Albion fight back to floor Spurs

Albion 3, Tottenham Hotspur 2: Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter and Danny Welbeck on target in the second half after visitors led 2-0.

Bruce Talbot

2024-10-06T17:25+01:00

Danny Welbeck runs off to celebrate his goal that put Albion 3-2 up. 📷 by James Boardman.

Albion produced a fightback to remember as they floored Spurs with three second-half goals at at the Amex.

Trailing 2-0 at the break, Yankuba Minteh pulled one back two minutes after the break – his first goal for the club. Georginio Rutter then made it two in two games with a superb finish before teeing up Danny Welbeck, whose simple header was his fourth goal of the season and first against Spurs since 2014.

Albion saw out the game really well and might have even added another goal in the closing stages as they climbed to sixth ahead of the international break. The watching Pascal Gross, who said his goodbyes before kick-off, would have recognised the spirit shown by his former teammates.

Georginio Rutter picks up the ball after Yankuba Minteh pulls one back for Albion. 📷 by Bennett Dean.

Such a scenario had looked unlikely in the first half. Albion’s plans had been disrupted after just nine minutes when Adam Webster went off, having felt his hamstring as he cleared upfield. Spurs had already gone close when Dejan Kulusevki’s shot was deflected for a corner by Lewis Dunk and Webster stretched to block Timo Werner’s drive.

Spurs were dominant and James Maddison bundled the ball home but Pedro Porro was offside supplying the cross. Albion’s reprieve was short-lived. Dominic Solanke slipped the perfect pass for Johnson to run onto and score his sixth goal in six games.

Albion responded impressively though. Guglielmo Vicario pushed out Kaoru Mitoma’s shot before Mitoma curled a great ball into Welbeck’s path which, at full stretch, he diverted wide from six yards.

The men who got us level. 📷 by James Boardman.

Spurs looked a threat every time they went forward and it was no surprise when they doubled their lead on 37 minutes. Solanke and Werner combined on the left and Maddison had space to find the bottom right corner from the edge of the box, although Bart Verbruggen will be disappointed not to save the shot.

Again Albion responded and Welbeck met Ferdi Kadioglu’s cross with a header which was inches wide of the right-hand post but before the break Johnson broke past Kadioglu and into a great position but smashed his shot over from eight yards.

Three minutes into the second half and the fightback was underway. Destiny Udogie failed to clear Mitoma’s cross and Minteh’s powerful right-foot shot from the edge of the six yard box flew inside the post.

Georginio drives the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-2 at the Amex. 📷 by James Boardman.

The Amex found its voice and after Mitoma had been denied by Guglielmo Vicario it was 2-2 on 58 minutes. Pervis Estupinan found Mitoma on the left and his pass split open the Tottenham defence. Rutter still had work to do but he shrugged off his marker to strike low and hard with his left foot into the far corner – a great finish.

Mitoma’s shot was blocked after another rapid Albion counter, and it was no surprise when the turnaround was completed in the 65th minute. Rutter did superbly to go past Udogie and dig out a cross from the line under pressure from Rodrigo Bentancur. The unmarked Welbeck nailed the header from three yards out.

Verbruggen got down to keep out Udogie’s shot – a warning that Spurs weren’t out of it – but Albion had chances themselves in the closing stages which they managed professionally. What a win!

Albion: Verbruggen, Veltman, Dunk, Webster (Igor 9), Kadioglu (Estupinan 45), Hinshelwood, Baleba (Wieffer 72), Minteh (Gruda 88), Welbeck, Rutter (Enciso 72), Mitoma.