Ange Postecoglou saluted Richarlison after the troubled Tottenham striker inspired his side’s dramatic 2-1 win against Sheffield United on Saturday.
Tottenham were in danger of a shock Premier League loss when Gustavo Hamer fired promoted United ahead after 73 minutes in north London.
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But a minimum of 12 minutes stoppage-time were added in the second half, allowing Richarlison to ride to Tottenham’s rescue.
The Brazilian headed Tottenham’s equaliser from Ivan Perisic’s corner in the eighth minute of additional time and then set up Dejan Kulusevski to score the winner two minutes later.
There was still time for United’s Oli McBurnie to be sent off for a second yellow card, but it was Richarlison’s contribution that stole the spotlight.
After some initial scepticism of Postecoglou’s signing, the Australian has quickly won over fans with his attacking brand of play and man-management.
That was underlined by the Aussie being name Premier League manager of the month for August and short-listed for FIFA’s Best Coach this week.
There was an outpouring of joy on social media after this stunning comeback, with much of it aimed toward both Postecoglou and his Brazilian striker.
Richarlison had been pictured in tears after being substituted in Brazil’s 5-1 win over Bolivia and revealed in midweek that he would seek “psychological help” following a turbulent time in his personal life.
After scoring only once in the Premier League last season following his switch from Everton in 2022, Richarlison is aiming to fill the void left by Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich.
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min urged the Brazilian to soak up the applause at full-time and Postecoglou hopes his goal is the start of a positive period for the player.
“Richy was great,” Postecoglou said.
“I thought all the subs who came on really helped, but that’s been a consistent theme.
“Yeah for Richy, I think it’s the point I was trying to make yesterday.
“For him to understand that you try and maintain a balance in life and his football hasn’t been that bad. He’s still been contributing for us.
“Sometimes when you struggle with certain parts of your life, you let it go into other areas.
”But the football is one area where he can control and he works hard every day in training and really got his rewards today.
“And hopefully that gives him a bit more of a settled feel to deal with the other areas in his life. For everyone, it’s about not letting it overwhelm you and hopefully a day like today helps him.”
In other results overnight, Liverpool briefly moved atop the ladder with a comeback 3-1 win over Wolves before Manchester City reclaimed top spot with a 3-1 win over West Ham.
Newcastle picked up a crucial 1-0 win over Brentford, while Manchester United suffered a 3-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford.