Tottenham were made to work incredibly hard for their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup as they needed extra time to beat Tamworth 3-0 on Sunday.
Rare National League vs Premier League the match was delayed due to a problem with one of Tamworth’s nets, but the contest got under way soon after the scheduled kick-off time thanks to a little humble duct tape and some stellar DIY work from Tamworth winger Beck-Ray Enoru.
Perhaps buoyed by his stellar pre-match ingenuity, Enoru was the brightest spark in the opening exchanges and took no time to save Antonin Kinski. Tamworth forced Spurs save a corner and one of Tommy Tonks’ infamous long-range shots inside five minutes as the Premier League visitors struggled to adapt to a rather foreign surface.
Tottenham eventually gained control and offered serious quality through James Maddison and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park, but their work in the final third left a lot to be desired. Jas Singh between the Tamworth sticks was only tested on a couple of occasions in the first half, both by tries to Maddison.
The home team recorded another milestone and reached the hour mark with the score 0-0. Singh was ready to deny Maddison again at the start of the second half as Haydn Hollis expertly cleared Time Werner off the line before the German squandered a golden opportunity one-on-one with the Tamworth keeper.
The minnows sensed it was entering the final act of the game but remained in contention as Postecoglou turned to his bench in a bid to avoid extra time. But the arrivals of Dominika Solanka and Wednesday night hero Lucas Bergvall failed to score the opener, which meant Spurs were forced into 30 extra minutes just days before the north London derby.
After surviving a few late scares in stoppage time, Tottenham eventually broke the deadlock 100 minutes after the equaliser. Pedro Porro’s clever free-kick set up Nathan Tshikuna who cruelly tangled in his own net before Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson clinically confirmed Spurs’ place in the fourth round.
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: Antonin Kinsky |
7.5/10 |
|
RB: Pedro Porro |
8.4/10 |
|
CB: Radu Dragusin |
7.0/10 |
|
CB: Archie Gray |
7.1/10 |
|
LB: Sergio Reguilon |
7.9/10 |
|
CM: Yves Bissouma |
8.6/10 |
|
CM: Pope Sarr |
7.2/10 |
|
CM: James Maddison |
8.1/10 |
|
RW: Brennan Johnson |
7.9/10 |
|
ST: Timo Werner |
7.0/10 |
|
LW: Mikey Moore |
7.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Dominic Solanke (68′ for Moore) |
5.9/10 |
|
UNDER: Lucas Bergvall (68′ for Sarr) |
6.8/10 |
|
UNDER: Son Heung-min (91′ for Werner) |
7.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Dejan Kulusevski (91′ for Maddison) |
7.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Grandpa Spence (91′ for Dragusin) |
6.7/10 |
Subs not used: Brandon Austin (GK), Alfie Dorrington, Callum Olusesi, Will Lankshear.
Player of the match – Yves Bissouma (Tottenham)
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