Bergwijn had gone nine league games without scoring for Spurs, the last goal against Aston Villa in May last season
In the 93rd minute at the King Power Stadium, Steven Bergwijn was petulantly shoving a Leicester player to the ground as Tottenham headed to a painful defeat. Less than three minutes later, he was wrapped in supporters like a match-winning hero.
It was one of the most surprising changes in the history of the Premier League. Not quite on par with Manchester City’s ‘Aguerooooo’ moment in the stakes, but no less enjoyable for the lucky and delirious fans at the away wing.
For a difficult 93 minutes, Spurs squandered chances, raised hopes and then saw them dashed by a more efficient Leicester. But two well-taken finishes in the space of 79 seconds by Bergwijn turned the game around as Spurs cruised to a 3-2 win.
“A roller coaster of emotions,” was how Spurs captain Harry Kane described it. “Fantastic,” Bergwijn added discreetly.
Former Foxes midfielder Robbie Savage was more effusive at BT Studio: “That’s why it’s the best game in the world.”
It was not only further proof of the allure of the Premier League, but also an excellent and timely advertisement for the qualities of the match winner.
‘These are games you will never forget in a race’
Even in a game that had swung wildly, with both sides having periods of dominance, both teams creating chances and both teams…well, mainly the Spurs…missing numerous chances, few saw the dramatic conclusion coming.
Leicester initially led, against the grain of the game, through Patson Daka before Harry Kane equalized in typically ruthless fashion.
James Maddison’s go-ahead goal seemed to be the defining moment in what had already been a thoroughly entertaining encounter.
Cue Bergwijn from the bench.
He was disappointed at first, diving in to try to earn a penalty in stoppage time before jumping to his feet to push an opponent away and earn a booking.
In the next attack, he fired the Spurs level after the ball was broken in the box to surely rescue Spurs a point.
Make it three. With seconds to spare, he rounded Kasper Schmeichel and found the bottom corner to wreak havoc on the pitch, the Spurs bench and the fan section.
“It’s fantastic,” Bergwijn told BT. “The fans had a fantastic day. I scored two goals, I’m happy. The manager told me to score goals, make it difficult for defenders and stay close to Harry.”
Kane added: “We never gave up and Stevey came in and made the difference. Getting two goals like that, these are games you will never forget in your career.”
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte told BBC Match of the Day: “I think we showed today that we don’t want to give up. Never.
The players know very well what our philosophy should be. We must fight to the end and also try to get a result.
“Today losing this match was not good. We created a lot of chances. We were unlucky when we conceded. In the end we were very good and we believed until the end. We wanted the three points and we deserved them.”
As Conte spoke, Spurs fans continued to sing in jubilation, a mood captured by Savage’s guest in the BT studio, former Spurs forward Peter Crouch.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “The away winger spilled onto the pitch. What an endgame. It was great to be here.”
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Source: www.bbc.co.uk