By The Associated Press’s Steve Douglas
Tottenham won 3-0 and avoided one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history on Sunday after suffering the humiliation of being forced into extra time by Tamworth, an opponent that is almost 100 places lower in the English football hierarchy.
After a 1-1 draw, defending champion Manchester United defeated Arsenal 5-3 in a penalty shootout to advance from the third round as well. After Diogo Dalot was sent off in the 61st minute, United started with 10 men and Joshua Zirkzee scored the game-winning penalty.
Tottenham’s team of seasoned internationals worked against a bunch of part-time soccer players whose primary vocations included bricklaying, selling zippers, and serving as financial advisors in the English League Cup quarterfinals, four days after defeating Premier League leader Liverpool 1-0.
When fifth-tier Tamworth forced extra time with a score of 0-0, it was a huge surprise. However, the hosts let an own goal slip in the 101st minute, followed by goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson, disappointing most of the 3,700 spectators inside the little stadium known as The Lamb.
In order to defeat Tamworth, which is currently 16th in the National League and is participating in the third round for the first time since 2012, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou felt obliged to employ his best players, such as Son Heung-min, Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke, from the bench.
According to Postecoglou, it’s very easy to lose your mind on a day like this when things aren’t going your way and you realize the ramifications, but for the most part, we remained composed, persevered, and made it through.
The teams in the league pyramid were separated by 95 spots.
Tom McGlinchey, a midfielder for Tamworth, stated, “It was an amazing day, and it’s a shame we couldn’t get over the line.” Unfortunately, I will be returning to my day job tomorrow to lecture.
In past years, Tamworth would have held Tottenham to a draw in regulation time, earning a lucrative replay. However, due to the increasingly hectic schedule, replays were eliminated for this season.
On Sunday, January 12, 2025, Tottenham Hotspur players celebrate an own goal by Nathan Tshikuna of Tamworth, second right, during the English FA Cup third round match at The Lamb Ground in Tamworth, England. (PA/Joe Giddens through AP)AP
A problem with the netting on one of the goals caused the game to be postponed, which caused considerable hilarity prior to kickoff. To solve the issue, a Tamworth player climbed on top of a teammate.
Premier League teams advance
While Newcastle had to overcome an early deficit to defeat fourth-tier Bromley 3-1, there were no issues for other Premier League teams facing lower-league opponents.
Newcastle won their eighth consecutive game across all competitions with to goals from Lewis Miley, Anthony Gordon, and William Osula at St. James’ Park.
Eberechi Eze’s goal gave Crystal Palace a 1-0 victory against third-tier Stockport, while goals from Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke, and Jack Taylor helped Ipswich defeat Bristol Rovers, also from the third division, 3-0.
In another game on Sunday, Hull lost 1-1 in extra time before fourth-tier Doncaster defeated them 5-4 on penalties.
The Twitter account of Steve Douglas is https://twitter.com/sdouglas80.
https://apnews.com/hub/soccer is the AP soccer website.
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