Gomes landed terribly after his right ankle went one way and his right leg twisted the other following a challenge by Son Heung-min that saw the Tottenham forward sent off. The ankle was left in such an unnatural angle and at fully 90 degrees to Gomes’ leg.
Everton’s Andre Gomes to undergo ankle surgery
The incident occurred in the 77th minute at Goodison Park with the Tottenham leading 1-0 and resulted in a red card for the South Korean Son Heung-min. Players were visibly shaken by the extent of Gomes’ injury.
Son went in with a lunging tackle on the midfielder as he sought to win back the ball, but failed to make contact with the ball as his opponent went down in pain.
There were tears on the pitch and not least from Son who caught Gomes, with referee Martin Atkinson showing him a yellow card and then changing it to a red, presumably once the severity of the injury-hit him. The VAR, Anthony Taylor, did not intervene with the sending off, later justified by the Premier League because Son had “endangered the safety of a player” but, in truth, and despite the damage caused, it did not appear the right decision. It was an accident. There was no malice. But it remains to be seen whether Spurs appeal against the three-match ban.
Alli said, “He (Son) is devastated and in tears. It’s not his fault. Son is one of the nicest people you’ve ever met. He can’t even lift his head up, he’s crying so much.”
Gomes needed to be stretchered from the field after being caught late on in the Everton 1-1 draw with Spurs on Sunday. Cenk Tosun scored in extra time for Everton while Dele Alli netted a ball in the 63rd minute for Tottenham.
The club’s official statement said, “Everton Football Club can confirm Andre Gomes will undergo surgery on November 4 after sustaining an ankle injury in today’s game with Tottenham Hotspur.”
It further added, “The Portugal international was stretchered from the pitch during the second half of the game and taken straight to Aintree Hospital by ambulance accompanied by members of the Everton medical team. After undergoing hospital tests, it was confirmed he had suffered a fracture-dislocation to his right ankle.”
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said his club had the utmost sympathy for Gomes. He said, “We feel very sorry. It was a really bad situation, very bad luck how he landed in the action. We can only send our best wishes and (we are) devastated for the situation.”
However, Pochettino believed the red card shown to Son was harsh, particularly as referee Martin Atkinson had first produced a yellow card prior to seeing Gomes’s injury.
He added, “I cannot agree with the red card of Sonny. VAR must help the referee, I don’t know what is going on and what happens with this tool. Rather than help the referee it is creating more confusion.”
