richy I think it’s the point I was trying to make yesterday – for him to understand that you try and maintain a balance in life.

“And his football hasn’t been that bad, he’s still been contributing for us. Sometimes when you struggle with certain parts of your life you let it go into other areas.

“But the football is one area where he can control, and he works hard every day in training and really got his rewards today. And hopefully, that gives him a bit more of a settled feel to deal with the other areas of his life. For everyone, it’s about not letting it overwhelm you. And hopefully, a day like today helps him,” he said, via GOAL.

Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images