Tamworth 0-3 Tottenham (AET): Player ratings as Spurs require extra time to down minnows

90min

·12. Januar 2025

Tamworth 0-3 Tottenham (AET): Player ratings as Spurs require extra time to down minnows

Tottenham were made to work incredibly hard for their place in the FA Cup fourth round as they required extra time to beat Tamworth 3-0 on Sunday.

The rare National League vs Premier League duel was delayed as a result of an issue with one of the Tamworth nets, but the contest soon got underway after the scheduled kick-off time thanks to some humble sellotape and stellar DIY work from Tamworth winger Beck-Ray Enoru.

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Perhaps emboldened by his stellar pre-match ingenuity, Enoru was the brightest spark in the opening exchanges and took no time to draw a save out of Antonin Kinsky. Tamworth forced Spurs to defend a corner and one of Tommy Tonks' notorious long throws within five minutes as the Premier League visitors struggled to adapt to a rather foreign surface.

Tottenham did eventually gain control and offer serious quality via James Maddison and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park, but their work in the final third left plenty to be desired. Jas Singh between the Tamworth sticks was tested on just a couple of occasions in the first half, both from Maddison's efforts.

The hosts ticked off another milestone as they reached the hour mark at 0-0. Singh was on hand to deny Maddison again at the start of the second half, while Haydn Hollis expertly denied a Time Werner off the line before the German squandered a golden opportunity one-on-one with the Tamworth goalkeeper.

The minnows were feeling it entering the game's final act, but they remained well in the contest as Postecoglou turned to his bench in a bid to avoid extra time. However, the arrivals of Dominic Solanke and Wednesday night's hero Lucas Bergvall failed to facilitate an opening goal which meant Spurs were forced into 30 extra minutes just days before the North London Derby.

Having survived a couple of late scares in stoppage time, Tottenham eventually broke the deadlock 100 minutes into the tie. A smart Pedro Porro free-kick led to Nathan Tshikuna cruelly bundling into his own net before Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson clinically confirmed Spurs' place in the fourth round.