ROCHDALE DARE TO DREAM
League One side stun Spurs to force FA Cup replay
LOWLY Rochdale scored deep into stoppage time to deny Tottenham Hotspur victory as their FA Cup fifth-round tie ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday.
It seemed Spurs had done enough to book their place in the quarter-finals when in-form England striker Harry Kane, on as a substitute, scored from the penalty spot with two minutes of normal time remaining to make it 2-1 to the visitors.
But Rochdale, who had opened the scoring on the stroke of halftime through Ian Henderson, equalised when substitute Steve Davies scored from 12 yards in the third minute of stoppage time.
This result means Rochdale, bottom of third-tier League One, can now look forward to a lucrative replay at Wembley — the national stadium is London club Tottenham’s temporary home while their successor ground to White Hart Lane is completed.
“They say it’s every kid’s dream (to play at Wembley) and we have done enough to go there,” Davies told the BBC, before saying of his equaliser: “I’ve done my job, it’s dropped to me and I’ve finished it.”
Rochdale went ahead when Henderson crowned a slick move that made a mockery of the club’s league position with a composed finish after an excellent angled through-ball from Andrew Cannon split Spurs’ defence.
Lucas Moura, however, drew Spurs level, exchanging passes with Moussa Sissoko and beating Rochdale goalkeeper John Lillis just shy of the hour-mark.
It seemed Spurs’ recovery was complete when Rochdale defender Harrison McGahey brought down Dele Alli and Kane beat Lillis, who dived the right way, with a well-struck penalty.
But there was still time for one more twist which means Spurs are facing a Wembley replay for the second time in a row, having needed two games to end fourthtier strugglers Newport County’s FA Cup run.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Henderson. “We played some incredible football against Spurs. We cannot wait to go to Wembley to play them.”
“It was an amazing game and an amazing event for us. We took the opposition on and we know how good they are,” Rochdale manager Keith Hill, who almost lost his flat cap in the delirious scenes following Davies’s equaliser, said.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino tried to play down the inconvenience of an unscheduled extra game for his side, still involved in the Champions League and in the hunt for a top-four finish in the English Premier League.
“The FA Cup is magic,” said Pochettino, as the Argentinian gave voice to one of English football’s best-loved, but in this case apt, cliches.
“We have another opportunity at Wembley, the same situation like before.”
Pochettino paid tribute to Rochdale, saying the way they had raised their game for the FA Cup was no shock in his eyes.
“I was not surprised,” he said. “This competition is completely different. Newport gave us a fantastic game and they lost their next game in the league 5-0.”
Whichever club wins at Wembley will face either Sheffield Wednesday or Swansea, who will also need a replay after Saturday’s goalless draw at Hillsborough, in the quarter-finals.