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Sky pundit left baffled by what 23-year-old Tottenham star did during first-half
Alan Smith has suggested that he does not understand why Dejan Kulusevski did not shoot when the Tottenham Hotspur forward was through on goal right at the end of the first-half against Fulham.
Smith was speaking on (broadcast on 23/10; 20:46) after the Swede passed up the opportunity to put Spurs 2-0 ahead just before half-time.
Dejan Kulusevski was presented with a brilliant chance to double Ange Postecoglou’s side’s lead. It was Cristian Romero who found himself leading a counter attack.
It appeared that the Argentinian had no idea what to do with the ball as he constantly looked over his shoulder as he got closer and closer to the Fulham penalty area.
Dejan Kulusevski passed up brilliant opportunity to put Tottenham 2-0 up
But perhaps, the centre-back was fooling everyone as he subsequently produced the most delicious through pass to Kulusevski; the kind of perfectly-weighted pass Tottenham fans would not be surprised to see James Maddison produce.
Kulusevski then ran through towards Bernd Leno. But when the time came to have a shot, the Swede instead cut the ball back towards the congested penalty spot. And the chance fizzled out immediately after.
Certainly, Alan Smith could not understand why the 23-year-old did not have the attempt himself.
“They should have had a second there. Why Kulusevski did not shoot, I do not know,” he told .
Swede will have been kicking himself at half-time
It was a strange decision to not have an attempt on goal. Kulusevski is hardly a poor striker of the ball. And his pass gave Fulham’s defenders the chance to get bodies behind the ball and ensure that the opening came to nothing.
He must have thought that Richarlison or Son Heung-min would have virtually an open goal to find if they received the pass. The angle seemed to be decent to try and beat Leno.
There is no question that Kulusevski will have been kicking himself at half-time for a poor decision at the crucial moment.