Tottenham players immediately started singing Moussa Sissoko’s name when they got back to their dressing room at the Etihad last night.
The influential Frenchman missed the high drama of the closing stages after leaving the bench as soon as Raheem Sterling scored what he presumed to be the goal that would have dumped Spurs out of the competition, as reported by the Daily Mail.
But his teammates were quick to rally round him once they got off the pitch, and started a raucous chorus of his name when they returned to the changing room, as shown in behind the scenes footage posted by fan page Paxton Road on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.
This was an unexpected choice given that Sissoko played only 41 minutes of the game before being subbed due to a groin injury.
This ??? pic.twitter.com/RALym20j8Y
— Paxton Road ? (@PaxtonRoadUpper) April 18, 2019
OPINION
The prospect of Tottenham players singing Sissoko’s name even this time last year would have been a laughable one, but over the course of the past 12 months or so he has managed to transform himself into one of the most influential players in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. The work he does in the heart of midfield is absolutely tireless. He is a proper, old school, box-to-box player, with an elegance and a composure of thought to match. It was a hammer blow for Spurs when he had to be withdrawn last night, and they looked much less stable without him on the pitch. The hopes will be that the groin injury he seemed to sustain isn’t too serious, because, without doubt, he is vital to this side. Evidently, his popularity extends beyond the pitch, and the fact that the entire squad picked him out as the man to sing about is testament to just how far he has come in a Spurs shirt.