Andros Townsend’s 74th-minute penalty saw Tottenham Hotspur claim a 1-0 home win over Sheffield United in Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup semi-final first-leg.
Michel Vorm 6/10 – Didn’t have much to do on the night, as all eight of United’s attempts on goal flew past the posts, but commanded his area well.
Kyle Walker 6/10 – Didn’t get forward as much as he would have liked against his hometown club but proved solid enough in defence, save one or two hiccups.
Eric Dier 7/10 – A commanding performance from the versatile defender, who had few problems dealing with United’s teasing long balls. Should have got on the scoresheet with a couple of set-piece headers, though.
Jan Vertonghen 7/10 – Much like his centre-back partner, the Belgian looked assured throughout the 90 minutes, while his ball into the box following a surging run also led to the spot-kick being awarded.
Ben Davies 4/10 – Was given all kinds of trouble up against the pace of Jamal Campbell-Rice and lost possession on a number of occasions. Another concerning outing given his summer price tag.
Benjamin Stambouli 7/10 – A solid, if unspectacular, performance from the Frenchman, as he proved a reliable anchor in front of the back four. Looks to be growing into his role with more minutes.
Ryan Mason 6.5/10 – Kept things ticking over in midfield on his return to the first-team, before being replaced just after the hour. There should be few doubts about his starting place at this point.
Andros Townsend 7/10 – While his end product was found lacking once again, there were no doubt encouraging signs. Created two great set-piece chances for Dier and tucked home his spot-kick with confidence.
Christan Eriksen 6.5/10 – Showed a few nice touches but not quite decisive enough. Did look better when moved into a central role in the first-half, though, which goes to highlight where his long-term role should be.
Harry Kane 6/10 – Not his best performance in recent weeks, despite a couple of encouraging runs which could have led to something on another night. Drifted out of the game when Pochettino shifted him out to the left.
Emmanuel Adebayor 5/10 – Restored to the line-up for the first time since November, the skipper on the night had a few decent moments but failed to capitalise on his now-rare start. Perhaps should have been sent off for an elbow in the first-half and missed a great chance to open the scoring.
SUBSTITUTES
Roberto Soldado (Adebayor 65) 6/10 – Won the penalty after putting defender Jay McEveley under enough pressure to force a hand ball. His introduction didn’t seem to change the game much otherwise, though.
Mousa Dembele (Mason 65) 6/10 – Shored up the midfield with fresh legs after replacing Mason but had few major highlights to speak of.
Paulinho (Stambouli 75) 6/10 – Made one excellent run into the box in his 15-minute cameo but couldn’t capitalise.
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