Jamie Carragher believes one moment from Tottenham's loss to Manchester City will 'haunt' Arsenal fans for the next decade
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Heung-min Son's one-on-one miss against substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega during Tottenham Hotspur's loss to Manchester City will 'haunt' Arsenal fans for the next decade. The Spurs captain missed a glorious opportunity to equalize for his side in the 86th minute during their Premier League clash against City on Tuesday, May 14.
Erling Haaland had scored the opening goal in the 51st minute, sweeping Kevin de Bruyne's cutback into an empty net. However, Spurs dominated the game after that, creating chance after chance in search of an equalizer.
A cross was played into the City box by Spurs' Dejan Kulusevski in the 62nd minute and centre-back Cristian Romero slid in at the far post in an attempt to tap it in. However, he couldn't connect with the ball and only managed to collide with City keeper Ederson, who had already gained control of the ball.
With Ederson unable to continue after soldiering on for a while, Ortega had to be subbed on in the 69th minute. This turned out to be a game-changing substitution for Pep Guardiola, with the German goalkeeper stopping Kulusevski's attempt just two minutes after coming on.
As the clock wound down, Spurs forward Brennan Johnson played Son clean through on goal with only Ortega to beat. The South Korean forward side-footed the ball across the face of goal, but the outstretched leg of Ortega was enough to deny him.
Carragher believed that Son's miss will haunt Arsenal fans for the next decade. He said (via Metro):
"Ortega, tonight alone, has won them [Manchester City] the Premier League title.... If he doesn’t make those saves at 1-0, Arsenal will win the league. That’s how close it is. That Son chance is the moment Arsenal fans will remember in five, 10 years’ time. Even if they win the title in the next five years – and they’ve got a chance of doing that because they’re a great team with a great manager – that chance will still haunt them."
The Gunners were cheering on their north London rivals against City, as a positive result for Tottenham would've significantly boosted their chances of lifting the Premier League this season.
"He is one of the best keepers I have ever seen in my life" - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Stefan Ortega
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lavished praise on his number two shot-stopper Stefan Ortega, claiming that the German is one of the best in the business.
The Spanish manager had fallen to the floor, exasperated after his side allowed Spurs forward Heung-min Son to run clean through on goal. However, Ortega produced a monumental save to preserve his side's 1-0 advantage.
Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, having already scored the opener in the 51st minute, made no mistake in slotting the ball into the net from the spot in the 92nd minute. This secured a simple 2-0 win on the night for the Cityzens, which saw them leapfrog Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
In a post-match interview, Guardiola praised Ortega's save and highlighted his importance in the Manchester City squad. He said:
“Stefan Ortega saved actions, otherwise Arsenal are champions. That is the reality in modern football. The margins are so, so tight. [When Son went through] I said, 'no, not again'. But then Stefan made an incredible save because he has this talent. In the one against one, he is one of the best ‘keepers I have ever seen in my life."