Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son devastated after André Gomes injury
The Tottenham player was inconsolable after his challenge left Everton’s André Gomes with a what looked like a serious ankle injury.
This evening’s meeting between Everton and Tottenham at Goodison, the final fixture of Week 11 in the Premier League, was marred by the injury suffered by André Gomes with 12 minutes of normal time remaining.
Goodison shocked by André Gomes injury
Heung-Min Son caught the Everton midfielder in a challenge from behind as Gomes raced down the left wing and in a stroke of terrible misfortune, Serge Aurier clattered into the player head-on. The Spurs player immediately raised his hand to acknowledge he was late in the tackle, and unaware of the severity of the injury. Harrowing images showed Gomes surrounded by concerned team mates, clearly in agony and with his ankle bent at an angle. The Portuguese player, who joined from Barcelona for 25 million euros over the summer, was stretchered off and taken to hospital. Television replays don’t show whether Gomes’ injury was directly caused by Son’s tackle or Aurier – or a combination of both.
A distraught Son held his hands to his face and was in tears after seeing for himself how serious Gomes’ injury looked. Match official Martin Atkinson, who had initially intended to show the player a yellow card, decided to issue the player a straight red – only the second he has received in the Premier League (he was sent off in the penultimate game of last season against Bournemouth).
"Son is devastated and in tears. It’s not his fault. Son is one of nicest people you’ve ever met. He can’t even lift his head up, he’s crying so much. The injury does play on your mind but you have to stay professional,” goal scorer Dele Alli said afterwards. Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino also hopes Gomes has a speedy recovery and return to the game. “We feel very sorry. It’s a very bad situation. It’s very bad luck how he landed. We can only send our best wishes to him. It’s not about football, it’s important that he is okay. We feel devastated, it was so, so difficult. Son is devastated. He was very confused. It was difficult to keep calm. It was no intentional. It was so, so bad luck”.
Similar case in the Galician derby
While details of Gomes’ injury won’t be known until tests have been concluded, some commentators have suggested that he could have suffered a broken shin bone - an injury which would certainly rule him out of next year's Euro 2020. Today's incident conjured memories of the injury suffered by Manuel Pablo in the Galician derby in 2001. The Deportivo defender went for a 50:50 ball with Celta’s Everton Giovanella and ended up with a fractured tibia and fibula. On a positive note, Manuel Pablo returned to the game a year later and went on to play into his late 30s, after making 482 appearances for Depor. Let’s hope André Gomes is back playing as soon as he is able.