Tottenham 3 - Swansea 2: Gomis collapse overshadows Spurs win at the Lane
TOTTENHAM bounced back from last week’s double disappointment to return to winning ways on the night Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch.
Bafétimbi Gomis collapsed in the first half at White Hart Lane
Goals from Nacer Chadli, Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend won it for Spurs, who had been knocked out of the Europa League by Fiorentina and beaten in the Capital One Cup final by Chelsea inside three days.
Swansea had levelled through Ki Sung-Yeung and then ex-Spur Gylfi Sigurdsson scored for 3-2, with a minute to go, to make it a nervy finish.
But Swansea were relieved by confirmation that striker Gomis had merely fainted and was not seriously ill when he fell face forwards on to the turf moments after Spurs’ first goal.
Before kick-off there was a minute’s applause for Tottenham legend Dave Mackay, a stalwart of the 1961 double-winning side, who died earlier in the week aged 80.
It took Spurs just seven minutes to score a goal worthy of the Mackay era, as Chadli arrived in the box to volley Danny Rose’s delivery from the left flank past Swans keeper Lukasz Fabianski.
The game had not restarted when Gomis suddenly collapsed in the centre of the pitch. The Swans striker has a history of blackouts because of low blood pressure.
The shock reminded Spurs fans of the moment Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba’s collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch, three years ago this month, when his heart stopped for 78 minutes.
Gomis was taken off on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on his face, to be replaced by Nelson Oliveira, after more than five minutes of treatment on the pitch by paramedics, but thankfully he was clearly conscious.
Tottenham continued where they had left off, with Townsend firing at Fabianski, but Swansea’s reply was Ki’s 19th-minute equaliser.
He slipped the ball past keeper Hugo Lloris from a tight angle moments after Sigurdsson had struck a post with a 25-yard free-kick. Spurs regained the initiative six minutes after the restart, Mason burst into the box to smash home his first Premier League strike.
Swansea pressed for an equaliser and there were some nervy moments in the home defence until Tottenham broke away and scored a third.
Andros Townsend was the man who did the legwork, sprinting away down the left and cutting inside to fire in.
Referee Michael Oliver also deserved some praise for playing the advantage after Nabil Bentaleb had been hacked down in his own half.
Substitute Roberto Soldado, on for Harry Kane, almost made it four late with a header that dropped just wide –before Sigurdsson’s goal.
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose (Davies 78); Bentaleb, Mason; Chadli, Eriksen, Townsend (Dembele 64); Kane (Soldado 76).
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
