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Tottenham Hotspur hosted Sheffield United at home as they hoped to end their four-game winless run in the Premier League. Since beating Southampton on the 29th of September, Mauricio Pochettino's side failed to win any of their subsequent games in the English top-flight and their torrid run of form saw them slip to the bottom half of the Premier League.
Spurs will have to wait another two weeks at least to end their barren run as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Sheffield United, despite taking the lead in the second half. New signings Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy N'dombele started in the centre of the park but the home side looked far from convincing, as the Blades left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a well-deserved point.
Chris Wilder's side took the game to Spurs as they looked for an opening goal in the first half but both sides failed to put the ball into the back of the net before the interval, as they played out an evenly-contested opening forty-five minutes.
Sheffield's defensive discipline ensured that the home side didn't have too many chances but they took the lead in the second half, courtesy of Son Heung-Min. Irish defender Enda Stevens's loose touch was latched onto by the South Korean and the ball found it's way into the back of the net through Dean Henderson's leg, via a deflection.
Wilder's side refused to sit back and although they did have the ball in the net moments later, the goal was disallowed after consultation with the VAR as John Lundstram was adjudged to have been offside in the build-up Sheffield were rewarded for their persistence and scored a deserved equalizer, as George Baldock's cross found it's way into the back of the net as Spurs failed to deal with the situation decisively.
As the Blades left North London with a well-deserved point, let's look at some of the talking points from the game.
#3 The VAR's grey areas were exposed once again
Sheffield had the ball in the back of the net moments after Son's opener but the goal was disallowed after consultation with the VAR, as Lundstram was adjudged to have been marginally offside in the build-up.
The Englishman was barely involved in the passage of play that led to the goal, as Stevens' cross was met in the far post by David McGoldrick and although it looked like there wasn't conclusive evidence for the VAR to disallow the goal, they did so, much to everyone's disbelief.
The implementation of the VAR has been one of the major talking points of the Premier League season so far and the system has come under immense scrutiny in recent weeks, has it's had a telling effect on a handful of games over the weeks.
Although it's implementation was necessary to aid with offside calls, the grey area surrounding the concept of the "clear and obvious error" tag has come under a lot of debate this season,
#2 Son Heung-Min's purple patch continues
Son Heung-Min has had a whirlwind seven-day spell, to say the least. After being involved in the unfortunate incident involving Andre Gomes last weekend, where the Spaniard suffered a horrific leg break, he received his marching orders and was reduced to tears as Gomes was stretchered off the pitch.
Since having his red-card was overturned after an appeal, Son scored a brace against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League and was on the mark once again against a resilient Sheffield United side. He latched on to a loose ball inside the box and his low shot found its way into the back of the net via a deflection to give his side the lead.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man has been scintillating form recently and has had a hand in 4 of Spurs' last 6 goals in all competitions, with 3 goals and a solitary assist.
#1 Sheffield United's mental fortitude was evident once again
Sheffield United have been the revelation of the Premier League and the Blades' impressive 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur was another feather in Chris Wilder's cap. Going into the game, Wilder's side had the joint best defensive record and league and occupied a spot in the top-six, a position that reflects their on-field performances this season.
In 12 top-flights games this season. Sheffield have overcome a 2-0 deficit to draw the game at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, were a Dean Henderson blunder away from frustrating the European Champions Liverpool and registered a well-deserved victory against Arsenal.
The away side's mental fortitude was on display once again, as they refused to let the disallowed goal define their day. David McGoldrick was disallowed after consultation with the VAR, as John Lundstram was adjudged to have been marginally offside but they kept pushing and scored a deserved equaliser.
Sheffield's style of play and mental fortitude has earned them plaudits universally and their ability to dig deep and grind out results has put them in a fantastic position to consolidate their status as a Premier League club.
