Tottenham Hotspur survived an embarrassing result at the hands of National League side Tamworth with a 3-0 victory in extra time in the third round of the FA Cup Sunday morning.
Knowing the lore of Tottenham Hotspur jokes and what many felt could happen — beating the most in-form team in Liverpool and possibly losing to Tamworth — the Premier League side looked clueless throughout the first half of the FA Cup draw.
Fielding a strong enough team to put the game to bed early and let the kids play, Spurs never truly got into the game as Timo Werner — who played striker — looked lost as he played terrible balls, had poor touches, and failed to make an impact in the first 45 minutes, That was the norm for the majority of the side as James Maddison and Yves Bissouma looked to be the two who were pushing to get chances for the side.
Dealing with a 0-0 first half, the first 15 minutes of the second half saw Mikey Moore come alive after he returned from a two-month illness. Showcasing his skills on the ball that many love and getting in and around the defense, the lone thing that was not coming was a final result.
Breaking down Tamworth slowly but surely, as a Premier League side should do with its depth, Spurs almost lost the game in the end as Tamworth had a chance for the FA Cup magic that comes every year.
Having a moment in the final seconds, Tamworth took a shot to the near post with players scattered, but Bissouma blocked the shot to force a corner. The ensuing corner saw Bissouma stand his ground again as he blocked the initial shot before the follow-up shot ended up in the hands of keeper Antonín Kinský.
Going to extra time and needing a winner to not leave it up to the crapshoot that is penalties — on the road to a National League side with 4,000 supporters out to watch — Ange Postecoglou brought out the big subs to put an end to the nonsense with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski coming into attack. Djed Spence filled in for Radu Dragusin who left on a yellow card.
It took 10 minutes into extra time, but the contest’s first goal came in favor of Spurs..even if Tamworth nicked it in at the end.
Pedro Porro stood over the free kick design and, going for a low-driven ball to Brennan Johnson, the right winger squared his ball through a deflection to pop up in front of the goal with Dominic Solanke ready to tap it in. But Tamworth’s Nathan Muya Tshikuna was credited with the own goal as the ball bounced over the keeper and into the net.
Getting the first goal and needing to hold on for another 15 minutes of extra time, Spurs put the game to bed as Kulusevski and Johnson added goals to wrap up a 3-0 victory over Tamworth and secure a fourth-round date in the FA Cup.
Fair play to Tamworth for making this a game, and with the faces of disappointment on the likes of Spurs players — as it took 120 minutes to win this game — hopefully, they wake up for a North London derby against Arsenal on Wednesday.