Tottenham Hotspur dazzler, Bamidele Alli has sent a ‘thank-you’ message to his coach, Mauricio Pochettino, for agreeing to allow him play in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup clash against Watford, footballlive.ng can report.
Alli made a fervent plea to the Argentine gaffer to allow him play, and Pochettino surprised him further by giving him the captain’s band, after which the Nigerian-born lad rewarded the coach with a goal.
Alli’s second half effort was enough to cancel out an earlier one notched by former Golden Eaglets striker, Isaac Success, as Spurs rallied back to edge ahead, only to see Watford storm back stubbornly.
The match held at MK Stadium, the home ground of Alli’s alma mater club, MK Dons, hence his desire to make an emotional return to his childhood hunting fields, and what a stunning return it was, though he had to go all the way through a tense penalties’ shoot-out.
Ultimately, Etienne Capoue and Domingos Quina missed from the spot as Spurs got the better of Watford on penalties after a 2-2 draw ended regulation time.
The first half was a forgettable affair at Stadium MK but the game burst into life after the restart as Success gave The Hornets a lead.
It looked as if Watford were on course for a place in the fourth round despite intense pressure from Spurs until substitute Christian Kabasele brought down Alli inside the area, earning himself a straight red card in the process.
Alli scored the resulting penalty kick himself and Erik Lamela lifted the ball over Heurelho Gomes to seemingly complete the turnaround.
Capoue then hit a late equalizer, only to later miss his kick in the shoot-out, with Quina also failing to find the back of the net as Son Heung-min, Lamela, Fernando Llorente and Alli all converted for Tottenham.
