Tottenham booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup but needed extra time to beat National League side Tamworth on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs were overwhelming favorites for this tie, but Andy Peaks’ underdogs proved mighty stubborn opponents. The hosts were bold with the set piece plays and got themselves fired up Tottenhamfrustration as the contest progressed.
However, they were made to pay for a couple of missed chances late on and the Premier League side eventually pulled away in extra time.
How the game developed
There was time for some modest theatrics before kick-off, which was delayed by a few minutes following a problem with one of the networks. The sales tape was removed and Zara sales assistant (and Tamworth winger) Beck-Ray Enoru was on hand to complete the DIY job that allowed the cup tie to begin.
Enoru was the early star on the pitch with his lively rhythms giving Pedro Porro something to think about. He forced a very early save from Antonin Kinsky, with Spurs enjoying their first long-range experience from Tommy Tonks on five minutes.
The Premier League The visitors initially struggled to cope with Tamworth’s sloping pitch which never allowed the ball to settle. The surface exposed the technical limitations of Spurs’ rotating eleven, although James Maddison and Yves Bissouma were quick to acclimatise and ensure the visitors settled down.
Maddison twice came close to breaking the deadlock and certainly looked a cut above the rest, but Jas Singh was on hand to deny the Tottenham skipper. Meanwhile, Tamworth continued to pose a threat through Enoru down the left side, while Tonks’ circus throws were a feature of the first half, although Kinsky dealt with them well.
Tamworth’s hard work meant no early goals came from the visitors in the opening period, and the game began to “take your big guns territory” for Ange Postecoglou.
Tottenham’s frustration seeped into the second half with Singh again saving from Maddison. Spurs, however, began to create through Mikey Moore’s trickery down the left, but Tamworth almost held firm with Hadyn Hollis denying a Timo Werner header on the line before Singh saved well from the german – one
The hosts did have their moments of set pieces, but they couldn’t finish pouncing on the second and third balls in the box after sequences of brief chaos. Crucially, he stayed well in the game going into the final 20 minutes. Andy Peak’s substitutions provided a second wind, however, and it was the underdog hosts who twice came close to completing a historic upset in second-half stoppage time.
Tottenham lived to see extra time, though.
The extended period proved to be a bridge too far for the untied as Spurs pulled away. The first goal was as poor as the visitors’ display, but it came after Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and Djed Spence got into the act. Kulusevski sent in a clinical second soon after before Brennan Johnson added some sparkle to the scoreboard.
Check out Tamworth vs Tottenham player ratings here.
Tottenham went into Sunday’s game from behind one Victory 1-0 about the best team in the country. 96 league places separated these two sides in what was a fine David vs Goliath FA Cup tie that did its best to manifest the magic of the competition that is supposedly fading.
We’re all aware of ‘Spursy’ and its connotations, and the latest iteration of Ange Postecoglou’s side hasn’t done nearly enough to dispel that notion. They were heavy favorites here, but the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Ange’s team made their struggles predictable against National League opposition.
The surface was not easy to play on and they created enough to win the match in 90 minutes. However, their performance would have raised more concerns than positives with the “big guns” needed to pull away from National League opposition.
There was a standout performance from Yves Bissouma and the substitutes eventually made the difference, but most Spurs players struggled to adapt to an unfamiliar environment that left them vulnerable to a major upset.
Tottenham were inferior to Tamworth, but they probably should have done the job before extra time.
Maddison’s efforts, of which there were quite a few, did not break the ‘half-chances’ threshold, but Werner he was guilty of blowing a golden opportunity when Brennan Johnson made it. The German, who fought his way up before drifting down the left, went low with his shot allowing Jas Singh to save.
The confidence with which he is currently operating meant that very few would have backed him as he bored Tamworth’s goal. Earlier, Werner had a good header which was cleared off the line by the impressive Haydn Hollis.
Werner’s problems were not limited to his nonsense. In a test field, the striker did not provide technical security in the front line. Ange’s decision to withdraw the exciting Mikey Moore on the hour left Spurs with two straight runners out wide for the final third of the opening 90, and the hosts struggled to probe and create how as a result
When not crossing paths with each other in the back post, the contributions of Brennan Johnson and Werner are almost always under scrutiny.
Huddersfield and Burton Albion have already felt the wrath of Andy Peaks’ super team, and this was Tottenham’s turn to suffer.
This was perhaps the biggest occasion in Tamworth’s history, with excitement high but expectations low. Anyone associated with the club would have bitten your hand off in extra-time before kick-off, and they came very close to completing a one-timer of an upset. Only two National League sides have beaten Premier League opposition in this competition, and they came very close to becoming the third.
Although a foreign surface and Werner’s problems helped the hosts, Tamworth deserve immense credit for their application. Haydn Hollis was brilliant at the back, while EFL scouts will no doubt be doing their due diligence on Beck-Ray Enoru afterwards. Jas Singh may have been tested less than he would have predicted, but he nevertheless made several great saves to ensure the cup tie was extended.
Extra time was a bridge too far, but the town of Tamworth will long remember the occasion fondly. They have taken one of the biggest clubs in the country all the way.
