Tottenham v Chelsea PL2 Match Report – Nile John’s late winner sends Spurs to the finals
As is the case with modern football, teams have little time to feel sorry for themselves. Tottenham’s U21s were certainly finding this the case as they prepared to host London rivals Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, mere days after suffering a disappointing 4-0 loss in the PL2 cup final.
There was plenty of reason to be positive however as Wayne Burnett had his selection choices boosted by the returns of Alfie Devine and Ashley Phillips to the squad, with both players being keen to return to Spurs action following their loans with Championship side, Plymouth Argyle.
The duo were part of five changes that were made to the host’s line-up as a new-look defence was named with 18-year-old Yusuf Akhamrich, a winger by trade, starting at right-back, with Max Robson on the other side, although his afternoon was harshly cut short inside ten minutes after suffering what appeared to be a head injury.
Jamie Donley, the team’s usual playmaker, was called up to the first team squad by Ange Postecoglou for their final game of the Premier League season which is why Alfie Devine was named in his position.
As mentioned above, Spurs’ start to the game was largely interrupted by the stoppage due to the head collision between Max Robson and Ashley Phillips, but Yago Santiago ensured that his side wouldn’t be first to concede as they have of late.
The Vigo-born winger sized up Kaiden Wilson on the left flank before picking out the run of Will Lankshear that has become almost a routine for him. Once again, the PL2 top goal scorer found the back of the net, taking him only 15 minutes to plant his name on the scoresheet for the twenty-third time this season.
As is the style with Tottenham’s academy this season, players attempt to pass or dribble their way into the box and cut back or cross the ball, usually for Will Lankshear. This pattern of play was clear to see in the first half with Yusuf Akhamarich frequently darting into crossing positions from his deeper than usual position. Alfie Devine, Yago Santiago, and Maeson King were all also bombing forwards in an attempt to double the lead.
Chelsea were, however, gifted the final chance of the half as Luca Gunter’s pass was intercepted by Jimmy-Jay Morgan in the Spurs box. The Blues number nine calmly waited for his teammate’s support, with Jimi Tauriainen being the first on the scene but devastatingly for his team, he blasted the effort way over the bar instead of nudging home the shot into the open goal.
Spurs’ second half once again pointed to the squad’s fatigue as the team struggled to manufacture clear-cut opportunities with their best chance being created by Yusuf Akhamarich who once again found himself overlapping Jude Soonsup-Bell but instead opted for a shot from a tight angle rather than the reverse pass to the open Yago Santiago.
The visitors then decided to deploy a plethora of subs, one being Deivid Washington who The Blues purchased for an astonishing £17.2m in August. (BBC) Chelsea’s Brazilian didn’t take long to have his say on the game as he guided a shot into the bottom right corner in the 75th minute to level the game.
Opportunities to snatch a victory following Chelsea’s leveller were few and far between with Spurs having a few efforts that didn’t really trouble the opposition goalkeeper, the feeling inside the Tottenham stadium was that there was an increasing acceptance for the increasingly likely scenario of extra time.
Tottenham Hotspur U21s are heading to the final
That was until the Spurs academy revealed yet another late trick that they had up their sleeve. George Abbott fed the ball into Nile John on the edge of the Chelsea area who took two touches to set himself before firing a perfect shot past the sliding Chelsea defender and diving goalkeeper who couldn’t prevent John’s winner and Tottenham from booking their place into the final of the PL2 playoffs.
Deivid Washington and Chelsea did their best to rewrite the script a second time but Luca Gunter, in between the sticks for Spurs, once again performed heroically in the final minutes that remained, saving a superb header from Washington before going one better and stopping a thunderous volley from Diego Moreira in its tracks, preventing what seemed to be a certain equaliser in the game’s final kick.
Moreira, clearly frustrated that his final effort didn’t hand Chelsea a lifeline then appeared to have an issue with Will Lankshear after the forward shook his hand and proceeded to find an issue with any Tottenham player trying to diffuse the situation.
Nevertheless, Spurs and Lankshear escaped the squabble without any punishment and continued to celebrate with the delighted Tottenham fans who knew that they had another final awaiting them in a week’s time against either Reading or Sunderland with the title of PL2 playoff winners at stake.
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