Spurs ‘lucky’ to see off Wycombe

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR manager Mauricio Pochettino said his team were fortunate to beat Wycombe Wanderers in a seven-goal thriller at White Hart Lane.

League Two Wycombe, who are 70 places below Tottenham in English football’s hierarchy, led this most pulsating of FA Cup ties on two occasions before Dele Alli equalised in the 89th minute, and Son Heung-min clinched the win in the seventh minute of injury-time.

Pochettino made nine changes to the Tottenham team which drew with Manchester City last Saturday, and they trailed 2-0 following a first-half brace by Wycombe captain Paul Hayes, a fine left-footed volley and a penalty-kick.

And while goals from Son, and then Vincent Janssen from the penalty spot levelled the tie, Spurs played the final 20 minutes with 10 men after Kieran Trippier landed awkwardly and could not be replaced because Pochettino had already deployed all three of his substitutes.

Garry Thompson then appeared to have earned a shock win when he scored Wycombe’s third with only seven minutes left.

‘In that moment, I said it would be tough to score again,’ Pochettino said.

‘You always believe and try to win and be a little bit lucky, and today we got a little bit lucky to get into the next round.

‘That is football, and I am sure they are very sad now and disappointed, but we can do nothing. Today was for us, and maybe on another day it goes for them.’

Meanwhile, Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth focussed on the pride he felt about his side’s performance.

‘As a manager you cannot ask for any more from your players,’ he said. ‘They have done the whole town proud, me proud, and themselves proud.

‘I was gutted at the end but the overriding emotion now is just how proud we are of what we have achieved.’