Tottenham Hotspur Up to Task at Stoke in Carabao Cup
By Aaron Coe
After a tough last 10 days, playing Stoke, in the windy, wet, conditions on a Wednesday night was a recipe for disaster, one that Tottenham avoided in a 1-3 victory.
No one had to tell Tottenham Hotspur they had been through a rough patch of matches, with only one point in the last three games. However, Wednesday evening presented an opportunity for Tottenham to right the ship and advance toward some silverware. Following a brief period of fight back from Stoke, Spurs took care of business and dispatched the Potters 1-3 to advance to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. So how did things transpire in Spurs big win?
Tottenham Dominates the First half
Tottenham Hotspur may have had only 1 goal at the end of the first half, but it was after 45 minutes of total domination. HotspurHQ asked for Tottenham to have more possession, show a dominant defense, and to play Dele Alli ahead of the match. We got all three in the first half at bet365 Stadium, as Spurs came ready to get on the ball and create some chances, with Dele a big part of the action.
Tottenham was so dominant in the first half, they had 73% of the possession and outshot Stoke 7-0, with four shots on target. Fortunately for the Potters, Andy Lonergan was solid in his debut in goal for Stoke. Lonergan parried and blocked his way to a strong performance which kept Stoke in the match.
Ultimately, the possession and passing paid off for Tottenham, as Harry Winks hit a beautiful cross from out wide left which Gareth Bale redirected into the corner for Spurs opening goal. Tottenham had dominated possession up to that point but did not have a ton of clear looks. However, after the goal Stoke had to come out of their shell a bit more and it opened the game up.
It looked like Dele was going to score after Harry Kane had played him in on the left, but Lonergan got a late left boot out to deflect the shot wide. That play had been initiated by a Harry Winks interception, which led to Kane getting the ball in some space. Tottenham continued to mount pressure, but Lonergan was up to the challenge as he pawed away another effort from Dele on goal around 42 minutes.
Spurs dominated the half, with both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier doing well in the air winning several headers. Just as important, there was no free possession for Stoke as the defense was on the back of or stepping in front of the Stoke attackers on a consistent basis. It was a good first half for Spurs, who were doing what they needed to do.