Injury scare for Tottenham as Cristian Romero is substituted in 2-1 win v Everton
Despite Tottenham heading into half-time 2-0 up against Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there was some bad news for supporters when the players came back out.
Ange Postecoglou’s squad found themselves in a convincing position at the break on Saturday 23 December, going on to turn that into all three points in the 2-1 win.
Richarlison’s fourth goal in three games gave the hosts the lead after nine minutes before Son Heung-min’s 18th-minute strike put the home side two to the good.
However, Postecoglou was dealt yet another injury scare during the interval, as he opted to replace Cristian Romero with Eric Dier for the second half. It comes as yet another blow to a Spurs squad already decimated by injuries and suspensions.
Romero is a key player in Spurs’ backline, and his first-half performance against the Toffees demonstrated that.
As per Sofascore, the Argentina international made one clearance, blocked one shot and made one tackle. He was solid in his duels, winning two of his three on the ground, although he did lose the one he contested in the air.
On the ball he was exceptional, completing 93 per cent of his passes and playing three accurate long balls forward.
Postecoglou and Spurs’ supporters will hope the injury isn’t too serious. They only just got the World Cup-winning defender back from his three-game suspension after his red card during the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea (6 November).
Tottenham conceded six goals in the three matches without Romero, failing to win once, with that number halving to just three in the three matches since the Argentinian’s return, while they also kept their first clean sheet since 23 October with a 2-0 win away at Nottingham Forest last time out (15 December).
His stats throughout the entire season demonstrate how key he has been. As per Fbref, Romero ranks in the top six per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for the number of tackles he has won (1.68 per 90), and the best 96 per cent of players when his tackle and interception totals are combined (3.84 per 90).
Tottenham will now face an anxious wait to see the scale of Romero’s injury issue.
In other Tottenham news, one Under-18 sensation at the club could look to follow in the footsteps of Son after his recent displays.