Tottenham finally exile Exiles from FA Cup, book fifth cup tie with Rochdale

A Dan Butler own goal in the 26th minute galvanized Tottenham, who eventually exiled the Exiles from the FA Cup with a 2-0 win.  

First half

A disjointed first 20 minutes was indicative of a side who haven’t played together all season. As expected, Mauricio Pochettino made wholesale changes from the demanding 2-2 draw at Anfield.

Numerous errant passes told the tale in the first 20 minutes, with Serge Aurier, Moussa Sissoko, Danny Rose, Michel Vorm, Fernando Llorente and Juan Foyth all culpable of needlessly spurning possession.

Llorente had a few heavy touches in what may have been last-chance saloon for the out-of-sorts target man.

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Danny Rose scuffed wide his volley attempt at the back post in the 22nd minute, Spurs first real chance of the half. You won’t be surprised to hear that Son Heung-Min instigated that threat.

Spurs found the breakthrough in the 26th minute when Butler’s attempted interception took the ball helplessly past Joe Day. Sissoko was looking to play it into the danger zone when Butler’s intervention handed Tottenham the early advantage. That goal settled Spurs down, who entered cruise control.

Erik Lamela and Son then showed their superiority in the 30th minute, both of whom testing Day with fierce drives.

Llorente played a nice one-time layoff to Son two minutes later, whose resulting shot fizzed narrowly by the post.

Son stamped his authority on the match in the 34th minute, setting up Lamela for his first since returning from his long injury layoff. Showing poise and deft skill, Lamela’s finish was out of the top drawer.

Second half

A foregone conclusion, the second half transpired just as the script was written. The gulf in class was more evident than it was for three previous halves with the League 2 side. With that said, Spurs were unable to find an insurance goal, letting Newport linger, albeit in banal fashion, for the duration.

Llorente was most at fault for not putting the fixture to bed, Tottenham’s target man missing a few golden opportunities, the most blatant of which coming from a left-footed volley in the 80th minute. You’ve got to sympathize with the big man’s inability to find the net.

Dele Alli then spurned another great chance, hitting the bar with a heavy final touch from a perfect Christian Eriksen setup.

Next: What impressed most about Tottenham's 2-2 draw at Anfield

While it took a 90 minutes longer than most expected, Spurs have booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup, where they’ll face League 1 side Rochdale, who beat Millwall 1-0 in their replay yesterday.

While more unlikely than Newport playing at Wembley anytime soon, maybe securing the FA Cup replay with Newport was part of Pochettino’s elaborate plan all along. It offered the recent walking wounded, including Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Harry Winks, a perfect platform to get some requisite match time under their belts.

The extra 90 minutes also allowed for Pochettino’s fringe players to get a sniff, as it’s unlikely they’ll be afforded meaningful match time, other than against Rochdale, with so many impending, pivotal contests.

Spurs travel to Rochdale on Feb. 18 for the fifth round match.