It had been possible to feel the demons circling from Tottenham’s previous cup tie; their only one before this under Ange Postecoglou. Back in August, the manager had made sweeping changes at Fulham in the Carabao Cup and watched his team exit on penalties.
Postecoglou was aware that he could not afford to have a repeat of the situation. The latter half of the season may have seemed limited, especially without any European competition.
He chose his most powerful team and, despite a promising start, the momentum quickly faded. His team appeared tired. Burnley, whose main focus is staying in the Premier League, have shown improvement lately. Would they find a boost from the FA Cup?
Pedro Porro proved the opposite, with a crucial action right before the end of the game that led to a replay that interrupted the winter break. His goal showcased his determined pressing and precise shooting skills. It was an impressive start to his season.
In the second half, the Spurs team lacked much initiative. In fact, their offense was quite subdued after the first 15 minutes. When Richarlison missed a potential scoring opportunity, Postecoglou couldn’t help but cover his face with his hands. It was difficult to witness, and not just that particular moment.
Type in Porro. Burnley attempted to quickly start their attack by passing to their reserve goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who then passed it to Zeki Amdouni. However, Porro was there, aggressively pressing to regain possession. He then took a powerful shot from 25 yards out, slightly to the right of the goal, and it flew into the top corner. Porro had confidence in his shot as soon as he kicked it.
The Spurs seemed to have the game in the bag, but they managed to put themselves in a risky situation during the seven minutes of added time. Out of nowhere, Burnley stepped up their game and came close to tying the score.
Muric advanced for two corners, the first following a crucial block by Spurs substitute Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to stop Hannes Delcroix. On the second, Muric headed the ball and Amdouni was left unmarked. However, the offside flag was raised and it was unclear if the call was accurate. The outcome didn’t ultimately matter as Amdouni’s header missed the target. Postecoglou’s heart may have skipped a beat at this close call.
The win was hard-earned and not without consequences. Postecoglou shared that Ben Davies had sustained a hamstring injury and Giovani Lo Celso experienced muscle tightness. However, it was still a win and the manager was not going to question its methods.
Postecoglou stated on Thursday that he did not regret his decision to select his Carabao Cup team against Fulham. He is not one to doubt his choices. There was no hesitation in his actions and it must have been satisfying to have Micky van de Ven and Ryan Sessegnon as options on the bench. Sessegnon, who had not played in 11 months, came on as a substitute and almost scored for a 2-0 lead.
Spurs initially promoted the advancement, with Richarlison making two attempts to move forward but ultimately finishing weakly. The first opportunity, with Oliver Skipp providing the final pass, was the better one, but it was disappointing to see Richarlison miss wide of the far post. There was also a moment when Brennan Johnson cut inside from the left and attempted a curled shot towards the far corner, which was saved by Muric.
However, Postecoglou’s team encountered difficulties as the pace of their game slowed down and their creativity diminished. They did manage to get into promising positions, particularly Johnson. However, their finishing left much to be desired.
after newsletter promotion
Burnley improved and they were the ones who made the most obvious opportunity in the first half. Amdouni executed a give-and-go play with Anass Zaroury, one of the five substitutions made by Vincent Kompany from their loss to Aston Villa last Saturday. The return pass from Zaroury was impressive, using the outside of his foot to lift it over the Tottenham defense.
Amdouni anticipated the rebound, but it did not benefit him and he struggled with his control. Upon reflection, he ended up shooting too high.
Spurs got lucky with a missed opportunity, serving as a wake-up call. Johnson attempted a volley from a Porro pass, but missed the target due to not having a clear shot at the ball. It was clear that Postecoglou would need to make changes in the second half.
Postecoglou made a noticeable decision to send his players out early for the second half. Muric also began to delay his goal kicks, causing frustration among the crowd. From a Spurs perspective, the game seemed to become predictable, with a need for quicker passes and more aggressive play.
Dejan Kulusevski shifted and bent the ball upwards; Johnson’s attempt at a volley was unsuccessful. Burnley had control of the game. Johnson made another attempt at a volley, putting pressure on Muric, but Tottenham was left disappointed as they waited for a VAR decision that never came. None of the multiple reviews during the match were expected to result in a favorable outcome.
The sensation grew stronger, suggesting that it could be one of those evenings where a single moment was crucial. Porro would be the one to deliver it.
Source: theguardian.com
