Sheffield United stun Spurs in the FA Cup with guts, grit and a moment of brilliance
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“There’s going to be times when we’ll have to suffer,” he admitted as his team prepared to face Tottenham Hotspur, “And that’s with and without the ball.” They did. But not always. Or as often as they thought, frustrating their Premier League opponents with a combination of tactical discipline, organisation and sheer bloody-mindedness. Indeed, by the time substitute Iliman Ndiaye pounced during the closing stages, Heckingbottom’s men had seized control of the contest.
“We knew we had to make it tough for them,” said defender Chris Basham, before learning United had drawn Saturday’s Championship opponents Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals. “Then, we can bring on Iliman and we know he’s got that quality to make it a special night.”
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Hide AdDespite his protestations about folk who treat this competition with contempt, Heckingbottom made no secret about the fact it was not United’s priority beforehand. With another crucial assignment in the race for automatic promotion looming large on the horizon, he made a flurry of changes to his starting eleven despite the calibre of the opposition. Ensuring United regularly face the likes of Spurs, rather than meet them every so often, has been at the top of the 45-year-old’s in-tray ever since he took charge.
Although most of those drafted in boasted plenty of experience, Heckingbottom handed youngster Andre Brooks his full senior debut. His faith didn’t prove to be displaced, with the teenager covering acres of ground to help keep Spurs at bay before inevitably succumbing to cramp. His replacement, Ndiaye, then produced a piece of sheer brilliance - weaving into position after Jack Robinson’s centre was blocked before producing the most clinical of clinical finishes.
“We gave everything and when that opening came along,” Basham said. “Well, we took it.”
Despite still missing their manager Antonio Conte as he recovers from surgery, Spurs were not short of talent on the pitch. England captain Harry Kane might have been named on the bench. But Cristian Stellini, the absent Italian’s assistant, still selected 17 current or former internationals including a front line of Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Moura. They still ran out of ideas long before Ndiaye struck.
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Hide AdA big block from Jack Robinson, following an even bigger tackle from Anel Ahmedhodzic, thwarted an early attack by Moura as Spurs attempted to establish control. But United actually spent more time in possession during the opening skirmishes, albeit without testing a rearguard anchored by Eric Dier. What United initially lacked in penetration, before growing in stature after the break, they more than made up for with commitment as Robinson continued his duel with Moura by flattening the Brazilian. His compatriot, Richarlison, fired over the crossbar soon after when Davinson Sanchez’s pass beat the hosts’ offside trap.
The best chance of the first-half actually fell to Ismaila Coulibaly, although the United midfielder lost his composure at the vital moment after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s error saw him go bearing down on Fraser Forster.
Fears that might prove the defining moment of the fixture, from United’s perspective, proved unfounded when Ndiaye threaded the ball between Forster’s foot and Spurs’ near post.
“Brilliant,” Basham concluded, with no little understatement.