Tottenham Hotspur was in FA Cup action for the first time this season in a close but comfortable 1-0 win over Portsmouth; how did the players perform?
After a couple of months of struggling, Tottenham Hotspur is slowly finding their rhythm. Spurs followed up their midweek win over Crystal Palace with an essential but not-pretty win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup. The win moves Tottenham forward in the competition and hopefully builds some player confidence ahead of the north London derby next weekend.
Rating Spurs Defense
After ten straight matches without a clean sheet, Tottenham was hardly troubled defensively by Pompey and now has back-to-back shutouts.
Ben Davies – 6.5
Back in the starting line-up for Clement Lenglet, the Welshman was good defensively and looked to get forward often. Davies occasionally found himself in the box but never could make that final play. He committed a late foul that picked up a yellow card and gave Pompey a chance. Disappointing that he did not attempt any long balls into the box, as we have seen from Lenglet in recent games.
Davinson Sanchez – 7
Starting in the middle of the back three, Pompey rarely tested Sanchez in the game. It looked like Sanchez committed a big late foul, but the card and foul both went to Davies. Sanchez provided excellent depth for his fellow defenders, making it easy for Spurs to control possession against a primarily toothless attack.
Japhet Tanganga – 7.5
Maybe the most active of all the Tottenham defenders, Japhet Tanganga, gave us what we have come to expect from the young defender, good, hard-nosed defense. Locked in a battle with Colby Bishop for most of the game, Tanganga gave the Pompey forward no room to operate, limiting the goalscorer’s chances. Tanganga looked to push forward, but there was little room with Portsmouth deep and Gil and Royal on the right.
Fraser Forster – 7
Largely unnecessary for most of the evening, Fraser Forster made the one save he needed to, which kept the game solidly in Tottenham’s favor. When Fraser palmed away Reecco Hackett-Fairchild’s attempt off the corner, it essentially closed the book on Forster’s evening just 12 minutes into the game. The clean sheet does Forster and the entire team some good.
Tottenham midfield player ratings
Spur had a decidedly second-string midfield as only Oliver Skipp retained his place from the team who beat Palace midweek. Tottenham dominated the game and possession with a youthful group.
Ryan Sessegnon – 7
One of the more active players in the attacking third, Ryan Sessegnon, was looking to get the ball into the box. Although he did not consistently beat his man, he earned several corners and assisted Kane on Spurs’ goal.
Pape Matar Sarr – 8
If there was a star in the Tottenham midfield, it was Pape Matar Sarr. The 20-year-old made his third career Tottenham appearance and first start. The lanky midfielder was all over the pitch, providing competent cover for the defense and a consistent outlet for passing. Sarr never had that ‘moment’ we might want to see from him, but he looks like a player who will be contributing to this team as the schedule gets busy.
Oliver Skipp – 6
Starting for the second time in a week, after Tottenham scratched Yves Bissouma during warm-ups, Oliver Skipp missed a golden opportunity. Skipp’s play was solid but nothing near spectacular, as his touch let him down on several occasions. The biggest disappointment for Skipp invariably had to be his missed chance at about 67 minutes. A loose touch from Bryan Gil fell into Skipp’s path, but the midfielder lacked composure as the ball flew well over the top of the open net. With the run coming, it is hard to say when Skipp will get his next opportunity to shine.
Emerson Royal – 6
Disappointing many Tottenham fans starting over Djed Spence, Emerson Royal put in a shift but never impacted the game. Like Skipp, Royal had a golden opportunity, which he let slip away. Emerson did well to get in position to meet a superb Heung-min Son cross and did the right thing heading the ball back across the goal but was unlucky as his attempt bounced off the inside of the post into the hands of Joshua Griffiths.
Rating the Tottenham front three
The one area on the pitch without any changes from the weekday win was the Tottenham front three, as injuries continue to limit Conte’s options.
Heung-min Son – 5
It was an up-and-down day for Sonny, who popped several times but is still a step off his usual pace. His cross for Emerson was great, but other opportunities for few and far between as Son had difficulty beating Zak Swanson on the left.
Harry Kane – 7.5
Coasting for much of the first half, Harry Kane came through for Tottenham when the time came. Kane did more to create opportunities for Tottenham in the second half as Portsmouth pushed forward, allowing our talisman to drop deep and distribute the ball. Of course, his real contribution was when he combined with Sessegnon near the edge of the box and curled in the only goal of the game. It was not a classic performance, but it was enough FA Cup magic to put Spurs through and leave Kane just one shy of tying Jimmy Greaves’ all-time club record of 256 goals.
Bryan Gil – 7
Thanks mainly to injuries, Gil was starting for the third consecutive match, and for the second game running, he was a difference-maker. A willing runner defensively, Gil is a pest for the opposition and is slowly building some pressing tendencies again in the squad. Bryan’s willingness to run at players with the ball is one of his other qualities, and he appears to be growing more comfortable doing. Not entirely providing everything Kulusevski was at right-forward, Gil is making the Swede’s absence more bearable for Spurs.
Assessing the substitutes and coach
By starting the top attacking line, there were not many game-changers on the Tottenham bench, and changes did not come until late in the match.
Djed Spence – 6
Spurs’ young right-wing-back came on with about a quarter-hour remaining for Sessegnon. Spence’s first touch and pass were excellent – playing a solid entry ball to Kane – but Spence rarely flashed after that first moment, leaving fans wanting more opportunities for the wide man.
Alfie Devine – N/A
Tottenham academy player Alfie Devine was the second player off the bench for Spurs, helping run down the injury-time clock. Devine’s appearance reflected both the nature of the game and the lack of options available to Conte in the attack. Devine did have a nice little run with the ball and showed the awareness not to play a pass to a man in an offside position and retain possession to see out the match.
Antonio Conte – 6
Antonio Conte came to win the third-round tie with Portsmouth. While their back eight were mostly rotational players, as we predicted, his attacking line was the top one he had available. Spurs moved the ball in possession but still seem to lack real intent and purpose against parked-in opposition. Playing young players was good; getting more intensity from the team would have been even better, but Spurs are moving on.