Tottenham suffer Cristian Romero blow ahead of Brighton test

Spurs set to be without key defender for up to five weeks

Cristian Romero warms up ahead of the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. EPA

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt another cruel injury blow after it was confirmed key defender Cristian Romero will be out for up to five weeks with a hamstring problem.

Argentine Romero only returned from a three-match ban at the beginning of December but is now facing another significant spell on the sidelines.

The 25-year-old picked up the injury during last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Everton and a scan has confirmed damage to his hamstring.

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has guided his team into Champions League contention despite having to cope without several key players, including Romero and the England midfielder James Maddison.

“Not so great with Romero," said Postecoglou ahead of tonight's trip to Brighton. “He had a scan the other day and has got a hamstring strain. We are looking at probably four or five weeks for him.

“Disappointing to lose him, for sure. We obviously missed him with the suspension and now we’ve just got him back and he steadied things up.

“Now he will be missing again for quite a chunk of time.”

Romero’s previous absence was compounded by defensive partner Micky van de Ven also being out with a hamstring injury.

Dutchman Van de Ven suffered the injury in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea last month but is nearing a return. He said in an interview last week he could be back in as little as two weeks. His manager, however, was a little more circumspect.

“He is getting closer,” Postecoglou confirmed. “We will see him some time in January. I don’t think Burnley but Man United on the 14th potentially

“I don’t look at comeback dates until I see them training with us and he hasn’t been part of the group.

“He is not due to be part of the group this week so we’ll see how he is going at the end of this week. Once they start training with the group, that’s when we start thinking about if they are available.

“He is at the tail end of it, for sure and at some point, middle of January he could be available but how we use him after such a long absence will be depending on where he is at.”

Brighton, meanwhile, are likely to be without winger Kaoru Mitoma against Spurs because of an ankle problem. Striker Danny Welbeck could be ready to start, however, having come off the bench in Albion's past two games as he steps up his recovery from a muscle strain.

Elsewhere, Arsenal will look to reclaim top spot in the table when they face London rivals West Ham at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

The Gunners will be missing midfielder Kai Havertz who is suspended after racking up five yellow cards for the season. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Fabio Vieira, Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber all remain sidelined.

Arsenal have won 12 of their last 13 home games against the Hammers and are now unbeaten in 17 Premier League games against fellow London clubs, dating back to a 3-0 defeat at Spurs in May 2020.

West Ham have won their last two and a third on the spin would take them back into the top six. Manager David Moyes will ponder a recall for Nayef Aguerd, who missed their 2-0 victory against Manchester United through illness.

Tottenham v Everton - player ratings

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Vicario. Made a comfortable save to deny Garner halfway through the first half. Pulled off a breathtaking save to deny Danjuma in the 84th minute. Lucky to see Danjuma’s effort come off the bar, onto his legs and outside in added time. AFP

Lovely first-time cross to set up Johnson in the penalty area 13 minutes into the game. Started the game well but began to struggle against Harrison as the first-half wore on. AFP

Saw an effort blocked by Branthwaite in the 54th minute. Had a tough time dealing with Danjuma late in the game. PA

Excellent recovery tackle to stop Calvert-Lewin from opening the scoring early in the game. Forced off at half-time with a knee injury. Getty Images

Got across quickly to stop an Andre Gomes cross that would have set up Calvert-Lewin for a simple tap in. Made a vital goal-line clearance to deny the visitors a goal in the 84th minute. AFP

A quiet but effective performance from Skipp at the base of the home side’s midfield. Sat very deep and made several interceptions. Getty Images

Brilliant pass behind the Toffees’ defence to Johnson in the build-up to the home side’s opener. Denied by a good save from Pickford in the 55th minute. Getty Images

Played in the Maddison role just behind the home side’s attack, Kulusevski provided another impressive performance. Had a chance to put the game to bed in the 73rd minute, but Pickford saved his effort. AP

Played in a perfectly weighted low cross for Richarlison to score early in the game. Should have made it two when he got on the end of Emerson’s cross in the 13th minute but failed to keep his effort on target. Played a part in the second goal as his shot got spilled into the path of Son to make it two. Reuters

Doubled the home side’s lead with a scrambled effort that trickled into the bottom corner. Tried to play Lo Celso in for a simple tap-in late in the game but Mykolenko intercepted his pass. AFP

Scored for the third consecutive game by opening the scoring from close range in the ninth minute. Forced off with what looked like a back injury in the second half. AP

SUBS: Dier (Romero, 47) Came on for the injured Romero and kept things simple. Made several blocks when the away side upped the tempo in search of a late equaliser. EPA

(Richarlison, 63) Tucked in as almost a third centreback and helped prevent an equaliser. Stopped an Everton counterattack with a good interception a few minutes after coming on. Giovani Lo Celso (Sarr, 73) - N/A. PA

EVERTON RATINGS: Pickford. Denied Johnson with a strong hand but couldn’t do anything about Son’s rebound. Kept the away side in the game by making an important save when faced one-on-one against Kuluselvski. Getty Images

Vital last-ditch tackle to stop Kulusevski from running through on goal in the 44th minute. Shrugged off the ball too easily by Kulusevski to create a one-on-one chance against Pickford. Reuters

Got caught flat-footed by Pape Sarr’s pass to Johnson en-route the home side’s opener. Vital interception to stop Son’s pass from reaching Lo Celso late in the game. EPA

Lost Richarlison's run towards the far post, allowing the Brazilian to open scoring from close range. Put his body on the line to stop Sarr’s effort in the 65th minute. AP

Important block to thwart Porro in the second half. Impressive for the away side early in the game. AFP

Forced off early in the game with an injury. Getty Images

A disciplined performance from Onana after he was tasked to sit just ahead of the Toffees’ backline due to Gueye’s early substitution. Vital sliding tackle to stop Son from kickstarting a Spurs counterattack midway through the second half. PA

Had the visitors’ first real effort on goal with a shot that was well claimed by Vicario in the 34th minute. Tested Vicario again with a shot towards the bottom corner but the effort was saved. Clipped the post with an effort that went wide on the hour mark. Reuters

Forced Vicario into a brilliant save on the stroke of half-time but would have probably done better if he had taken his effort early. Gorgeous pass with the outside of the boot to set up Garner on the half-hour mark. PA

Should have done better with his effort when Onana found him in space a quarter of an hour into the game. Displayed terrible defensive awareness when he allowed Johnson to get past him unchallenged in the build-up to the home side’s second goal. EPA

Took too long on the ball when played through on goal and allowed Romero to make the block in the seventh minute. Tested Vicario with a glancing header in the 16th minute. Thought he had pulled one back for the visitors, but his effort was ruled out for a foul in the build-up by Gomes. EPA

SUBS: Gomes (Gueye, 24) Played a wonderful pass into Harrison's path to set up a big chance in the second minute of first-half extra time. Finally pulled one back for the visitors with a lovely effort from a tight angle in the 82nd minute. Getty Images

(Harrison, 68) Called Vicario into action with a fierce effort that was punched wide. Pulled off an impressive bit of skill to skip past two Spurs players on the byline. Went close to making it 2-2 with a volley that came off the crossbar in added time. Beto (Onana, 79) - N/A. EPA