Chapter 860: Capital One Quarter Finals II

The Tottenham fans felt like they were on a rollercoaster ride. From taking the lead the first time to losing it to them taking it again, it had all happened in less than ten minutes.

It was this kind of excitement that made people fall in love with football. Matches felt like a session of extreme sports and got ones blood pumping from the rapid changes in emotional state.

Still on a high from all the excitement, they cheered continuously for their team that tried all they could to increase their lead, however the opponents held strong till half time.

As the second half began, both sides continued from right where they left off with Tottenham trying to bury the game and West Ham doing all they could to stop them and get themselves an equalizer.

For another ten minutes they continued to cancel each other out and the managers of both sides began making changes.

David Moyes trying to change the situation and Conte trying to preserve it.

However despite all the changes, the scores remained the same and by the 70th minute, Jason was also called up from the bench.

The Tottenham fans who were beginning to believe that the scores of the game would remain the same instantly got excited again and the previously somewhat conservative cheers began to get louder as he warmed up on the sidelines.

#72nd minute...

Jason was subbed on for Moura while Son had come on for Bergwijn. With this decision, both of Tottenham’s goalscorers had been taken off the pitch, but not a single fan had an issue with this decision.

After all, the players brought on were even more likely to to produce goals.

Son was the team’s current highest goal scorer this season, and no one doubted Jason’s ability despite his low numbers as it was clear that if not for his injury, his numbers would be completely different.

As the two of them took to the pitch, the game dynamics instantly shifted.

West Ham which had been sending players forward in a bid to equalize the game began to sit a little deeper, trying to compress the space and not give Jason and Son any areas to run into.

They were still trying to equalize the game, but if they were too desperate and the lead went up to two goals, then there would be nothing to play for.

However for players like Jason and Son, tighter space only made things a bit more difficult, it couldn’t actually stop them, especially when they had much fresher legs.

Not long after stepping on the pitch, they were soon causing havoc at West Ham’s end of the field.

Having moved the ball up the field, passing through West Ham’s players, the ball reached Jason who feinted as if to run into the box, causing his marker to take off only to realize he was running alone.

With more than enough space, Jason chipped a cross into the box sending the ball to the far post where Son jumped at hit, heading it goalward.

Areola dived for all he was worth, reaching it and making a save, keeping his team in the game.

Tottenham were given a corner kick and Son ran to the corner to take it while the other players crowded into the box, gathering at the front of the goal.

At first, Jason considered waiting in the penalty box and fighting for the header, but he changed his mind and went to the edge of the penalty box so he could recover the ball if it flew his way.

*Fweeeeeee!*

Son sent the ball flying into the penalty box, across the face of the goal and players of both sides jumped leaped into the air, trying to reach it.

From where Jason stood, Ben Davies and Issa Diop looked the closest to the ball and it was unclear which one of them actually hit it, but the ball came flying Jason’s way.

Catching it mid air with the side of his foot, Jason swung at it as it came down, sending it powerfully at the goal.

The West Ham players instantly jumped, trying to get in the way of the shot and one of them did, deflecting it slightly.

The ball ricocheted heavily off the right post and flew out of play once again and Jason winced, covering his mouth in shock.

{The bar!}

{West Ham are lucky! They’re still in this thanks to the deflection off Masuaku!}

{Tottenham have another corner}

Son once again readied himself for the corner kick and Jason stayed at the edge of the box, hoping for another chance like the earlier attempt, but like they say, everyday is not Christmas.

The second corner from Son was easily cleared by Craig Dawson who sent the ball flying over Jason and towards the center of the pitch where Jarrod Bowen instantly trapped it and began racing forward with it, beginning a counter.

Jason immediately began racing up the field, chasing hard from behind and with the combined efforts of Tanganga and Regulion, managed to stop the counter before things got more dangerous.

#86th minute...

Tottenham got a counter attack opportunity with Skipp stealing the ball off Declan Rice and sending a splitting through pass straight ahead into Jason’s path.

For once Jason had stayed in an attacking position and the moment Winks stole the ball, he had begun running forward into the space.

The ball moved at amazing pace surpassing Jason’s speed but it was carefully weighted and Jason neared it as it reached the edge of the penalty area.

{Splendid pass and he’s one on one with the goalkeeper!}

Areola had rushed off his line, trying to get to the ball first, or at least make Jason hurry his shot, and hurry his shot, Jason did.

However a hurried shot didn’t mean a bad one and Jason sent the ball under Areola’s right arm and into the bottom left of the goal.

{And he puts it away sweetly!}

{Tottenham extends their lead to two and it looks like they’re running away with it}

Jason ran down to the sidelines, jumping into a kneeslide at the end of his run and then changing into a sitting position.

The other Tottenham players soon arrived, the overly excited ones jumping on him.

With this goal, the hope that the West Ham players had been harboring, trying to believe that the game wasn’t over... Was shattered. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

3-1 in the 85th minute was difficult to come back from, but it wasn’t impossible, but it had been a tough game and it wasn’t going to get any easier at this point.

At this point, it would be better to accept that their journey in the Capital One cup ended here.

However, even if they had accepted it, they would continue playing their hearts out until the referee blew the final whistle.

That was exactly what they continued to do, but Tottenham resisted fiercely and struck again, Jason managing to unleash Son behind the defensive line.

After catching up to it, Son took it into the penalty area, attracting Areola towards him before then squaring the ball to Kane.

Kane coolly slotted the ball into the back of an open goal and was about to take off celebrating when the referee’s whistle went off loudly. The assistant’s flag was up for offside.

The Tottenham players immediately swarmed the referee while the West Ham players acted like the goal didn’t concern them.

After all, whether the goal stood or not, they were still going to lose the game so why bother.

The referee soon went off the field to check with the VAR and it soon became apparent that Son had been slightly offside when Jason sent the ball his way.

It was so slight that it was more or less up to the referee’s discretion whether to call off the goal or not.

In the end, the referee decided not to add to the West Ham fans’s nightmares, much to the dismay of the Tottenham side who were happy to have extended their lead earlier.

After this fiasco, the match time smoothly dwindled to an end without any further shocks.

*Fweeeeeee!*

{The final whistle has just gone off and Tottenham is now one step closer to the Capital One cup final}

{It was a tough battle, exciting at times and steady at other times but Tottenham had too much in store for David Moyes’s men and a comfortable 3-1 victory says it all}

{Tottenham will be looking forward to keeping up this run of form in their next game and also hoping that they can make it to the finals}

{They haven’t won a domestic cup in just about forever and with them making it to the semis, the fans will be expecting them to challenge for the trophy}

{They know their players have it in them. What it takes to win a trophy, but do the players themselves know?}

{We can only find out in the semi finals}