PAPE MATAR SARR had a whirlwind eight minutes after he was introduced as a substitute in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Sarr, 22, went through a game’s worth of emotions in a rollercoaster eight-minute spell.
The Senegalese midfielder had spent much of the evening warming the bench, until Ange Postecoglou rolled the dice on a double switch to bring him and Brennan Johnson on for Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert in the 64th minute.
That change got Sarr’s evening off to a sour start as boos echoed from the away fans – seemingly frustrated at Postecoglou’s tactical decisions as Spurs trailed 1-0.
While fans could also be heard shouting “You don’t know what you’re doing” to the Aussie gaffer.
Sarr certainly didn’t seem affected by the unwelcome start to his cameo, as less than five minutes after stepping on to the pitch he thundered a long range effort past Robert Sanchez and into the back of the net.
The stunning goal had drawn Spurs level in the match, taking Sarr’s shaky start to the night to pure elation in a matter of minutes.
But that high was about to be taken away from him just as quickly as he had earned it, as VAR took a close look at the build-up to his goal.
Chelsea players had furiously appealed for a foul just moments before Sarr’s long-range screamer, and the officials at Stockley Park agreed with their sentiment.
The goal was overturned after the replays showed that Sarr had fouled Moises Caicedo to win the ball for his effort on goal.
In fact, the former Metz man was actually shown a yellow card for his foul after his high studs had made connection with Caicedo’s knee.
The challenge even sparked speculation online as to whether Sarr should have been sent off.
Fortunately for the Spurs star he was only shown a caution and was able to play the rest of the game.
Sarr wasn’t the only one that had an up-and-down few minutes either, as Ange Postecoglou suffered the same fate.
After being booed for his substitutions, Postecoglou appeared to cup his ear and wave at the Spurs fans following Sarr’s goal.
Only for VAR to make his goading seem a little foolish in retrospect.
Spurs fans didn’t hold back their feelings against the players at full-time either.
The away support were seen berating the Tottenham stars as they came over to thank them for their support, while Postecoglou “stayed out of the firing line” on the centre circle.
It was an Enzo Fernandez headed goal that made the difference for Chelsea as they leapt back into the top four with a 1-0 win that saw both teams clash in a mass brawl just before half-time.
Meanwhile Tottenham are languishing in 14th place after yet another dismal display.
Read the full article here
