“I am a viking and I am fine.”
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has publicly accepted an apology from Brentford midfielder Josh DaSilva for a horror tackle that resulted in both players leaving the field of play on Tuesday night.
DaSilva was shown a red card by referee Mike Dean for the reckless challenge while Hojbjerg was taken off as he bled from several different places in his leg.
The tackle occurred with just seven minutes of normal time remaining and the game all but won by Spurs. As the ball ran away from DaSilva, he clumsily connected with the Spurs midfielder’s shin, leaving him in a heap on the floor. It looked bad. It was bad.
RED CARD 🟥
Josh Dasilva is sent off for a horrible challenge on Pierre-Emile Højbjerg
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— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 5, 2021
But it wasn’t intentional, regardless of what some aggrieved Spurs fans might want to believe.
Following the game, DaSilva posted a tweet saying: “Anyone that knows me, knows it was never intentional. Will learn from this.”
His replies were of course full of people accusing him of lying, but the most important reply came from Hojbjerg himself, who was fully accepting of the accidental nature of the tackle.
“Of course you didn’t mean it. So don’t worry. I’m a viking and I am fine,” he tweeted, adding “But… You owe me a new shin pad.”
He continued, telling DaSilva he has a “great future ahead” and offering the 22-year-old a “big hug.”
https://twitter.com/hojbjerg23/status/1346631941429325824
Elsewhere in the game, Moussa Sissoko and Heung-min Son ensured that Spurs reached their first major final since 2015, where they will come up against either Manchester United or Manchester City, who will play out the other semi-final tonight.
