Tottenham Hotspur given FA Cup fright by Tamworth before sealing fourth-round spot

Fifth-tier side take Premier League opposition into extra-time before falling to 3-0 defeat

Tottenham Hotspur's Dejan Kulusevski celebrates scoring their second goal in extra-time with teammates Son Heung-Min, Dominic Solanke, Lucas Bergvall and Brennan Johnson in the FA Cup Third Round victory against Tamworth at The Lamb Ground on Sunday, January 12, 2025. PA

Tottenham Hotspur's Brennan Johnson celebrates scoring their third goal with Dominic Solanke and Djed Spence. Reuters

Tamworth's Nathan Tshikuna, right, scores an own goal off his knee to give Tottenham their first goal. PA

Tottenham Hotspur's Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke and Lucas Bergvall celebrate their opener after an own goal by Tamworth's Nathan Tshikuna. Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur's Timo Werner has his shot saved by Tamworth's Jasbir Singh. Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison shoots at goal. Action Images

Thomas Ryan McGlinchey of Tamworth sees his shot saved Antonin Kinsky of Tottenham Hotspur. Getty Images

Tamworth goalkeeper Jasbir Singh saves a shot from Tottenham Hotspur's James Maddison. AFP

Tottenham Hotspur's Brennan Johnson tries to control the ball. Reuters

Tamworth's Beck-Ray Besongbap Enoru, Jordan Thomas Cullinane-Liburd and Jasbir Singh try to fix the net prior to kick-off. Getty Images

Tamworth manager Andy Peaks greets Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou before the game. PA

Premier League Tottenham Hotspur were given an FA Cup third-round fright before finally overcoming fifth-tier Tamworth on Sunday.

Spurs were taken to extra-time by their part-time opponents after a laboured performance over 90 minutes from Ange Postecoglou's side.

Tamworth – who sit 16th in the National League – had worked so hard but switched off at a crucial moment after 101 minutes in front of 3,700 fans at the Lamb Ground.

Pedro Porro took the home defence by surprise when he slid a free-kick out wide to Brennan Johnson, whose low cross between defence and goalkeeper was bundled over the line off the knee of unfortunate Tamworth sub Nathan Tshikuna.

The goal took all the wind out of Tamworth players who had made their top-flight opponents look decidedly average at times despite the 96 places that separated the two teams in England's football pyramid.

Spurs' second goal arrived seven minutes later at the start of the second period of extra-time, when Son Heung-min fed fellow substitute Dejan Kulusevski who fired a superb low strike across Jas Singh and into the far corner of the net.

Brennan Johnson made it three when he was given time and space in the box to finish with the goal being met by muted celebrations from Spurs players.

“It was a challenging game as we expected it to be,” said Australian coach Postecoglou.

“They made it hard for us, with the surface it was about us staying calm and being persistent in our football. In the end, we got the job done.”

Tamworth had asked for volunteers to help clear the ground on Saturday morning to ensure the biggest match in the club's history could go ahead 24 hours later.

It was something of a culture shock for Tottenham to swap the plush arenas of the Premier League for Tamworth's modest 4,000-capacity stadium with a sloping artificial pitch.

Fans waved tinfoil replicas of the FA Cup, while locals who didn't buy a ticket were able to peer over the garden walls of houses that backed on to the stadium.

The ramshackle vibe was summed up when kick-off was delayed by a hole in one of the goal nets, with Tamworth's Beck-Ray Enoru fixing the problem by climbing on the shoulders of his teammate.

Tamworth's Snowdome – a notable local attraction featuring ski slopes – loomed in the distance behind the stadium, but on a freezing, frosty afternoon, it was Tottenham who had trouble keeping their feet.

The non-league outfit should have been ahead in the opening seconds as Enoru raced through the static Tottenham defence and unloaded a powerful effort that forced a good save from Antonin Kinsky.

Tom Tonks' long throws caused problems for lethargic Tottenham's defence and Tamworth went close three times in the final minutes.

Jordan Cullinane-Liburd headed just wide before Tom McGlinchey's shot was blocked and Cullinane-Liburd was denied by Kinsky.

Tottenham were only the fourth Premier League side since 1992/93 to be taken to extra-time in an FA Cup game against a non-league club.

It was already a result to be proud of but as fatigue began to set in Spurs were able to make the breakthrough before going on to seal their fourth-round spot.

Having beaten Liverpool 1-0 in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, Tottenham remain in contention to win their first trophy since 2008.

“We knew we would finish strong and you could see they were tiring a bit,” added Postecoglou, whose team had taken one point from their last four league games.

“It's a game of football you go into it with trepidation and knowing you can slip up with the challenges.

“Most parts the boys kept their heads. I thought they stayed clam and persisted and got through.

“We are through to the next round and that was the objective for today.

“Tamworth did really well and should be proud of their efforts. For us, we move on.”