CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND
WEDNESDAY 29TH OCTOBER, 2014
(8pm)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2(0) BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 0(0)

Spurs scorers:-
Lamela, 54
Kane, 74

Attendance:- 33,537

Referee:- Mark Clattenburg
Assistants:- Ronald Ganfield & Edward Smart
Fourth official:- Andy Davies

Teams:-
Spurs (4-2-3-1):- Vorm; Naughton, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Stambouli, Dembele; Townsend (sub Chadli, 81), Kane (sub Paulinho, 84), Lennon (Capt.) (sub Lamela, 46); Soldado
(Armband to Vertonghen)
Subs not used:- Friedel; Chiriches, Dier; Mason

Booked:- Fazio (foul on Lua Lua)

Brighton (4-5-1):- Walton; Calderon (Capt.), Hughes, Dunk, Chickson; McCourt (sub Teixeira, 66), Holla, Ince, Forster-Caskey (sub Gardner, 66), LuaLua (sub Mackail-Smith, 88); Colunga

Subs not used:- Ankergren; Greer, O'Grady, Bennett

No bookings

Quality goal sparks Spurs win

A quality passing goal scored by second half substitute Erik Lamela was enough to spark a Spurs victory. Spurs had dominated first half possession, but once again had really failed to truly test Brighton goalkeeper Christian Walton, who had looked somewhat unsteady when faced with crosses which came his way. Harry Kane completed the win to give Spurs passage to the last eight, where they will face Newcastle at home, with an opportunity for revenge following Sunday's home defeat.

Mauricio Pochettino made 10 changes to Sunday's team, with Jan Vertonghen the only survivor from the starting line-up which had faced Newcastle. Vertonghen took over the captain's armband when Aaron Lennon was replaced at half-time by Lamela.

Michel Vorm got in some practice for his trip to Greece next week, when Hugo Lloris will be suspended, but he did not have any difficult saves to make. I wouldn't say he looked too comfortable when faced with tricky low crosses though.

Brighton played a tight defensive 4-5-1, with Colunga on his own up front, supported chiefly by Kazenga LuaLua. Both these runners probably gave the Spurs defence more scares in the first half than we gave them. It was the usual case of a patient build-up thought the standard 4-2-3-1 formation, and not enough incisive passing, or direct shots on goal.

A good crowd was in attendance for this game, boosted by a boisterous contingent of some 4,000 fans from the south coast. Kick-off was delayed for 15 minutes, due to reported traffic delays.

After 2 minutes, Dembele intercepted a ball in the Brighton half, leading to a shot by Harry Kane, which was deflected for a corner. Kyle Naughton made his welcome return to action, and I felt he had a good game in all areas, surely putting himself in contention for a start on Sunday at Villa Park. Naughton threaded a typical pass for Townsend inside the box. Townsend got to the line and cut the ball back for a shot by Aaron Lennon.

Spurs broke forward after a Brighton corner after 7 minutes, with Lennon and Townsend bursting forward, but there was no end result. A Townsend corner from the right caused some confusion in the Brighton 6 yard area, before Naughton had a shot deflected.

Another good Spurs move started at the back through Vertonghen, with Lennon and Stambouli continuing the flow, before Townsend hit his shot way off target. Vertonghen then had a shot, but it was not hit too cleanly.

LuaLua got goal side of the Spurs defence after 15 minutes, but also hit his effort off target. Walton batted away a dangerous cross by Ben Davies, but Lennon hit a poor corner. Brighton's top league scorer, defender Lewis Dunk, wanted a corner, after his effort from a cross on the right, but referee Mark Clattenburg was not in a decision-making mood tonight. Over the course of the game, he denied the visitors one or two penalty claims, perhaps most vehemently claimed by that vocal crowd.

Soldado crossed a good ball from the right, met by Lennon at the near post. Lennon's glanced shot passed wide across the goal. Fazio got the only booking of the game for a foul on LuaLua, but Holla's free kick passed safely over the goal.

After a throw by Naughton, Soldado exchanged with Harry Kane, before winning a corner. Another Soldado cross was fed by Townsend to the advancing Naughton, whose shot won another corner. This was taken by Townsend. Soldado tried to hook a shot in from beyond the back post, but failed.

McCourt chipped a cross from the right for Colunga, but Vertonghen cleared well. After a short corner at the other end, Stambouli got a shot, which passed outside the keeper's right post. With half-time approaching, Harry Kane failed to latch onto a Davies short cross from inside the area. A Harry Kane free kick was easy for the goalkeeper.

Kyle Walker made a welcome appearance at half-time, disguised in Halloween costume, but gave no hint regarding his return to the team.

Harry Kane did well to collect and control a ball down the right flank, before Soldado tried to thread the ball for either Kane or Naughton, who had got ahead of the attackers. Naughton mis-read Soldado's attempted pass.

Kane glanced a Naughton cross wide across goal, before Spurs scored a quality passing goal. The move had started in the Spurs half, but culminated in Lamela making a surging run, exchanging with Soldado on his left, before receiving from the Spaniard, before sweeping the ball past the goalkeeper with his right foot. No rabona was required on this occasion!

Two minutes later, Stambouli fed the ball to Lamela, who was losing it after a short run, but it ran to Kane anyway. Kane hit a right foot shot just wide.

Vertonghen carried the ball out of defence, releasing Townsend, who in turn fed the ball to Soldado on his right, whose right foot shot hit the top of the bar.

Brighton coach Sammi Hyppia made a Doyle substitution, and now the game opened up. Dembele made a good run in the middle, passing to Soldado, whose shot was saved by Walton, moving to his left. Soldado went down on the box after Stambouli's pass, but the referee waved appeals away.

Spurs doubled their lead and secured the game after Townsend made it to the bye-line inside the box on the left. He cut the ball back for Soldado, whose effort was parried by Walton into the path of Harry Kane, only too happy to fire home for his eighth goal of the season. (Still none in the league.)

Shortly after that, Soldado fed Kane, who went down in the box, but Hughes had made a good tackle.

Vorm was required to make a save from Colunga, after substitute Paulinho's first pass had fallen short of its target. On the plus side, Paulinho did tee up Chadli for a shot, which he put wide.

Overall, this was a competent, but not overly comfortable win for Spurs, who face tougher tests ahead in this competition.

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