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' weaknesses proved to be very stubborn opposition. The hosts were emboldened by the sets and braved it Tottenhamdisappointed as the contest continued.
However, they were made to pay for some missed chances late on with the Premier League side eventually pulling away in extra-time.
How the game played out
There was time for some modest theatrics before kick-off, which was delayed by a few minutes as a result of a problem with one of the nets. The sales tape was brought out 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 protagonist on the pitch with his lively movements giving Pedro Porro something to think about. He forced a very early save from Antonin Kinsky, with Spurs enjoying their first experience of long-range Tommy Tonks inside five minutes.
of Premier League the visitors initially struggled to cope with Tamworth's sloping astroturf, which never allowed the ball to settle. The surface exposed the technical limitations within Spurs' rotating 11, although James Maddison and Yves Bissouma were two who settled in quickly and ensured 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 captain. Tamworth, meanwhile, continued to maintain a threat through Enoru down the left, while Tonks' circus act shots were a feature of the first half – even if Kinsky handled them well.
Tamworth's hard work kept the visitors from scoring in the opening period and the game began to “bring it into your big guns territory” for Ange Postecoglou.
Tottenham's frustration spilled over into the second half with Singh saving again from Maddison. Spurs moved quickly, however, and 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 had their moments from set pieces but could not get the second and third ball into the box after sequences of brief chaos. Importantly, they stayed well in the game going into the final 20 minutes. Andy Peak's replacements 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.
However, Tottenham lived to see extra time.
The extended period proved to be a bridge too far for the non-leaders as Spurs pulled away. The opener was as poor as the visitors' display, but one that came after Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and Djed Spence joined the action. Kulusevski sent over a clinical second soon after before Brennan Johnson added some gloss to the scoreline.
Check out the player ratings for Tamworth vs Tottenham here.
Tottenham headed into Sunday's game from the back ea 1-0 win over the best team in the country. 96 league places separated these two teams in what was a proper David vs Goliath FA Cup match, which 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 has hardly done enough to dispel that notion. They were heavy favorites here, but the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Ange's side meant their struggles against National League opposition were predictable.
The surface was not easy to play on and they created enough to win the game in 90 minutes. However, their performance would have attracted more concerns than positives with the 'big guns' required to see off National League opposition.
There was a standout performance from Yves Bissouma and the substitutes eventually made the difference, but most of Spurs' players struggled to adapt to an unfamiliar environment that left them vulnerable to a major upset.
Tottenham were low in Tamworth, but they probably should have done the job before extra time.
Maddison's efforts, of which there were few, did not break the 'half-chances' threshold, but Werner was guilty of missing a golden opportunity when presented by Brennan Johnson. The German, who fought his way up before coming out on the left, went low with his shot which allowed Jas Singh to save.
The confidence with which he is currently operating meant that few would have backed him after he despaired in the Tamworth goal. Earlier, Werner had a good header cleared off the line by the impressive Haydn Hollis.
Werner's difficulties were not limited to his promiscuity. In a test field, the attacker 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 for the final third of the opening 90, and the hosts struggled to probe and create as a result.
When they're not crossing each other at 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 it 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 for extra time before kick-off, and they were ever so close to ending an upset story. Only two National League sides have ever beaten Premier League opposition in the competition, and they came ever closer to making it a third.
While a foreign surface and Werner's woes helped the hosts, Tamworth deserve immense credit for their application. Haydn Hollis was excellent at the back, while EFL scouts will no doubt be doing their due diligence on Beck-Ray Enoru after that. Jas Singh may have been tested less than he would have anticipated but he still made some big stops to ensure that 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.