Tottenham booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round but needed extra time to beat National League side Tamworth on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs were the big favorites for this tie, but Andy Peaks’ underdogs proved to be very tenacious opponents. The hosts were brave at set pieces and emboldened by Tottenham’s frustration 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 humble theatrics before the start, which was delayed a few minutes due to a problem in one of the networks. The tape was removed and Zara sales assistant (and Tamworth winger) Beck-Ray Enoru was on hand to complete the DIY work that allowed the cup tie to begin.
Enoru was the early protagonist on the field with his lively outbursts giving Pedro Porro something to think about. He forced a very early save from Antonin Kinsky, and Spurs enjoyed their first long-range experience with Tommy Tonks within five minutes.
The Premier League visitors initially struggled to deal with Tamworth’s sloping synthetic turf, which never allowed the ball to settle. The surface exposed the technical limitations within Spurs’ rotated XI, although James Maddison and Yves Bissouma were two of those who acclimatised quickly and ensured the visitors settled.
Maddison twice came close to breaking the deadlock and certainly looked head and shoulders above the rest, but Jas Singh was on hand to deny the Tottenham captain. Tamworth, meanwhile, continued to maintain a threat through Enoru on the left side, while Tonks’ circus throws were a feature of the first half, even if Kinsky handled them well.
Tamworth’s hard work meant the visitors fell short of an early goal in the first period, and the game began with “heavy weapons territory” for Ange Postecoglou.
Tottenham’s frustration extended into the second half, when Singh again saved Maddison. However, Spurs moved on and began to create thanks to Mikey Moore’s trickery on the left, but Tamworth almost held firm with Hadyn Hollis denying a Timo Werner header on the line before Singh made a good save from the German one-on-one. . -one.
The hosts had their moments in set pieces, but were unable to take advantage of the second and third balls in the area after sequences of brief chaos. The most important thing is that they stayed in the game well until the last 20 minutes. However, Andy Peak’s substitutions provided a second wind, and it was the underdog hosts who twice came close to completing a historic upset in second-half stoppage time.
However, Tottenham lived to see extra time.
The extended period proved to be a bridge too far for the non-league as Spurs pulled away. The first match was as poor as the visitors’ performance, but it came after Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and Djed Spence joined the action. Kulusevski scored a clinical second soon after before Brennan Johnson added some gloss to the scoreline.
Check out the Tamworth vs Tottenham player ratings here.
Tottenham came into Sunday’s game off the back of a 1-0 victory over the best team in the country. 96 league places separated these two teams in what was a true David and 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 release from Ange Postecoglou’s team hasn’t done enough to dispel that notion. They were heavy favorites here, but the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Ange’s team meant their struggles were predictable against National League rivals.
The surface was not easy to play on and they created enough to win the match in 90 minutes. However, his performance would have raised more concerns than positives, as the “bigs” were needed to pull away from the National League opposition.
There was a standout performance from Yves Bissouma and the substitutes ultimately made the difference, but most Spurs players struggled to adapt to an unfamiliar environment that left them vulnerable to a big upset.
Tottenham were below average in Tamworth, but they probably should have done the job before extra time.
Maddison’s efforts, which were few, did not cross the “half-chance” threshold, but Werner was guilty of squandering a golden opportunity when Brennan Johnson gave him the chance. The German, who had trouble up front 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 approached the Tamworth goal. Earlier, Werner had a good header which the impressive Haydn Hollis cleared off the line.
Werner’s problems were not limited to his profligacy. In a testing field, the striker failed to provide technical security on the front line. Ange’s decision to withdraw the exciting Mikey Moore on the hour left Spurs with two straight runners open for the final third of the opening 90, and the hosts struggled to probe and create as a result.
When they don’t cross paths at the back post, the contributions of Brennan Johnson and Werner almost always come 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 much excitement but little expectation. Anyone associated with the club would have bitten your hand off to buy extra time before kick-off, and they came very close to completing an unprecedented surprise. Only two National League teams have defeated Premier League opponents in this competition, and they came very close to becoming the third.
While a foreign surface and Werner’s problems helped the hosts, Tamworth deserve immense credit for their application. Haydn Hollis was brilliant in defense, while EFL scouts will no doubt carry out their due diligence on Beck-Ray Enoru next. Jas Singh may have been rated less than he would have predicted, but he still made several important saves to ensure the cup tie went on.
The extension was a bridge too far, but the city of Tamworth will remember this occasion fondly for a long time. They have taken one of the biggest clubs in the country to the end.
