A sluggish Tottenham crashed out of the FA Cup on penalties to Norwich at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening, after the game had ended 1-1.
While Spurs began slowly, they took the lead after just 13 minutes as Jan Vertonghen powered in Lo Celso’s free-kick. Lukas Rupp was presented with a glorious opportunity to equalise for the Canaries, but he dwelled on the ball and wasn’t able to get his shot off.
Emiliano Buendia was the next player to come close, with the player seeing two powerful strikes kept out by Michel Vorm – the goalkeeper did get away with the second one, however, as he spilled the ball.
The Canaries continued to probe, with Vorm called into action on a number of occasions. However, Josip Drmic equalised for the away side with 12 minutes remaining, tapping home after another Vorm mistake. The game went to extra time, but neither side could find a winner. However, Tim Krul was the hero as he saved Gedson Fernandes’ penalty to send his side through to the quarter-finals.
Here’s 90min‘s breakdown of the game…
TOTTENHAM
Key Talking Point
Oh, Spurs.
Jose Mourinho opted to field a strong starting lineup for the clash, while he also gave a start to youngster Oliver Skipp.
Despite the fact that Norwich are one of the season’s favourites to be relegated, and despite the fact that Tottenham were playing at home, the north Londoners sat deep and allowed their opponents to dictate the pace of the game in the early stages.
However, they began to grow into the contest and it took just one moment of quality to give them an early lead. As the game progressed, it was the same old issues, however. With Dele Alli occupying the central striking role, they lacked a focal point and, as a result, they really struggled to test the Norwich defence from open play and never controlled the game.
Alli cut a frustrated figure all evening as he failed to really impact the game, and they were eventually punished as Norwich pegged them back. Mourinho finally responded by bringing on Troy Parrott in extra time. However, they were still forced to go to penalties and after three missed attempts, they crashed out of the competition.
A massively disappointing display.
Tottenham Player Ratings
Starting XI: Vorm (4); Aurier (5), Dier (6), Sanchez (6), Vertonghen (6); Winks (5), Skipp (6), Lo Celso (7*); Lucas (6), Dele (4), Bergwijn (5).
Substitutes: Gedson (7), Lamela (6), Ndombele (6), Parrott (6).
Giovani Lo Celso
Lo Celso faced plenty of criticism for a slow start to life at Tottenham, but he has since become a fan favourite as a result of his outstanding displays.
Spurs began the game sluggishly and they weren’t able to pose a threat going forward, but it just took one world class Lo Celso free-kick for them to move into the lead. The Argentinian whipped in a fierce cross in between the defence and the goalkeeper, allowing Vertonghen to head home.
Overall, the midfielder ran the show, dictating play and looking to make things happen. Another hugely disappointing Spurs display, but another top class display from Lo Celso. He was also one of the players to score in the shootout.
NORWICH
Key Talking Point
It appeared as though Norwich would be heading straight back down to the Championship, but they have given themselves hope after winning last time out against Leicester. As a result, they will have come into their contest with Spurs in good spirits, and while they dominated possession in the early stages, they soon found themselves 1-0 down.
Despite this, they continued to grow in confidence and looked a threat each time they went forward. The midfielders and attackers were constantly interchanging, and the Spurs players were unsure how to deal with them.
Daniel Farke’s men were probing all evening and although they got into a number of dangerous positions, they lacked the end product to bring them back level. However, they were eventually rewarded for their efforts – and it was no less than they deserved.
A number of players were down with cramp at the end of extra time, underling how much they put into the contest. But it will have been worth it as they are now in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Norwich Player Ratings
Starting XI: Krul (6), Aarons (6), Godfrey (6), Hanley (6), Lewis (6), Vrancic (6), Trybull (5), Buendia (8*), Rupp (6), Cantwell (7), Drmic (5).
Substitutes: McLean (6), Idah (6), Tettey (6), Stiepermann (6).
Emiliano Buendia
Emiliano Buendia’s performances often go unnoticed due to Norwich’s current league position, but the creative midfielder continues to impress week after week.
And he was at it once again on Wednesday, constantly looking dangerous in possession. Not only did he work impressively off the ball for his side, he showed real quality when on the ball – picking up pockets of space before playing a penetrating pass or testing the goalkeeper.
The 23-year-old was a constant threat, and whether Norwich survive the drop or not, Buendia should be playing Premier League football.
Looking Ahead
Tottenham return to action on Saturday, travelling to take on Burnley. They then travel to take on RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.
As for Norwich, they face a trip to take on Sheffield United on Saturday, before hosting Southampton.