Fans of Morecambe were given a chance to dream but in the end, the class of Tottenham Hotspur saved their bacon in the FA Cup, here are Spurs’ player ratings.
It was a match where Tottenham was heavily favored and really should have run away with things. Maybe it was the Champions League final for Morecambe – in their first-ever match against Tottenham – but only one team clearly felt those stakes, despite several players presumably playing for their Tottenham futures.
Spurs were again slow and plodding, going from side to side rather than forwards much of the game. Despite almost 80% possession and more than 25 shots, it took late contributions from first-team stars Lucas Moura and Harry Kane to ensure the win, after an unlikely goal from Harry Winks.
Read on for our ratings for Tottenham, following a dispirited FA Cup win.
Tottenham Forward Ratings
Tottenham sort of took the Manchester City approach against Morecambe and played without a recognized striker for much of the match. Things did not quite go the way they do for the Skyblues, however, as neither Dele Alli nor Bryan Gil had much of an impact on the match.
Dele Alli – 5
If anyone needed more convincing that Dele Alli’s time at Spurs is over, they simply need to watch this match. Dele did very little beyond go down a few times. He did have one flick on a corner that forced a good save but was otherwise invisible. Would pick up the ball deeper ala Kane but then play sideways instead of forward. Had some decent layoffs but none were really effective.
Bryan Gil – 5
Bryan Gil had a relatively discouraging afternoon. Bryan was a very willing runner trying to break between the Morecambe lines, however, time and again, no one played the ball and gave him a chance. Had some decent touches in and around the box but really did not see enough of the ball to make an impact.
Rating Spurs Midfield
Tottenham went with a five-man midfield and held plenty of possession. However, overly conservative passing until the substitutes came on, left the game up for grabs.
Matt Doherty – 5
Matt Doherty was almost an early hero for Tottenham connecting with a corner at the back post. Unfortunately for Doherty and Spurs, the ball went off the post and the opportunity was lost. To have more than 70 passes as a wing-back and have only 1 cross and no key passes shows just how ineffective Doherty was.
Giovani Lo Celso – 6.5
Giovani Lo Celso ended the match with some impressive statistics for Spurs. The Argentine led the team in shot attempts and key passes with six of each. Lo Celso even got a late assist on a nice entry ball to Harry Kane. Those statistics mask the fact that Lo Celso – like most of the squad – slept walked through most of the game and did not do enough with the opportunities presented.
Harry Winks – 7
It was a Harry Winks freekick that got the comeback started for Tottenham as Winksy put a wide cross into the back of the net. Reminiscent of his long goal last season in Europa League, Winks barely responded and just ran back to midfield. One of the only players willing to try a true forward ball, he needed more movement around him, as well as willing passers.
Tanguy Ndombele – 4
Almost creating some magic in the first minute of the match, Tanguy Ndombele seemed like he was ready to go. Nevertheless that almost moment in the first minute was really the Ndombele highlight of the game. Hit one other stinging shot that was blocked, otherwise was a passenger dribbling around in space for much of the day.
Ryan Sessegnon – 6.5
Unlike several of the players on the pitch Sunday, Ryan Sessegnon was playing hard from the off. So active was Sessegnon that according to whoscored.com he had 10 crosses. While some of those crosses were good balls, only one found another player as an ‘accurate’ cross. Let dow too often by his first touch and his defensive instincts to put two arms out and shove opponents in the back.
Rating the Tottenham Defence
Given their percent of possession, Spurs did not spend a ton of time on defence against Morecambe. Yet, Tottenham defended long enough to make a mental mistake and make the game so much more than it should have been.
Japhet Tanganga – 4
For the second straight cup match, Japhet Tanganga was on the hook for the opponent scoring. Morecambe did now have many corner kicks but thanks to poor marking by Tanganga, it counted for the Shrimps. Completely asleep at the back post and lost in space defensively, Tanganga has shown he needs more minutes just not in Spurs first team.
Joe Rodon – 6.5
Finally getting a start, it looked early like Joe Rodon was not ready for the moment. His lackadaisical early defending was a microcosm of the team. In the second half, Rodon was one of the first to noticeably up the intensity. His drive with the ball from deep to dribble quickly ahead rather than allow more sideways passing was a positive sign, was it enough to earn more minutes?
Ben Davies – 6
Ben Davies saw a ton of the ball but did very little with it. Davies had little to do defensively and was just willing to knock the ball around sideways for the most part. A high level of accuracy on his passes because he did not play difficult balls.
Pierluigi Gollini – 5
To say Pierluigi Gollini was really tested by Morecambe would be dishonest. Gollini did make one save, coming in the first few minutes of the match but was lonely for much of the match. Was not alert enough, especially if you ask Rodon, coming off his line on a few long balls and probably could have stepped out and defended the corner better but was not the only player to ball watch on the Shrimps goal.
Substitute and coach Ratings
It was the substitutes that made the difference on the day for Tottenham Hotspur. Maybe the idea was to give Morecambe the thrill of playing against and being scored on by Harry Kane. If that was the case mission accomplished. However, the reality is, these players never should have been needed.
Lucas Moura – 8
Clearly the best player on the pitch from the moment he stepped on it. Lucas Moura’s pace against a tired Morecambe side was not really fair but neither is the FA Cup. Alert defending near midfield and then a perfect round-the-keeper finish after dribbling the entire half may be the goal of the round.
Oliver Skipp – 7
When Oliver Skipp came on the intensity in the midfield was noticeably enhanced. Willing to make a tackle when the need calls for it, Skipp brought a level to the match that seems lost on Ndombele. Did not do much beyond help step up the pace and pressure but that was significant.
Harry Kane – 7
Like Skipp, Harry Kane’s initial contribution to the match was upping the intensity. Kane was clearly working hard to win and hold the ball in midfield. Then maybe most significantly, Kane was willing to turn and play the ball forward in attack. Harry Kane may never have 90% passing accuracy but he had more key passes than Ndombele and Doherty combined on just 8 attempts. His goal was textbook post-up play and sealed the victory.
Emerson Royal – N/A
Only played for the last 13 minutes in place of Sessegnon on the right and immediately showed his class in comparison. It may not seem like much but the ability to pressure the ball in the attacking third and recover it without fouling is a skill and Emerson Royal used it to create Spurs’ third goal.
Dane Scarlett – N/A
Came on after the third goal for the last two minutes and injury time and had two touches.
Coach Conte – 6
The new coach bounce seems to have faded and what we saw in the first half from the team was simply unacceptable. Bailed out by the late substitutions this was a poor performance from the team from any perspective. For a group that knew they were playing together several days before, it was a disjointed performance and disappointing.