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In an entertaining FA Cup tie at Adams Park Stadium on Monday, Tottenham Hotspur came from behind against Wycombe Wanderers to secure a place in the fifth round of the competition.
Spurs ran out 1-4 winners in the end, although Wycombe certainly made a game of things and took a stunning lead midway through the first half.
Wycombe's lone goal came from Fred Onyedinma, who capitalised on some questionable Tottenham Hotspur defending to slot home from close range.
It looked like Wycombe would carry their lead into the second half, but Gareth Bale deftly scored an equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Tottenham Hotspur dominated the second half, sending wave after wave of attacks at Wycombe’s defence, which somehow stood firm. Only when Jose Mourinho brought out his big guns – Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Tanguy Ndombele – did the Premier League side break through.
In the 86th minute, Kane saw a shot saved by keeper Ryan Allsop but managed to keep the ball in play. It eventually came out to Harry Winks – who curled a wonderful shot in from range.
Once their resistance was broken, Wycombe essentially folded – allowing Ndombele to add two late goals to cement the result, sending Tottenham Hotspur into the fifth round to face Everton.
Here are 5 talking points from Tottenham Hotspur’s win over Wycombe.
#1 Wycombe didn’t play like the EFL Championship’s bottom side
Wycombe are currently rock bottom of the EFL Championship, and relegation to League One is looking like a distinct possibility for them.
However, up against high-end Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, Gareth Ainsworth’s men looked far better than their league position would suggest.
They played a hard-running, physical game that gave Spurs plenty of problems in the first half. When Fred Onyedinma scored on 25 minutes, it was arguably a deserved goal.
Tottenham Hotspur's defenders Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez were clearly rattled by the strength of Uche Ikpeazu, and for a while, it looked like an upset could be on the cards.
Of course, by the time the second half came around, Wycombe almost completely ran out of steam – perhaps due to the fact that they were coming off a 16-day layoff due to COVID-19. Even then, their defence held fast against a ton of pressure, with the likes of Joe Jacobson and Josh Knight working tremendously hard.
Basically, Ainsworth should be proud of his team’s efforts, even in losing.
#2 Gareth Bale finally looked sharp for Tottenham Hotspur
Gareth Bale’s loan to Tottenham Hotspur has been discussed a lot recently, with plenty of people seemingly ready to write the Welshman’s move off as a failure. While it’s too early to claim that right now, it’s clear that Jose Mourinho has also recognised that Bale hasn’t hit form yet.
The Portuguese stated on the eve of Monday’s game that he couldn’t just “hand Bale minutes” and that he would have to earn them.
Bale was given a rare start in the game, and judging by his performance, he clearly felt like he had something to prove. Sure, the finishing for his goal wasn’t quite perfect, but he was clearly Tottenham Hotspur’s most threatening player for the majority of the game.
At times, the Welshman ghosted past Wycombe’s defenders like they weren’t even there, and he also produced some fantastic touches and passes, giving flashbacks to his original run with Spurs almost a decade ago.
While the opposition wasn’t as strong as the ones that Tottenham Hotspur will have to face in the Premier League, this was the first real sign that Bale is getting up to full speed. And if that’s the case, and Mourinho can deploy him more often, Tottenham Hotspur will be more dangerous than ever.
#3 Harry Winks makes the most of his chance – but Davinson Sanchez fails to cover himself in glory
Tottenham Hotspur made a number of changes for Monday’s game from the side that beat Sheffield United on January 17th. Some of their lesser-spotted players had very mixed results at Adams Park Stadium.
Harry Winks was selected in his usual deep-lying midfield role but ended up playing in a slightly more advanced role.
The England international was fantastic throughout the game. Not only did he take his goal brilliantly, calmly bending the ball into the net from distance without hitting it with too much power, but he also made some driving runs through Wycombe’s defence in both the first and second half of the game.
Winks is, of course, more known for his passing. Against Wycombe, he completed 62 of his 76 attempts, with three key passes amongst them. This was a very progressive showing from him and should bode well for his chances at Premier League minutes.
Davinson Sanchez, on the other hand, has probably blown his chance at becoming a Premier League regular again after Monday’s showing.
The Colombian never looked confident from the opening minutes up against Wycombe’s physical attackers, and it was an error from him that allowed Fred Onyedinma to open the scoring.
Somehow, the ball simply bounced off him and into the path of the Wycombe attacker, when it would’ve been far easier for him to clear it.
With Jose Mourinho clearly beginning to trust youngster Joe Rodon more, and with Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld already ahead of him in the pecking order, Sanchez’s time at Tottenham Hotspur may be slowly coming to an end.
#4 Tanguy Ndombele is a ridiculous talent
It won’t be news to Tottenham Hotspur fans who’ve watched all of their side’s games during the current season, but Tanguy Ndombele is a simply ludicrous talent. And as more time goes on, the mercurial Frenchman seems to somehow be getting better and better.
Ndombele was only given a cameo appearance on Monday. He came into the game after 68 minutes, with Jose Mourinho clearly having one eye on the clash with Liverpool on Thursday. However, he certainly made the most of it.
Not only did the 24-year-old display some ridiculous skills and touches, he also managed to complete two key passes in his 22 minutes on the pitch. He was also able to score two late goals, taking his total for the season to six.
And if his first goal was relatively simple – he slotted home from close range following an excellent pass from Son Heung Min – his second was phenomenal.
Ndombele was played into the box by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but was surrounded by two Wycombe defenders. Somehow, the Frenchman was able to drag the ball back between his legs to throw them off and then smash it into the corner of the net.
It’s taken a long time – and some tough love from Mourinho – for Ndombele to start producing the goods for Tottenham Hotspur. However, right now, he’s in a fantastic vein of form and looks like one of the best midfielders in the country. Simply put, it’s a pleasure to watch him in action.
#5 Tottenham Hotspur fans will hope their team show sharper finishing on Thursday
Tottenham Hotspur’s game with Liverpool this Thursday is probably their biggest Premier League match since, well, their clash with the current champions at Anfield on December 16th.
And while Jose Mourinho’s side won comfortably in the end against Wycombe, their fans will be hoping that their team shows better finishing skills on Thursday.
Overall, Tottenham Hotspur finished Monday’s game with a total of 28 shots. 10 of them were on target, with another two hitting the woodwork. How it took until the 86th minute for them to take the lead is anyone’s guess.
From Gareth Bale and Erik Lamela to Son Heung-Min and even Harry Kane, all of Tottenham Hotspur’s players seemed incapable of finding the net with even simple chances. At times, it was worth wondering if fate was against them, even if it was good to see them creating plenty of opportunities.
Of course, Harry Winks eventually broke the seal – and Tanguy Ndombele really finished things off late on – but if they want to beat Liverpool, Spurs will need to be far more clinical than they were against Wycombe.
