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Final scoreline: Rochdale 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Goalscorers: Ian Henderson 45' (Rochdale), Lucas Moura 59' (Tottenham Hotspur), Harry Kane(P) 88' (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Davies 93' (Rochdale)
You've seen the picture above, now help yourself to the thousand (1,346, but who's counting, right?) words attached to it. Mighty Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur travelled from their comfortable abode in North London to Rochdale, a town in Greater Manchester for their 5th-round match against Rochdale A.F.C. in the FA Cup.
Mighty is what you'd usually call their first-string side - "The Harry Kane team" - One that's (along with Manchester City) regularly been threatening the Premier League's traditional 'Top 4'. The side fielded against Rochdale, though, was anything but mighty.
11 changes from the team that faced Juventus in the UEFA Champions League just days earlier saw Spurs bow to a 1-0 deficit, as Rochdale's captain - Ian Henderson - led the way in making the most of some pathetic defending from the visitors - finding the back of the net just a few heartbeats short of the half-time whistle.
Lucas Moura, who started his first game in a Spurs shirt, then made it a night to remember as he blasted home an equalizer in the 59th minute. Spurs attempted to script quite a comeback as a result of Dele Alli's dramaticism and Harry Kane's late penalty to snatch the advantage in the 88th minute.
Rochdale, though, had been afforded a sniff of hope when they had first taken the lead, and they loved it. That mere sniff seemed to invigorate and engineer the subsequent rebellion. Kane may have scored a goal he's had to work the least for, but Rochdale weren't backing down.
Deep in added time, super-sub Steve Davies led the retaliation, beating Michel Vorm on the verge of full time - to give the club one of its biggest moments ever.
On that note, here's a look at the 5 talking points from the astounding result:
#5 Second-string Spurs struggle
Unlike the alliteration in the heading, Spurs' performance on the night was anything but smooth, as "the Harry Kane team" visibly struggled without their leading man, who was named on the bench for this particular outing. Well, can't blame the manager for assuming it was safe to rest his talismanic striker.
Mauricio Pochettino decided to field a completely revamped side, leaving out all 11 of his players that were involved in the gruelling draw against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League just a few days earlier.
The second-string side, though, struggled to break the deadlock throughout the game, and while it isn't like they've lost, Spurs should have, in all honesty, dispatched of their opponents with ease.
No disrespect to Rochdale, but for a clearer perspective, consider this - Rochdale A.F.C are currently placed 24th in League One (The 3rd division in English football). Which essentially means that 62 teams separate them from Spurs in the English league system.
Despite keeping 65% possession of the ball and taking a total of 15 shots, Spurs were seemingly repelled from that coveted space between the sticks. The combined forces of Rochdale keeper Josh Lillis, and Spurs' own inaccuracy saw them waste a multitude of chances, before Lucas Moura, and then Harry Kane rescued them.
One thing's for certain, ahead of the cup replay, Mauricio Pochettino will have to rethink a number of things.
#4 Josh Lillis and Ian Henderson perform at their respective ends
32 minutes into the game, Callum Camps delivered a gem of a ball over the clueless Spurs defence and right into the feet of Ian Henderson. The 33-year-old, however, lost his personal battle with nerves and fired it not just off target, but entirely off direction.
As much as he'd have loved a hole to hide in at that moment, Henderson persevered and it finally bore fruit at the cusp of halftime, with his goal giving Rochdale the lead and their fans euphoria, albeit temporarily.
On the other end of the Rochdale ranks, goalkeeperJosh Lillis held his own with aplomb. Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen may not have had a crack at him, but the likes of Fernando Llorente, Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son were also bound to have sent shivers down the spine of someone who guards the goal for the bottom-placed side in England's 3rd division.
The Englishman, however, resolutely pulled off a total of 4 saves to frustrate the visitors. He may have conceded a couple of goals, but in his defence, there's little anyone could have done about the two goals.
#3 Dele Alli's tryst with theatrics continues
Was it a penalty? Or was it simulation?
Type 'Dele Alli' on Google and the first real suggestion that nonchalantly pops up is 'Dele Alli diving' - It honestly did for me - and that's not something you'd expect or desire from someone who's touted to be "the next big thing".
Booked for diving in Spurs' game against Liverpool just a fortnight ago, Alli has recently become the epicentre of social media outrage, and today's match might do him no favours. In the 87th minute, with the game perfectly balanced at 1-1, Dele Alli found his way into the box before being brought down by Harrison McGahey, giving Spurs the penalty which Harry Kane dutifully put away.
McGahey was booked for the challenge, but replays showed that there was minimal contact. However, that, nor the aforementioned social media outrage, seemed to stop the Englishman from going down rather dramatically.
Expectedly, he was targeted on social media once again.
Here's a clip of what actually happened:
Did he dive? Was it a foul? Was it a bit too dramatic? I'll let you decide.
#2 Can this result spark something special at Rochdale?
28 games played, 5 won, 10 drawn, 13 lost. That's been Rochdale's story this season in League One - one that sees them sit at a lowly 24th-place on the table. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best sides in the country - even if it's their second-string side - and coming away to see another day in the competition - even if it's a replay - is no mean feat.
While their league position seems incorrigible, it is extremely important to note that Rochdale have only played 28 games, which happens to be the least in the league. 1 team has played 30, 8 have played 32, 10 have played 33, and 4 have played 34.
More importantly, Rochdale are only 11 points away from escaping the relegation zone, and while that may seem like a lot, the sheer number of games in hand gives them a considerable advantage.
After a result like this, it will all be up to the manager, Keith Hill, to try and recreate similar performances week in, week out.
Finishing level with currently the 5th-best team in the country is bound to instil a sense of achievement and confidence within the camp, and regardless of what happens in the cup replay, Rochdale will take something away from it - Something that, in the long run, could prove to be a lot, lot more valuable than silverware.
#1 Lucas Moura makes it a start to remember
After coming off the bench for an inconsequential cameo late in Spurs' match against Juventus, Lucas Moura was finally named in the starting 11 against Rochdale, and the Brazilian did not disappoint.
The 25-year-old was an absolute livewire on the night, and made a number of promising runs (7 successful dribbles, to be specific), as he constantly troubled Rochdale with his blistering pace.
He also made 32 passes and took 2 shots - one of which was a composed finish with his weaker foot that brought Spurs level. The thought of him playing alongside Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli is undeniably a mouthwatering one if you're a Spurs supporter, and a terrifying one if you aren't.
