Tottenham mounted a scintillating second half comeback to defeat League 2 side Wycombe Wanderers by four goals to three in the fourth round of the FA Cup, on Saturday at the White Hart Lane.
Paul Hayes scored the opener for Wycombe with a fine left-footed volley, having hit the bar in the first minute. The veteran forward puts the Chairboys 2-0 up from the penalty spot after a Cameron Carter-Vickers foul. The first-half ended at 2-0 with Spurs looking down and out of the game.
But a spirited comeback ensued after the restart as Son-Heung Min pulled Spurs back into the game with a driven effort deflected past keeper Jamal Blackman, before half-time substitute Vincent Janssen brought the home team level from the spot in the 64th minute. But Wycombe were not one to give up and with just five minutes of normal time left to play, Garry Thompson guided a header past Michel Vorm to put the visitors back in the lead. The advantage lasted very shortly for them as substitute Dele Alli struck on the 89th minute to bring Tottenham back on level terms, before Son sealed the victory for Tottenham late-late into the added time.
In what was an exhilarating encounter between the two sides, Tottenham managed to pull off a stunning victory and Wycombe will be left extremely disheartened after what was a valiant effort at the Lane. Let’s take a look at how each Tottenham player fared on the evening:
Michel Vorm – 5
Was largely at fault for Wycombe’s first goal after being caught in no man’s land from a corner. Could not do much about the penalty, though, however, disappointing letting in three goals against a League 2 outfit.
Kieran Trippier – 6
Made some good interceptions. Got forward well and sent some teasing crosses in, but those moments were few and far in between. Suffered a hip injury which meant Tottenham, who had used all their subs, ended the game with ten men for the last 20 minutes.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 4
Looked out of depth against the physicality of Akinfenwa. Conceded the penalty in the first-half after a naive challenge. Poor display from the young defender.
Kevin Wimmer – 4
Another poor showing from the Austrian. Lacked authority in defence, looked very complacent at times. Was rightly taken off at the hour mark for Moussa Dembele.
Ben Davies – 5
The Welsh international was at fault for the Chairboys’ third goal on the evening and did not offer much in the attacking sense. He has seen better days in Tottenham colours.
Eric Dier – 5
The Tottenham captain on the evening, Dier struggled to put in a display worthy of a leader as he was constantly outmuscled and overpowered in the middle of the park by the Wycombe midfielders.
Harry Winks – 6
One of the bright spots for Tottenham in the evening. Made some good bursts forward, looked assured in possession. Was lucky not to be shown the red card after a shoving contest with O’Nien.
Georges-Kevin N’Koudou – 4
Good burst of pace, nice ball control, looked to threaten but the final ball was always lacking and was rightly taken off at half-time after having made no impact.
Josh Onomah – 4
The 19-year old struggled to make any noteworthy contribution in the final third and constantly lost possession. Much was expected of him, but Onomah disappointed.
Moussa Sissoko – 5
A lot is expected from a player who you buy for £30 million, but Sissoko continued to disappoint after another laborious display in the first half. Did show little signs of improvement after the break.
Son Heung-Min – 8
Tottenham’s saviour on the day. The South Korean always looked like the one who could make things happen in a poor first half display from Spurs. Should have opened the scoring after presented with an open goal early in the game, however, made up for it with Spurs’ first and last goals of the match.
Substitutes
Vincent Janssen – 6
Replaced N’Koudou at half-time and got his team back into the game with a penalty to level things. Booked for a poor challenge.
Dele Alli – 8
Continued to show his importance to the team after coming on for Onomah around the hour mark. Pressed his opponents hard, helped Tottenham keep the ball in the attacking areas and scored a late goal to keep his team in the fight.
Moussa Dembele – 7
Replaced Kevin Wimmer in the second half and slotted into the midfield with Dier moving into defence. Offered the composure and the drive from the midfield that was lacking in the first half. Set up Alli’s goal after capitalizing on a poor pass from the Wycombe goalkeeper.