Gary Lineker wowed by ‘huge’ Brennan Johnson in Tottenham win v Brighton
Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson was the difference between Spurs and Brighton on Saturday 10 February.
Spurs looked as if they were going to drop points once again after an underwhelming display against the Seagulls at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Having gone behind to a Pascal Gross penalty early in the first half after Micky van de Ven fouled Danny Welbeck inside the box, Pape Matar Sarr equalised for the hosts just past the hour mark.
Ange Postecoglou’s side failed to kick on from this point, and it looked as if the game was going to end level, which would have seen Spurs draw for a second consecutive match after Jarrad Branthwaite’s 94th-minute equaliser for Everton in a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park last Saturday (3 February).
However, with just seconds left on the clock, second-half substitute Johnson stepped up and smashed home the winner as Spurs got a taste of some last-minute joy after last week’s late heartbreak on Merseyside.
Former Spurs striker and BBC pundit Gary Lineker was full of praise for the Welshman after the match as he wrote via his official X platform (10 February), “Brennan butter for Johnson as he scores a huge winning goal for Spurs.”
Johnson must build on ‘huge’ Tottenham moment
Spurs might look back on Johnson’s goal as a massive moment in the Premier League’s top-four race come May.
He has now given Postecoglou a big decision to make when the Australian selects his team for the visit of Wolves on Saturday 17 February.
After a disappointing performance last time out, Johnson was dropped from the starting lineup against Brighton.
However, this match-winning striker will give the former Nottingham Forest man some much-needed confidence, and he must now look to build on this momentum.
In truth, up until the winning goal he struggled against Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
Having come on to replace Timo Werner in the 62nd minute, the winger only managed to complete 67 per cent of his passes and gave the ball away five times throughout the 30 minutes-plus he spent on the pitch (Sofascore).
Defensively he looked more confident, winning two of his three ground duels and 100 per cent of his aerial duels.
Johnson has struggled since he sealed his £47.5million switch to North London from Nottingham Forest (Sky Sports News, 2 September).
As per fbref, he ranks in just the 23rd percentile of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for the number of goals he has scored (0.14 per 90), while his passing numbers aren’t much better.
Johnson sits in the 25th percentile for his pass completion rate (71.7 per cent per 90) and the 28th percentile for the number of passes he has played into the final third (1.28 per 90).
On the ball he has really struggled, consistently failing to get the better of his full-backs. Compared with other attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this season, Johnson is positioned in the 23rd percentile for the number of successful take-ons he has completed (0.99 per 90).
Hopefully, for the 22-year-old, this goal will help him to turn his fortunes in North London around over the next couple of months and put in some more complete displays.
In other Tottenham news, it wasn’t the finest afternoon for one 25 per cent Spurs ace who was blasted for his “lazy” mistake against Brighton.
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