Tottenham avoided becoming the first top-flight side to lose away to non-league opponents in the Premier League era as Nathan Tshikuna’s scrappy own-goal and strikes by Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson during extra time settled their FA Cup third round tie at Tamworth.
Tshikuna applied the final touch when the part-time hosts failed to clear from a Brennan Johnson shot, breaking the deadlock after 101 minutes before Kulusevski struck clinically from fellow substitute Son Heung-min’s pass six minutes later.
Johnson curled the third into the roof of the net with two minutes remaining of a game in which the 96-place gap between the teams was frequently not evident.
The National League side were rarely genuinely troubled during regular time, threatening a late winner when Thomas McGlinchey had a close-range shot blocked behind and Jordan Cullinane-Liburd sent an effort straight at Antonin Kinsky when the ball fell to him in space inside the box from the ensuing corner.
Tottenham FINALLY bundle one into the Tamworth net ⚽️
Pedro Porro with a moment of ingenuity to set Tottenham on their way#ITVFootball | #FACup pic.twitter.com/KrbeH1S4kr
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 12, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Tamworth scare Tottenham
With the abolishment of FA Cup replays this season, Tamworth might feel aggrieved not to have a deserved and lucrative trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to look forward to – and they could have gone through at the first opportunity here.
The lively Beck-Ray Enoru had an angled shot tipped over the crossbar by FA Cup debutant Kinsky as The Lambs showed their fearlessness almost immediately.
Djed Spence’s ball 🔥
Kulusevski’s finish 😮💨Tottenham finally produce a moment of top quality to put the game to bed #ITVFootball | #FACup pic.twitter.com/1aNMGR7noj
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 12, 2025
In a strong Spurs starting side, James Maddison was the only player to pose problems for Tamworth during the first half, curling a shot over the target and testing Jas Singh.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper made another good stop early in the second half to keep a Timo Werner shot out, and defender Haydn Hollis, who was pivotal in his defensive rigour throughout, did well to later clear Werner’s header off the line.
Lambs almost win it late
Anyone expecting Spurs’ superior fitness levels to tell late on would have been incredulous to see them hanging on seconds from the end of regular time, when McGlinchey almost fired in and Cullinane-Liburd failed to test Kinsky when well placed to provide a sensational ending.
Those chances left Andy Peaks enacting a prayer gesture three days after the Tamworth boss, who has guided them from the seventh tier during three seasons in charge, had signed a contract to work on a full-time basis.
Brennan Johnson gets in on the act
Tottenham have well and truly broken Tamworth hearts in extra time 💔#ITVFootball | #FACup pic.twitter.com/VlwwShIJzG
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 12, 2025
In the adjacent technical area, Ange Postecoglou took chants about his job security in good grace and was able to send on Kulusevski, Djed Spence and Son Heung-min for Radu Dragusin, Maddison and Werner at the start of extra time, leading to more pressure from the eight-time FA Cup winners.
Singh and Peaks were among those to voice their frustrations afterwards at the preventable nature of the first goal, with Kulusevski and Johnson then showing their ruthlessness to ensure the scoreline flattered a relieved Tottenham.
