Ian Wright was full of praise for Lucas Moura and the impact he made from the bench during Tottenham Hotspur’s dramatic 3-2 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, as he told Match of the Day.
After a drama-filled Champions League midweek game, Antonio Conte’s side were at it again yesterday, but this time, Spurs saw their stoppage-time winner stand as they came from 2-0 down to beat the Cherries 3-2.
Lucas Moura didn’t start the game at Dean Court, with Son Heung-min and Harry Kane the only attacking starting options, but at half-time, with the home side winning 1-0, the Brazil star was brought into the fold for Oliver Skipp.
Even though Kieffer Moore doubled Bournemouth’s lead minutes after the restart, it was a much better display from Spurs because Ryan Sessegnon pulled a goal back just before the hour mark and then Ben Davies nodded home in the 73rd minute.
Another substitute, this time Rodrigo Bentancur, was involved in the drama, as he scored in stoppage-time to secure a much-needed three points for the north London club.
It ends a bad week in a pretty positive style for Conte’s men, as Wright stated that Moura did ‘brilliantly well’ from the bench.
“It’s like Sessegnon said, ‘they passed it a bit more quicker (in the second half and with a bit more confidence’,” said Wright. “This is what Tottenham can do.
“I know there is a certain style people want Tottenham to play. Watch this bit of play (one-two football to progress the ball forward after suffocating Bournemouth in possession). Bang, bang, boom! That’s what they started to do. Conte said that his team played with a bit more ‘confidence’ and that.
“When they did that, then Bournemouth couldn’t get anywhere near them, then they started to drop off even more and Tottenham started to go at them.
“Moura, I felt when he came on at half-time, he did brilliantly well with Dier, the other substitute.”
MOURA STARTING TO WARM UP
In midweek, the £23 million Tottenham forward (BBC Sport) was handed his first start of the season by Conte and then he earned an extra 45 minutes yesterday.
The more minutes Moura gets into his leg, the better he will get and be able to start on a regular basis for Conte, with several players ahead of him in the attacking pecking order.
Even though he is out-of-form, Son Heung-min is one of them, as are the currently-injured duo, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison.
In truth, unless Moura goes on some madness before they return, his minutes will more than likely be reduced again when they return from the treatment room.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
