After it looked like Tottenham were about to blow a three-goal lead thanks to Fraser Forster's poor play in the EFL Cup quarterfinals, captain Heung-min Son secured a critical insurance goal with an olympico for an eventual 4-3 victory over Manchester United.
Take a look at the goal:
Son Heung-min with an OLÍMPICO to seal a spot for Spurs in the Carabao Cup semifinals 💫 pic.twitter.com/0LtErOdaEM
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 19, 2024
On the corner kick, Lucas Bergvall did make contact with Manchester United keeper Altay Bayindir but with no VAR until the semifinal and final of the EFL Cup, there was nothing to rule the goal out once it went through. That takes nothing away from the bend that Son put on the ball as Bayindir needs to be stronger on corner kicks but both keepers left much to be desired during the clash.
"Do we want this decision as a foul on the pitch? The answer is yes from the referee. If there had been VAR, that's where we can get into a discussion of whether or not it's a clear enough and obvious error to recommend that down for VAR," CBS Sports rules expert Christiana Unkel said. "But on the pitch, yes it's that left contact that's being made but what I was looking for and what we'll look for when breaking down the plays and how a referee may or may not have seen this, where was the referees' position? The referee is looking through this mass of players that are coming through and he may not have the best position to appreciate the amount of contact that happens. I know that it may seem like it, but at the end of the day, we don't want that as a foul."
Tottenham chase their first trophy since winning the 2008-09 EFL Cup and early on in the match, it seemed like they'd run away with it. Dominic Solanke scored a brace and Dejan Kulusevski scored in the first minute of the second half before United managed to pull within a goal before Spurs held on in the end.
