| Match report
As always with Spurs, the
Tottenham Way is not the easy way and letting Sheffield United back
into the game after taking the lead, meant a reprise of Christian
Eriksen's speciality late goal to see them through to a Wembley
League Cup Final against Chelsea in a repeat of 2008 ... or let's
hope so !!
Snow fell heavy before kick off and eased as 19.45 approached. It
was still cold and the home fans made a lot of noise in the build up
to kick off. We were housed in the Jessica Ennis stand, the same
stand where we were in when we won 2-0 in the League Cup at Bramall
Lane in 1990.
With lots of early possession, Tottenham were stroking the ball
around, but their first dangerous moment came when Kane took the
ball off McEveley on the right hand touchline and put a low ball
into the box which was cleared for a throw in. After the first
three minutes, Spurs began giving the ball away with their passes,
but stuck at it and a neat passing move found Dembele moving into
the box only to have the ball nicked off his toe for the first
corner of the match in the eighth minute. It was aimed at the far
post and a touch stopped it getting through to a yellow shirt beyond
the far post.
With United's next attack, they almost scored. A cross from the
right by Campbell-Ryce and Michel Vorm dropped the ball on
Scougall's head and Murphy had a clear shot when it was played to
him, but Vorm recovered to kick the shot away as he and Walker were
back on the goal-line.
Tottenham's first effort on target came with a touch from Dembele on
the halfway line to Eriksen, who released Lamela and he in turn
played in Kane, who turned inside and hit a low shot, but Howard was
behind it. As Sheffield sat deep, they won the ball off Spurs and
then Spurs won it back. The home crowd were becoming quieter and
Kyle Walker got space on the right to put in a low cross that Howard
beat out and then the clearance fell to Dembele outside the box, but
he could only pull his shot wide.
When Baxter gave the ball away to Lamela on halfway, he gave it to
Harry Kane moving away to the right and he hit an early shot to try
and catch the keeper off guard, but his shot went wide. Lamela ran
into three striped shirts some 30 yards out and the ball reached
Ryan Mason, who tried a first time effort from 40 yards that had
Howard scrambling to his right to save. Dembele was doing well
closing Sheffield United players down and he nicked the ball away on
the halfway line, playing Kane through and his shot from a narrow
angle on the left hit the outside of the post.
With 26 minutes on the clock, Benjamin Stambouli went on a rampaging
run that brought a foul five yards outside the box to the right.
Christian Eriksen stepped up and curled the ball over the wall
rather than around it, hitting the inside of the post high near the
bar and it went in and rippled the back of the net to give Tottenham
a useful lead with an away goal to boot.
Tottenham needed to see out the remainder of the first half without
letting United back into the game. Kane was played through by
Eriksen helping a ball on and he made it into the left hand side of
the penalty area and hit a low shot that Howard had to block at his
near post. The pellet like snow started coming down again and
Dembele did brilliantly down the right, beating three men before
playing it back for Mason, who hit it first time, but pulled it a
long way wide of the keeper's right hand post.
I'm not sure if the Blades players' heads went down, but Tottenham
were first to every loose ball and playing simple short passes to
keep it away from United feet. But when Stambouli tried to cut out a
through ball on the halfway line, Scougall played a low ball into
McNulty outside the area and he tee'd himself up for a volley that
went a yard wide. When a ball was won by United deep in
their own half, Spurs hunted in packs and eventually the ball was
picked off by Mason, who was fouled by Doyle as he ran towards the
box. Same place as the free kick the goal came from, but this time
Christian hit the wall. When the ball was recycled and Kane got into
the box, his shot was blocked and Mason's effort from the rebound
was also blocked by the home defence.
With United having shown little going forward, I expected Clough to
get them fired up for a big second half push to get at Spurs and get
around the Tottenham penalty area. Light snow was falling as
Sheffield kicked off the second half, as the home crowd found their
voice again. But when their first attack broke down, Mousa Dembele
rolled his marker and surged forward, playing Kane in on the left.
Harry cut inside and stretched to get his shot away, but it was
pulled a little wide of Howard's near post.
Mason picked up a yellow for a foul and the free-kick was played in,
causing Vertonghen to head back across his own six yard box and
McNulty flicked a foot at the dropping ball and nudged it wide with
Vorm having it covered. Another free-kick gave the Blades the
opportunity to get their big defenders forward, but it was headed
clear as the snow started to flurry around Bramall Lane.
Murphy tried a long range shot that didn't trouble Vorm as it went
weakly wide of the goal and then Spurs broke at the other end to get
Kane powering through to strike a low shot at Howard once more.
Another free-kick for Sheffield cam to the right of the Tottenham
box, as Dembele was booked for a foul on Murphy. It was played back
to Basham, who struck a 25 yard shot that hit a Spurs defender just
inside the area, as it looked as if it was going to hit the target.
The little spell of attacking got the crowd excited, but Tottenham
stayed strong and played the ball around until a chance was created,
with Dembele playing his part until he smashed the ball at goal, but
well over the bar. Mike Dean bottled a decision when Ryan Flynn
brought down Davies on the edge of the box, with the Sheffield
player having been booked just minutes before. From the free- kick
Eriksen once more struck the wall, but Spurs kept the ball alive and
almost found Kane going through. United broke away and with good
numbers forward, McNulty swung his cross out of play.
Paulinho replaced Dembele in the 66th minute, with United taking
captain Doyle off and Louis Reed replaced him.
Kane put a 30 yard free-kick on target and it moved making Howard
beat it down and take it at the second attempt, then Lamela played
Ryan Mason bursting into the box and only a sliding challenge denied
him the opportunity to finish the game off. A free-kick at the other
end should have tested Spurs, but it was headed clear and when the
ball came back into play from a throw in, Spurs won it and Kane put
the ball through to Lamela, but he couldn't control it to be one on
one and in on goal.
Changes took place in the 74th minute, Townsend entered play for
Erik Lamela, while United brought on Higdon for McNulty and Che
Adams for Campbell-Ryce. And in the 77th minute, Sheffield
United switched play to their right and Flynn went forward to put a
low ball across the face of the Spurs goal and when it was missed in
the middle, substitute Adams ran in at the far post to slide it
under Vorm to equalise on the night.
Tottenham seemed to lose a little composure and were loose with
their distribution from the back, so, when a cross came in from the
right, it fell for Adams again and he hit s shot that flew off Dier
to fly past Vorm. The momentum was now with the Blades and Spurs
needed to settle down and start playing again.
Two goals in just over two minutes gave the home crowd something to
sing about and now it was Spurs who looked nervy. Flynn went through
and set up Stefan Scougall on the edge of the 18 yard box but he
scuffed his effort softly to Vorm. When Flynn played the ball
inside to Reed just inside the area, the United man hit it with
power but not with any accuracy, firing it over the bar with Vorm
exposed. At the other end, Davies played in Mason, but he couldn't
get the ball under control as it sped off the surface. Eriksen did
control his effort when Kane played him through going left in the
area and putting his shot past the keeper the other way. It was a
fine pass from Kane to put Christian in on goal and a composed
finish with just three minutes left (again).
Rose came on as a late substitute for Ryan Mason, who had covered a
huge amount of ground. With four added minutes, Sheffield had to
throw caution to the wind. Basham was put up front and if Spurs
worked the ball right, they could pick United off or eat up time.
As United went for the equaliser, Basham took a heavy touch and went
through, studs up into Vorm's chest and face, producing some heated
exchanges and only a yellow card for the Blades centre half. Every
time United got the ball, they sought to get it forward as quickly
as possible. But they couldn't do it as quickly as they liked
and after a spell of Spurs taking the ball into the corners, the
whistle signalled a trip to Wembley for Spurs and Pochettino in his
first season in charge. Chelsea await, but there will need to be a
different approach to this match after they let United back in the
game. Such slackness will be severely punished by the West London
club.
The advertisement for Sky Atlantic's blockbuster “Fortitude” that
ran around United's electronic boards said “It's not just the cold
that kills.” No. It is goals and that was why Spurs went through
thanks to Christian Eriksen. He is a real talent and his play
tonight reminded me of Luka Modric, but with goals. His ability is
sublime and in a pressure situation, he calmly stroked the ball just
where no United player could get it to finally finish off their
challenge.
Others had an in and out game, other than Kane, who never stopped
running and giving the home defence problems, but Eriksen was head
and shoulders above all the rest of the team. Hopefully he can
be head and shoulders above them holding the Cup on 1st March.
Grayling Barraclough |
