Tottenham had 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.
The rare clash between the National League and Premier League was delayed due to a problem with one of the Tamworth nets, but the contest was able to get underway soon after the scheduled kick-off time thanks to some modest tape and some excellent DIY work from Tamworth winger Beck. Ray Enoru.
Perhaps buoyed by his outstanding pre-match ingenuity, Enoru was the brightest spark in the opening battles and needed no time to parry Antonin Kinsky. Tamworth forced Spurs to repel a corner and one of Tommy Tonks’ infamous long throws within five minutes as the Premier League visitors struggled to adapt to a rather unfamiliar surface.
Tottenham eventually gained control through James Maddison and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park and offered some serious quality, but their work in the final third left a lot to be desired. Jas Singh between the Tamworth posts was only tested a couple of times in the first half, both through Maddison’s efforts.
With the 0-0 draw, the hosts reached another milestone. At the start of the second half, Singh was on hand to deny Maddison again, while Haydn Hollis deftly parried a Time Werner off the line before the German missed a golden chance one-on-one with the Tamworth goalkeeper.
The Minnows felt it heading into the game’s final act, but they stayed well in the fight as Postecoglou turned to his bench to avoid overtime. However, the new additions of Dominic Solanke and Wednesday night’s hero Lucas Bergvall failed to score an opening goal, meaning Spurs were forced into 30 minutes of extra time just days before the north London derby.
After surviving a few moments of shock in stoppage time, Tottenham finally managed to break the stalemate after 100 minutes. A clever free-kick from Pedro Porro led to Nathan Tshikuna cruelly firing into his own net before Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson clearly confirmed Spurs’ place in the fourth round.
*Reviews provided by Fotmob*
player | Evaluation |
|---|---|
GK: Antonin Kinsky | 7.5/10 |
RB: Pedro Porro | 8.4/10 |
CB: Radu Dragusin | 7.0/10 |
CB: Archie Grey | 7.1/10 |
LB: Sergio Reguilon | 7.9/10 |
CM: Yves Bissouma | 8.6/10 |
CM: Dad Sarr | 7.2/10 |
CM: James Madison | 8.1/10 |
RW: Brennan Johnson | 7.9/10 |
ST: Timo Werner | 7.0/10 |
LW: Mikey Moore | 7.1/10 |
SUB: Dominic Solanke (68′ for Moore) | 5.9/10 |
SUB: Lucas Bergvall (68′ for Sarr) | 6.8/10 |
SUB: Son Heung-min (91st minute for Werner) | 7.2/10 |
SUB: Dejan Kulusevski (91st minute for Maddison) | 7.1/10 |
SUB: Djed Spence (91′ for Dragusin) | 6.7/10 |
Substitutions not used: Brandon Austin (TW), Alfie Dorrington, Callum Olusesi, Will Lankshear.