EDIN THROUGH
Cavani cracker sets up derby clash in semis
EDINSON CAVANI set up a Manchester derby in the Carabao Cup semi-finals after a 2- 0 win for Manchester United at Everton last night.
The Uruguayan, who earlier had escaped punishment for throwing Everton centre back Yerry Mina to the ground, lashed in a fierce left-foot strike to put his side in front in the 88th minute.
And in stoppage time Anthony Martial sealed the victory to book United’s place in the last four where they will face rivals City at Old Trafford, while Tottenham will host Brentford.
SO Tottenham can do it on a wet and windy Wednesday night at Stoke. Gareth Bale could, heading Jose Mourinho’s side in front. Ben Davies and Harry Kane could, scoring the goals to take this quarter- final tie away from their Championship opponents.
Sadly, Dele Alli couldn’t. Not according to Mourinho anyway.
After Jordan Thompson scored a shock equaliser early in the second half at the bet365 Stadium last night, Mourinho decided on a double substitution.
On went Eric Lamela and Moussa Sissoko. Off came Lucas Moura and a decidedly unhappy Alli. He glared in his manager’s direction and threw his right arm in the air as he stomped off into the stands.
Alli had actually played rather well on his first start for almost a month, and was denied by two fine saves from Stoke’s stand- in goalkeeper Andy Lonergan towards the end of the first half.
But he was guilty of fluffing a volley in front of goal from Kane’s excellent pass early in the second period, and Mourinho was also unhappy that Alli gave the ball away in the build- up to Thompson’s goal.
‘They caught us on the counter-attack so, yes, I was upset,’ said the Spurs manager, who has increasingly marginalised Alli during his 13 months in charge.
‘A player that plays in that position has to be a player that links and creates, not one that creates problems for his team on the counter-attack.
‘In that situation, when they were able to counter-attack behind our defence, we were unbalanced. Our full backs were wide and one midfielder was also out of position.’
Not for the first time under this manager, Alli will feel that he has been made a scapegoat. Mourinho’s decision, and Alli’s reaction to it, will only cast further doubt over the 24-year-old midfielder’s future at the club.
The Spurs boss will no doubt feel justified given it turned what was becoming a very uncomfortable night in the Potteries into a clear win as he moved closer to lifting this trophy for the fifth time and delivering Tottenham’s first silverware since 2008.
It also ended a depressing run of results that have seen his side lose to Liverpool and Leicester, and draw with Crystal Palace.
Mourinho knows how tough these occasions can be. He was sacked soon after losing a League Cup tie on penalties here with Chelsea in 2015, and Stoke is never a welcoming place — even without fans and against weakened opposition.
Michael O’Neill showed where his priorities lie by making six changes and only one of them enforced. With no fewer than four keepers unavailable, he turned to 37-year-old Lonergan whose last competitive game was for Rochdale in League One nearly two years ago.
‘Much is made about playing Stoke on a wet and windy night — that is actually the case tonight,’ said O’Neill before the match. ‘The conditions will be a factor in that and we will have a right good go.’
The worst of the weather, swirling wind and rain, had actually subsided by the time the match kicked off but the conditions probably helped Spurs take the lead in the 22nd minute.
It looked as though Harry Winks was aiming for Matt Doherty when he curled a cross into the box, but it dipped over
Stoke defender Harry Souttar and found Bale unmarked. There wasn’t much time to think but he met it with a lovely glancing header that changed the flight of the ball just enough to send it inside Lonergan’s left-hand post with the keeper well beaten. It was the Welshman’s third goal since returning to Spurs from Real Madrid in September.
Bale didn’t reappear for the second half after complaining of a calf niggle.
It didn’t seem to matter at that stage with Stoke offering little threat, but they levelled eight minutes after the restart.
Spurs were too slow to react when substitute Steven Fletcher played the ball down the right for Jacob Brown and he crossed to the unmarked Thompson, who drilled a shot past Hugo Lloris at the keeper’s near post.
Cue Mourinho’s double change and Alli’s strop. It worked though as Spurs regained the lead four minutes after Alli’s exit.
Souttar’s attempted clearance only went as far as Davies 25 yards from goal, and he despatched a left- foot shot that quickly veered away from Lonergan on its way inside the post.
Son dinked in shortly afterwards but he was wrongly adjudged to be offside and there was no VAR to correct the decision. So it was left to Kane to seal victory with his 16th goal of the season. Thompson miscontrolled and substitute Sissoko slid a first-time pass into the box in the 81st minute, Kane holding off Souttar and hammering a shot into the roof of the net.