Son Heung-min’s 86th-minute winner has helped Tottenham get their Champions League qualification hopes back on track with a 2-1 home victory over Luton.
Ange Postecoglou’s side trailed from the third minute when Tahith Chong rifled Luton ahead, extending Tottenham’s wait for a first clean sheet since October.
Spurs have now failed to score during the first half for seven home games, but they produced another second-half rally thanks to the introduction of substitute Brennan Johnson.
Johnson set up Issa Kabore’s 51st-minute own goal and then teed up Son four minutes from time to help the fifth-placed hosts bounce back from their Fulham humbling two weeks ago.
Son’s 15th goal of the season came days after he travelled halfway across the world to feature in South Korea’s World Cup qualifiers against Thailand.
“I am sure he feels tired, it’s tough,” Postecoglou said.
“When I was national team coach of Australia, we had quite a few players this side of the world.
“They’re long trips, there is a time difference but … when (Son) is available, he wants to play to the highest possible level – and he keeps doing it.”
There was plenty of late drama in west London, where two added-time goals added a thrilling finish to Brentford’s 1-1 draw with Mancheser United.
The hosts had hit the woodwork four times and forced a string of fine saves from United keeper Andre Onana before the visitors took the lead against the run of play through Mason Mount deep into stoppage time.
Heung-Min Son scores. (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images) (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Unperturbed, Brentford continued to press and levelled in the 99th minute when England striker Ivan Toney cut the ball back for the unmarked Kristoffer Ajer to level.
Fourth-placed Aston Villa retained their three-point advantage over Spurs with a 2-0 win over Wolves. Moussa Diaby and Ezri Konsa scored the goals.
Luton’s loss dropped them into the bottom three after Nottingham Forest earned a point at home to Crystal Palace with a second-half equaliser from Chris Wood.
Fellow strugglers Everton lost 2-1 at Bournemouth thanks to Seamus Coleman’s stoppage-time own goal after Beto had levelled for the visitors in the 87th minute.
Burnley remain four points off safety after drawing at Chelsea with 10 men.
Cole Palmer scored twice for Chelsea, the first from a hotly contested penalty, for which Lorenz Assignon was sent off after a second yellow card for dragging down Mykhailo Mudryk.
Protesting Clarets coach Vincent Kompany was also dismissed.
But second-half goals from Josh Cullen and Dara O’Shea earned battling Burnley a point.
Substitute Harvey Barnes’s stunning 90th-minute strike fired Newcastle to a 4-3 comeback victory over West Ham.
Newcastle, who had led through Alexander Isak’s sixth-minute penalty, trailed 3-1 at St. James’ Park with 13 minutes remaining after goals from Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.
A second Isak penalty halved the deficit before Barnes levelled at 3-3 with seven minutes remaining then struck a dramatic last-gasp winner.
There were six second-half goals at Bramall Lane, where Sheffield United and Fulham drew 3-3 after the hosts blew a 3-1 lead.
© AAP
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