Rochdale 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 yesterday.
It seemed Spurs had done enough to book their place in the quarterfinals 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” while teammate and goalscorer added: “It’s unbelievable... We played some incredible football against Spurs. We cannot wait to go to Wembley to play them.”
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 topfour finish in the 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 quarterfinals.Saturday’s draw saw four of the top Premier League’s top five kept apart in the quarterfinals, with Manchester United hosting Brighton – a repeat of the 1983 final won by United in a replay – and Chelsea away to Leicester.
Rochdale manager Keith Hill admitted that his side will most likely suffer defeat in the replay, but he hopes the financial reward of a date at Wembley will be significant.
The club spent the proceeds earned from yesterday’s game, thought to be around £500,000 (RM2.75m), on relaying the Spotland pitch ahead of Tottenham’s visit.
“That was a heavy investment for us,” he said.
“Hopefully the money we make will support the club for the next two or three years.
“We will get beat, realistically, but we will embrace it again.
“Spurs will be aware of us now and we might not get the same opportunity again but we will try to win.” –AFP / The Independent