Close menu
The FA Cup
TottenhamTottenham Hotspur4WycombeWycombe Wanderers3

Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 Wycombe Wanderers

By Alex BysouthBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section FA Cupcomments130

Son Heung-min's stoppage-time winner saw Tottenham recover from being a goal down with a minute to go against League Two Wycombe in the FA Cup fourth round.

Paul Hayes, who had earlier headed against the bar, shocked the Premier League side with a sweetly struck left-footed volley to put Wycombe ahead.

The captain grabbed his second from the spot to double the visitors' lead.

But Son's deflected effort on the hour and a Vincent Janssen penalty four minutes later pulled Spurs level.

Substitute Garry Thompson headed in Myles Weston's cross with seven minutes to go to put Gareth Ainsworth's side back in front.

But a composed 89th-minute finish from Dele Alli pulled Spurs level again, before Son scrambled in a late winner.

Chairboys' experience shows

Paul Hayes
Captain Paul Hayes scored from both his shots on target, but also cleared a Moussa Sissoko effort off the line for the visitors in the first half

Wycombe boss Ainsworth said there was "no pressure" on his side when arriving at White Hart Lane, and the side 70 places below Tottenham in the league pyramid will take heart from a performance that saw their 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions come to an end.

That run has taken the Chairboys from a relegation battle into sixth place in the fourth tier and they had already surpassed expectations in the FA Cup by reaching the fourth round for only the second time in the club's history.

Roy Essandoh was the hero with a late winner when Wycombe shocked Leicester City to reach the semi-finals in 2001, while it was 33-year-old Hayes who looked to have written the headlines this time around - his stunning volley setting the League Two side on their way.

The Wycombe skipper was complemented by veteran forward Adebayo Akinfenwa, whose physical presence caused problems for a young Spurs defence from the first minute when he nodded across goal for his strike partner to head against the bar.

The front two made way for Weston and Thompson midway through the second half, and it was the substitutes who combined to put Wycombe within a whisker of a memorable FA Cup upset.

Spurs lacking strength in depth?

Possession
Tottenham dominated possession at White Hart Lane and the ball spent plenty of time in their attacking third, but it took three substitutions for them to click into gear

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was always likely to rotate a squad hoping to sustain a title challenge - one he has said does not need strengthening in the final days of the January transfer window.

The Argentine made nine changes to the side that fought back to draw at Manchester City last week, but Tottenham's second string largely failed to impress and did little to suggest Spurs have the strength in depth to go the distance in the Premier League.

Teenager Cameron Carter-Vickers looked composed on the ball, but struggled with the physical threat of Akinfenwa, while there was plenty of promise but little end product from attacking trio Josh Onomah, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Moussa Sissoko.

The hosts dominated, especially in the second half, but it took the introduction of striker Janssen at half-time and first-teamers Alli and Mousa Dembele on the hour mark for Spurs to eventually creep past a resilient Wycombe.

They did show character, however, and that comeback came despite going down to 10-men when full-back Kieran Trippier limped off after Pochettino had made all three changes.

Man of the match - Paul Hayes (Wycombe)

Paul Hayes
Hayes' two goals looked to have set Wycombe on the way to causing an upset, and he said after the game: "If you had told us during the week we would take Tottenham all the way then we would have been proud."

Manager reaction - 'The beauty of the FA Cup'

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino: "That is the beauty of the FA Cup. It was an unbelievable game. Full credit to Wycombe, they played very well first half.

"It is completely different to Spain and France. Here it is special - the team, the people is mad to try and lift the trophy. It is completely different to when you play Premier League or EFL Cup."

On whether Spurs are looking to win the competition: "Of course, but you have to give players opportunities to play in the squad and assess them."

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth: "That's the rollercoaster that is football management - those last 10 minutes, I don't know where to start.

"The lads have done me and the town so proud. What we have done today puts a marker down of how far we've come. I hope everyone respects we gave it a go."

Stats - Hayes rises to top-flight occasion

  • Son Heung-Min has scored in each of his last three starts for Spurs at White Hart Lane (four goals).
  • Paul Hayes scored twice in an FA Cup game for the first time since December 2005, when he was playing for Barnsley against Bradford.
  • Hayes has scored in three of his last four FA Cup appearances against Premier League opposition - he scored for Scunthorpe against Chelsea in 2005 and Manchester City in 2010.

What next?

Tottenham travel to Sunderland in the Premier League on Tuesday (19:45 GMT), before hosting Middlesbrough next Saturday (17:30).

Wycombe return to League Two action at Exeter City on Tuesday (19:45), before welcoming play-offs rivals Portsmouth on Saturday.

Line-ups

Tottenham

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 13Vorm
  • 16TrippierSubstituted forat 74'minutes
  • 38Carter-Vickers
  • 27WimmerSubstituted forDembéléat 61'minutes
  • 33Davies
  • 29WinksBooked at 54mins
  • 15Dier
  • 17Sissoko
  • 25OnomahSubstituted forAlliat 61'minutes
  • 14NkoudouSubstituted forJanssenat 45'minutesBooked at 69mins
  • 7Son Heung-min

Substitutes

  • 2Walker
  • 9Janssen
  • 12Wanyama
  • 19Dembélé
  • 20Alli
  • 30López
  • 37Walker-Peters

Wycombe

Formation 4-3-3

  • 27Blackman
  • 2JombatiBooked at 42mins
  • 5StewartBooked at 90mins
  • 6Pierre
  • 3JacobsonBooked at 83mins
  • 11Wood
  • 25GapeBooked at 78mins
  • 17O'NienBooked at 54mins
  • 24KashketSubstituted forSaundersat 77'minutes
  • 20AkinfenwaSubstituted forWestonat 68'minutes
  • 9HayesSubstituted forThompsonat 77'minutes

Substitutes

  • 7Thompson
  • 8Bean
  • 13Richardson
  • 16Harriman
  • 19Weston
  • 23De Havilland
  • 29Saunders
Referee:
Roger East
Attendance:
31,440

Match Stats

Home TeamTottenhamAway TeamWycombe
Possession
Home77%
Away23%
Shots
Home22
Away17
Shots on Target
Home7
Away6
Corners
Home11
Away3
Fouls
Home12
Away23

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 4, Wycombe Wanderers 3.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 4, Wycombe Wanderers 3.

  3. Post update

    Delay over. They are ready to continue.

  4. Post update

    Delay in match (Tottenham Hotspur).

  5. Goal!

    Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 4, Wycombe Wanderers 3. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Vincent Janssen.

  6. Post update

    Hand ball by Sam Saunders (Wycombe Wanderers).

  7. Post update

    Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Jamal Blackman.

  8. Post update

    Attempt saved. Vincent Janssen (Tottenham Hotspur) header from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal.

  9. Post update

    Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  10. Post update

    Foul by Sam Saunders (Wycombe Wanderers).

  11. Booking

    Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  12. Post update

    Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  13. Post update

    Foul by Anthony Stewart (Wycombe Wanderers).

  14. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Dominic Gape (Wycombe Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

  15. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Dominic Gape (Wycombe Wanderers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Sam Wood.

  16. Post update

    Foul by Vincent Janssen (Tottenham Hotspur).

  17. Post update

    Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  18. Post update

    Corner, Wycombe Wanderers. Conceded by Eric Dier.

  19. Goal!

    Goal! Tottenham Hotspur 3, Wycombe Wanderers 3. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mousa Dembélé with a headed pass.

  20. Post update

    Vincent Janssen (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Page 1 of 8
Navigate to the last page

Comments

Join the conversation

These comments are now closed.

130 comments

  • Comment posted by U15057097, at 17:35 28 Jan 2017

    That's what's so great about the FA Cup.

    On League positions, cost of players etc, Spurs should have cruised it 6-0.

    What we got was a thriller.

    Well done Wycombe. You'll remember this day for years.

  • Comment posted by hakuna_matata, at 17:40 28 Jan 2017

    What a shame! Wycombe deserved something out of the game but well done spurs. Wycombe should be proud of themselves.

  • Comment posted by XTStevie1872, at 17:32 28 Jan 2017

    Great game to watch & Wycombe didn't deserve to lose ?

    The romance of the cup lives on though no matter what anyone says.....

    Long may it continue ?

  • Comment posted by U15647901, at 17:44 28 Jan 2017

    Feel sorry for Wycombe. Done enough to earn a replay, which would've brought them a nice bit of revenue, but glad Spurs didn't end the FA cup at The Lane with a loss like that (no disrespect intended).

    Loving the cup this season though, upsets galore! The magic is still there! COYS

  • Comment posted by Parkspur, at 17:38 28 Jan 2017

    Fair play to Wycombe for giving Spurs a big cup fright, but this Spurs team have a spirit, don't know when they're beaten and keep fighting to the end (as Man City found out last week).

    Pulling it round from 2-3 down in 83rd min to 4-3 at full-time with 10 men is a great result.

    All that matters is Spurs name is in the 5th round draw. #COYS

  • Comment posted by Justanopinion, at 17:34 28 Jan 2017

    Ha ha ha. You changed one letter of Spurs and mate it Spuds. That's SO very clever and funny!

    @1.nemanjawillkillya

  • Comment posted by WWFC_Bayo, at 19:06 28 Jan 2017

    3rd lowest budget in the football league, owned by the fans and literally have a system for fan donation towards transfer budget. Good advert for how a club should be run. Gutted but proud. People should know that 3 years ago there was a very real possibility WWFC would have gone under. The very definition of punching above our weight.

  • Comment posted by Imraky, at 17:49 28 Jan 2017

    Bit worrying for Poch that the second-string were lacking "desire and quality". Onomah needs to go out on loan to the Championship or League One for a couple of years to toughen up - at the moment he's not up to it.

  • Comment posted by Maxpaulthespurdog, at 17:40 28 Jan 2017

    Poch I will you would take the FA cup more seriously we got out of jail today. Sorry I don't think he realises how much this cup means to the fans especially the older ones. Well played Wycombe, played so well today unlucky not to snatch a draw. As for the Spurs it shows our second string are not that great we need to buy at least a forward in THIS transfer window. COYS

  • Comment posted by The Ace, at 17:33 28 Jan 2017

    Nice One Cyril.

    C'mon you Spurs!!!

  • Comment posted by Rachel, at 20:35 28 Jan 2017

    Congratulations to Spurs. Wycombe played very well. Arsenal fans why don't you comment on your own game? You won for goodness sake! There's far too much hatred for other teams. All teams wining today should be applauded, especially Lincoln City!

  • Comment posted by SpudFan, at 17:55 28 Jan 2017

    Fair play to Wycombe, the team and fans were great. As for some of the Tottenham reserves, they need a season in the lower leagues. Especially Carter Vickers. Sissoko is just a waste of oxygen.

  • Comment posted by Forza, at 17:52 28 Jan 2017

    Was at the match today (Wycombe end) and the fans and team were unbelievable.

    Tottenham were poor but subs changed the game.

    Shows the league 2 teams can compete though

  • Comment posted by On the Contrary, at 23:13 28 Jan 2017

    Congratulations to Wycombe who were excellent today. Shame they didn't at least get the draw. But have to say impressive from Spurs to keep going and not be satisfied with the draw. Guts and belief which will serve them well in the back half of the Prem season. Along with Wolves, thought this was the standout performance today. (Liverpool fan)

  • Comment posted by OssieWaddledintoHoddlesVilla, at 17:41 28 Jan 2017

    First comment on a Spurs game from a gormless manc. How sad. Probably made his day. He'll be out of the toilet soon.

  • Comment posted by Huggie, at 21:05 28 Jan 2017

    Brutally crushing on Wycombe. Definitely deserved a replay at least. Although as a Spurs fan I find myself extremely relieved that we avoided a replay and a cupset.

    It does go to show that Dier is definitely best as a defender than midfielder. Defence really lacked any leadership and cost 2 goals early on. And Winks is getting better but isn't there yet for creativity and chance creation.

  • Comment posted by The Ace, at 17:37 28 Jan 2017

    No Giant Killers at The Lane they are all up at Anfield and let's 'ope at the Highbury (Emeirats) Library.

    C'mon you Spurs!!!

  • Comment posted by bigmowlay, at 02:10 29 Jan 2017

    As a Mexican football fan I want to say that watching Spurs play hard is the best watching experience in football.

  • Comment posted by WillBeeby, at 20:52 28 Jan 2017

    What a match. To be honest as a SPURS fan it was mostly tough to watch and for most of the match it looked we were going out. Well done Wycombe and I hope this spurs you on to better things in the league ( pun intended ) . lol...C O Y S !!!

  • Comment posted by Only The Truth, at 19:05 28 Jan 2017

    Re 34 - The FA don't help matters by allowing the Final to be moved to 5.30 to accommodate the TV people. 3.00 is the proper time for the cup final and it should be the only game on that day, none of this rubbish of a full league programme on the same day for whichever broadcaster doesn't hold FA cup rights.

Top Stories

Elsewhere on the BBC