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Tottenham went one step further to end their 12-year trophy drought with a win over Stoke that takes them to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. This was the competition they won in 2008 and as José Mourinho has four winner medals, neither team will enjoy meeting their team in the last four.
In closing, the Spurs paid off for the win, dominating aside from a wobble after the break in which Jordan Thompson tied Gareth Bale’s first goal. But they stabilized and ended up in cruise control thanks to good shots from Ben Davies and Harry Kane.
On the prospect of claiming the cup, Mourinho said: “To win this trophy we have to win two more games, but they will be very difficult games, very difficult rivals.”
Mourinho’s top pick was Dele Alli, finishing a month into the first XI, with Bale also included for a proverbial wet night at the Potteries. Bale’s initial contribution came from the right when he launched a free kick at Lucas Moura, the Brazilian unable to capitalize. It was a passage from the game that indicated the pattern of the contest: Mourinho’s team would not be the counter-attack arc proposal that they usually are, but would monopolize possession and would have to bring down Stoke through a front foot game.
When Kane slid down the right and hit a cross that was rejected by 37-year-old goalkeeper Andy Lonergan, it was a sign of the Spurs’ potent creativity.
For Stoke, catching the ball and moving their visitors was a problem they couldn’t solve. Lonergan was also unable to offer a response to Bale’s heading as Harry Winks passed the ball down the right and the ball passed over the veteran to give Tottenham the lead.
Michael O’Neill’s discontent deepened when the Stoke manager witnessed a free throw routine that was supposed to fool the Spurs, but was instead spoiled by a strong pass from Jordan Cousins that sprayed the ball directly. This had been Stoke’s only foray near Hugo Lloris’s goal.
The Spurs’ inventiveness soon saw Alli take a foul from Cousins with a deft twist. At this juncture Alli was a bright light, his next contribution was a shot that forced Lonergan to save, and as half-time approached, he fired from a distance after a fall from Moura, the goalkeeper dived low to repel him from the right corner.
The half ended with Spurs intimidating their hosts at all times, Mourinho’s team illustrating the conditions and the opposition was no drama for them.
During the second period, Bale was eliminated by Son Heung-min due to one problem: hardly a show to cheer on Stoke, as the South Korean forward would be joined by his regular teammate, Kane. The latter’s skill was shown when he fell and floated on a pass that Alli narrowly missed.
But Tottenham were hit by a lethal break that stemmed from Alli’s loss of the ball. Steven Fletcher had entered in the 34th minute for the injured Morgan Fox and his jump and pass Jacob Brown on the right was a touch of class. Suddenly, the Spurs turned and as Brown crossed into the area, Matt Doherty was shaken and Thompson’s close-range shot beat Lloris with poise.
Mourinho was visibly upset with Alli and was content to criticize him afterwards. “For me, a player who plays in that position has to bond and create and not create problems for his own team,” he said. “In that situation, a counterattack would probably end with a goal or an action and ended with a counterattack behind our defenders. [and a goal] and they transformed a game that was totally in our hands. So yeah, I was upset. “
Stoke had injected aggression and intent into his approach. James McClean thundered down his flank from the left side and Fletcher was denied an effort at Lloris just because of Davinson Sánchez’s punt.
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Mourinho responded with a double change: Moussa Sissoko and Érik Lamela replacing Moura and the beleaguered Alli in an attempt to wake the Spurs out of their heavy mode. It worked. Harry Souttar cut the ball into Davies’ path and from 25 yards finished supreme.
Soon it was 3-1. Poorly controlled Thompson, Sissoko found Kane and the Spurs captain shattered.
O’Neill said: “We took credit for our second half after being a bit shy earlier in the first half.”
