Harry Kane’s strike in stoppage time handed Tottenham Hotspur a stunning victory over table-topping Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
The home side thought they had sealed a late point just minutes earlier after Riyad Mahrez converted a spot-kick following a VAR review but there was to be a late twist as the 28-year-old, who was heavily linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium last summer, provided it as he headed home a cross from Dejan Kulusevski.
It was the deadline day signing who opened the scoring just four minutes into the match when Heung-min Son beat an offside trap to pass it across goal for the Swede to tap home.
Pep Guardiola’s side levelled through Raheem Sterling before Spurs regained the lead through Kane’s first of two goals on the night.
The England international certainly earned the majority of the plaudits for his “magnificent” display, as Alan Shearer described it on Match of the Day. “That’s one of the best all-round centre-forward performances I’ve seen all season, anywhere,” he added.
However, for all of Kane’s impressive exploits, there were other names that went a little under the radar, such as central defender Cristian Romero, who was unfortunate to have conceded the penalty – he could do nothing as the ball struck his hand so late on.
Aside from that, he was remarkable and he really lived up to the praise from his former Atalanta teammate Pierluigi Gollini, who dubbed him an “animal” who is “perfect for the Premier League” to the Evening Standard.
‘An authoritative display full of controlled aggression and a smattering of the dark arts,’ is how journalist Dan Kilpatrick described the Argentine’s performance, whilst BBC contributor Premier League Panel emphasised just how important he was in thwarting City’s threat down the left wing.
“Handball aside, Cristian Romero showed how he excels in the art of defending. Man City consistently attacked down the left with Sterling & Cancelo, but Romero’s reading of the game to sweep behind Emerson resulted in so many crucial tackles & interceptions. He’s a top-class CB,” he tweeted.
Indeed, as per SofaScore, the 23-year-old colossus recorded seven clearances (second-most in the game), two interceptions and two blocks, on top of his impressive ball-playing ability, having made 90% of his 41 passes, only reinforcing the praise he received on social media.
Therefore, there’s a case to be made that it was Romero who arguably stole the show up in Manchester this weekend – you’d imagine that without him, it may well have been a different story, even more so when you consider that it could’ve been either of Davinson Sanchez or Japhet Tanganga instead.
The £31.5m-rated defender was certainly just as big an influence as Kane on Saturday night.
AND in other news, Paratici could seal Spurs’ biggest signing since Son in “special” £54m-rated monster…