Southampton star Charlie Austin has 10/10 praise for surprising Tottenham man

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Southampton striker Charlie Austin has heaped enormous praise on Tottenham Hotspur striker Fernando Llorente after the Spaniard came off the bench to help Spurs beat Ajax.

Tottenham produced an unbelievable comeback in the Champions League semi-final second leg to overcome Ajax in the Netherlands. After a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, that instantly changed to 3-0 in the first half.

But three away goals from Spurs – in the form of a Lucas Moura hat-trick – in the second half saw Spurs progress into the final of the Champions League, to the despair of Ajax players and supporters at the Amsterdam Arena.

Austin, 29, reacted on Twitter to Spurs’ away-goals victory, and made a surprise claim by saying that Llorente changed the game when he came on. The striker came on at half-time for Victor Wanyama.

TBR’s view

Llorente has come under fire from fans and pundits alike since he joined Spurs in the summer of 2017 to act as Harry Kane’s back-up. He has managed just 13 goals in 64 outings for the north Londoners.

However, his importance in the Champions League – more so than the Premier League and domestic cups – has been pivotal. He scored against Manchester City and in the 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.

He also laid on a crucial assist in the 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven that helped send Spurs through the group stages. He has been excellent in the Champions League, and Wednesday night – as Austin says –  is another example.